The film business: a history of British cinema, 1896-1972.

384 Pages·1973·17.919 MB·English

by  Ernest Betts

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Ernest Betts began writing about films in the
late 1920s, first in the avant garde magazine.
Close Up, and in 1930 as film critic of the
Week-end Review. Since then he has contri¬
buted to a wide range of journals and news¬
papers, from The Times to the popular Sundays.
From 1931 -3 he was film critic of the Evening
Standard and, as film and/or dramatic critic,
continued writing for various London papers
until 1946.
When, in 1947, Lord Rank's senior producer,
Filippo del Giudice, parted from the Rank
organisation to set up Pilgrim Pictures, Betts
joined him. In 1948 the company ceased pro¬
duction and he went to 20th Century-Fox as
P.R.O. on the production side. Here he
benefited from seeing at first hand the work of
Jules Dassin, Jean Negulesco, Henry Hatha¬
way and others. In 1951 20th Century-Fox
to
abandoned British production for a time and
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Betts joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, again as H
H
P.R.O., but in 1957 returned to free-lance
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journalism. In 1961 his book, inside Pictures, ° »
appeared. He was president of the Critics'
3 • *
Circle from 1968-9.
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In this book the author makes a factual a <e or
survey of British films from their beginnings a CO
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in 1896 to the present day. He offers character <
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studies of the men who have built the film u
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industry and made it what it is. He examines
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the financial and political background and o<M 00
shows how, while intending to encourage film c
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production, it has often had exactly the opposite a o
o
effect and inhibited its free development. oU x:
Betts also attacks the manner in which the *K «o
American film industry has taken over the
° to
British film industry and points to the failure
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of successive governments to save it from 0
u
repeated crises and losses. Through these
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fluctuations the author keeps a firm eye on the to
film itself and brings the judgement of film
critics past and present to bear on British
cinema, as it moves uncertainly and not
without its triumphs into the 1970s.
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The Film Business
■
Also by Ernest Betts
Heraclitus: or the Future of Films
Inside Pictures (editor)
The Private Life of Henry VIII
Jew Suss
The Film
Business
A History of British Cinema
1896-1972
ERNEST BETTS
LONDON • GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD
Ruskin House Museum Street
First published in 1973
This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. All
rights are reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the
purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as
permitted under the Copyright Act, 1956, no part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the copyright owner. Enquiries should be
addressed to the publishers.
Printed in Great Britain
in 11 point Times Roman type
by Unwin Brothers Limited
Old Woking Surrey