American Thoughts On The British Film Industry

Published on July 31, 2009 by Kevin Coll   ·   View Comments

Kevin Coll is a Memphis based marketing guru and Editor in Chief of Memphis-based film news site Fused Film.

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So when Craig asked me to do a guest post on FilmShaft about American thoughts on the British film industry, how could I resist? First off let me start by saying that I speak on my own behalf and not the rest of America. I say this because if what I say is misconstrued or taken out of context to be offensive I do not want the rest of America to suffer!

So where to start? How about the tradition of great British actors who have come to be household names in American cinema? Perhaps the most recognizable of names for me is Peter O’Toole who is in my favorite movie of all time, “Lawrence of Arabia” (and mine in “High Spirits – Craig). One of the biggest problems I have about Hollywood, especially in today’s society, there is a lack of classically trained actors.

In Britain the craft is respected in all forms and guys we know of like Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, Sir Alec Guinness and a plethora of other old and young actors like Daniel Craig, Cillian Murphy, David Tennant, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Kenneth Branagh and others that have transported from the British stage to the global cinema. I mean Harry Potter wouldn’t be half the movie it is if Warner Brothers and the producers didn’t cast the talented British actors for the film, yes that was at the request of J.K. Rowling to make the movies as authentic as possible, but imagine American actors trying to use British accents in the film?

I think that is something that lots of people in the states don’t think about most of the time. It is so funny because most of the great artists I listen to and love in music are also from the British Invasion of Rock n’Roll in the sixties – same thing with movies.

Today some of the most popular comedy actors are straight from the British Isles and are being noticed by American audiences everywhere and Hollywood Execs. Guys like Simon Pegg, Ricky Gervais and Russell Brand are all making names in the states. These are household names where you all are and have been for quite some time. I caught on to Gervais when friends got me on his “Extras” show, Pegg, when I saw “Shaun of the Dead” and Russell Brand in the immensely successful “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”. I think this is great because it keeps the tradition the British Film industry has had for giving Hollywood and the rest of the world great actors who aren’t just pretty people, easy to sell.

I think another thing about British cinema that we in the states forget about is the directors you all have given us. I mean the perhaps one the greatest of all time would have to be Alfred Hitchcock, his impact here in America is without a doubt the father of modern drama and suspense in the motion picture industry, not just here but everywhere. Another guy now who is doing the same thing is Danny Boyle who has managed to give us some wonderful stories in forms of cult classics like 28 Days Later, Trainspotting, Sunshine and The Beach then he brought the world Slumdog Millionaire.

Where Asian cinema may be influencing Hollywood in terms if storytelling especially adventure films and mangas being transformed into film properties, it’s the British industry that has always given us well crafted talent from the Shakespearean stage but also directors with a unique vision and eye.

Films with a British dimension, meaning origin, have had enormous worldwide commercial success. The top seven highest-grossing films worldwide of all time have some British historical, cultural or creative dimensions: Titanic, two episodes of The Lord of the Rings, two Pirates of the Caribbean and two Harry Potter movies. The first culturally American film on the list, Star Wars at number 8, was filmed principally in the UK – bet a lot people in America don’t realize that!

Perhaps the only reason why the British cinema has not exploded to international levels is that their “local” market is too small for the British film industry to successfully produce “Hollywood-style” blockbusters over a sustained period. As such, the industry has not been able to produce films with as much commercial success internationally in comparison our industry.

The British film industry consequently has a complex relationship with Hollywood that became very evident to me when I was researching aspects of distribution of films. On the one hand Hollywood provides work to British directors, actors, writers, production staff and studios – like I mentioned earlier – Hollywood even enables for British history and stories to be made into films. All this opens up the US and other world markets to a limited participation by some in the British film industry. On the other hand, the loss of control and profits, and the market requirements of the US distributors are often seen to endanger and distort British film culture.

Perhaps the thing that has helped this distortion is the recent advancement in distribution and evolution of independent labels like Working Title, have secured financing and distribution deals with major American studios allowing for British films to be seen by American audiences and other markets. Lastly, popularity of British TV in the home market had also grown enough to allow a spate of American television comedies such as “The Office” remake and even allowed the long-time British sci-fi series “Doctor Who” to gain massive followings here in the states.

Ultimately British cinema and television have been prominent and new forms of distribution have helped bring folks like me a taste of their films here, such as Donkey Punch and shows like Ultraviolet, Spooks, Skins, Doctor Who and Hustle. It will be interesting to see how new media and the Internet help bring us more of the British film industries vision as their actors and directors seem be taking Hollywood and American culture by storm. I can’t go anywhere without hearing Robert Pattinson’s name, so what does that tell you? Ultimately the United Kingdom has had a large impact on modern cinema and has one the most respected film industries in the world!

Tags: 28 Days Later, British Film Feature, doctor who, half blood prince, harry potter, kenneth branagh, ricky gervais

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