War and Postwar British Cinema: Ealing Drama and Comedy - Essay Example

War and Postwar British Cinema: Ealing Drama and Comedy Introduction It seems that the beginning of the Second World War posed a real threat to British film production industry. The result was the general decrease in home-grown British cinema industry during the period 1937-1939. Shepperton was not in use, Pinewood was closed, and Amalgamated Studios were beaten by the more powerful competitors. But it is necessary o note that by 1939 about 5,000 cinemas were not completely closed, although the pressure of the government on film production industry was great in those times. Government thought there as no need to show films, especially because of financial reasons. The aim of the pressure was also to restrict the growing impact of Americanism(Aldgate 1994). Anyway The Board of Trade was rather happy to have the opportunity to rely on USA import and American companies were of importance as they handle percentage of produced British films. Then the situation changed and British film-making industry became profitable (Warners, Twentieth Century Fox, Columbia, MGM, etc). The mentioned studios were allowed to produce British films at their British studios. The main British studios of that period were Ealing, Gainsborough and British National. All of them emerged in the 1930s and survived severe War, because of wealthy patriotic backers. Michael Balcon became Head of Production at Ealing Studio in 1938. The company was backed by the Courtlaud family. British National was found as it was mentioned by Arthur Rank (flour millionaire) and later took over Elstree. Gainsborough was backed by the financier Isidore Ostreer and the company had contacts with Twentieth Century Fox and MGM(MacKillap 2003). Ealing was under the influence of Michael Balcon who was the Head of Production since 1939. The company was dominating in the film production market. For the next years Balcon maintained a commitment to "British films", although the budget was very modest and poor. Balcon took a number of talented figures with hi such as Charles Critchon, Charles Frend, Robert Hamer, Henry Watt, Basil Dearden and Cavalcanti. The main war-time films of that period were "In Which We Serve", "The Big Blockade", "The Foreman Went to War", "Went the Day Well". However, then Ealing understood that British society was really tired of was films and the company responded to the new film movement for popular social change. That was rational decision influencing all its further film productions(MacKillap 2003). The early years of British cinema were dominated by Ealing, especially by Ealing comedies aimed at lower middle class, against bureaucracy and at celebrating brave community spirit. For example, films "Passport to Pimlico" and "Whiskey Galore" established the new trend to fight for anarchic libertarian rights. Nevertheless later that formula became also boring and conservative. In the result the Ealing comedy gave rise to the next generation of comedies(Street 1997). Ealing Drama and Comedy: Interaction Charles Barr (Ealing Studios, script writer) wrote (Lou 2003): "The drama is Ealing's picture of how things have to be in a society which rightly inhibits individual deems and desires for self-fulfillment. The comedy is a daydream, a fantasy outlet for those urges". It is a well-known fact that Ealing studios were built in 1932 by a theatre director Basil Dean who was the former of film production company Associated Talking Pictures (ATP) in 1929. The company made more than 60 films during the period of 1930s, but then its fortune significantly declined. It was phased out and then replaced by a production company which bore the studio's name. Michael Balcon, who earlier was the Head of Production at Gaumont-British, became the head of Ealing during 1930s. The style and ideology of the Ealing films were strongly influenced by ideas of national identity and national interests. All the films of that period were based on those ideas(Lou 2003). When Balcon was the head, the company's aim was to become the voice of social conscience and to explore such issues as police work and the probation of new serious dramatic and comedic films such "The Blue Lamp" (1950) and "I believe in You" (1952) produced by Basil Dearden. Balcon welcomed the possibility to create exclusively British film industry and during twelve years (1938-1950) his name was dominating in the works of Ealing. During 1945-1947 Michael Balcon carried on negotiations with Rank concerning financing and distribution. It allowed Ealing to become an independent company, although supported by one of the most dominant forces in the British film production industry. After 1947 when the first Ealing comedy "Hue and Cry" appeared on the screen, the company came into its own. During 1947-1955 Ealing studio produced many highly successful, fondly remembered and critically acclaimed comedies, which according to Lou (2003) "have, in various ways, become synonymous with "Britishness" and the British way of life". Ealing firstly devoted much of output to promote war effect by means of dramas. The main distinguishing trait of Ealing dramas was dedication to realistic characters and new inclusive approach when women and mean are united across regional and class divides in order to struggle against the common enemy. It is apparent that Ealing dramas were promoting the idea of national patriotism and national interests. Their films were the evidence of free and independent life of British society. The early films like "Ships with wings" (1941) were famous for their "clipped-voiced, stiff upper-lipped officer types"(Lou 2003). Later Ealing began to express more complex picture with the emphasis on the contribution of "ordinary" women and mean in their dramas and comedies. Ealing reflected a widespread feeling that content ruling class failed to understand the existing risk to lose the war. In some years the company's attitude was paid to new genres which gained public recognition. The reason of change was the arrival of Alberto Cavalcanti and Harry Watt from another film company. They brought with them new sensibilities of documentary movement which significantly influenced the Ealing style. Although drama and comedy co-exist in Ealing, in the hierarchy the first place was given to comedy. Drama was also developing and creating new images, but they were mainly based on the images from comedies but well transformed. Nowadays Ealing is better known due to its post-war comedies such as: "Kind Hearts and Coronets" (1949) "Whisky Galore" (1949) "Passport to Pimlico" (1949) "The Lavender Hill Mob" (1951) "The Ladykillers" (1955) What is more important is that Ealing comedies were aimed to present a world view of England as "a quaint, untouched place worth keeping that way"(Street 1997). It is known that Ealing's comedic as well as dramatic plots were mostly about the struggle of an ordinary little man against the huge and powerful corporate giant or bureaucratic government. The famous Ealing characters believed in consensus and tolerance. They hated authority "to the point of eccentricity"(Lou 2003). The amount of comedies and dramatic productions are numerous to remember and it is a matter of fact that such films reelect the mood of the whole nation. They said a decisive word about the British national identity which penetrates in the deepest corners of the post-war audience. Ealing dramas and comedies are cherished and loved by millions, because they are patriotic and touch the most painful aspects of British society such injustice and unfairness. It is necessary to speak about Ealing values and ideology shown in comedies and dramas. According to Alexander Lou (2003) Ealing comedies and dramas "did evolve (responding to changes in the national outlook from the austerity of 1947 to the affluence of the mid-1950s), and that there are important contrasts in attitude and tone between individual films and the work of individual directors and writers". These facts are very important, because it is easier to collect all Ealing comedies and dramas together and to define the common themes and issues among them. It is necessary to mention that drama and comedy of Ealing were devoted to common themes. It s the evidence that drama and comedy are interacting and it is even possible to say that drama complements comedy and comedy complement drama. So the common themes of comedies and dramas are: Focus on lower middle class and upper working class Praise for values of the small community oppressed by bureaucratic forces, huge corporations and high finances Ordinary little man against the existing system(Lou 2003) It is necessary to explore the developments and inconsistencies of Ealing's vision, because its visions can't' be defined as "common vision" as it is rather noticeable and distinctive from other contemporaries such as successful Hammer and Boulting Brothers. After 1944 Ealing film industry looked beyond the problems of war. Through comedies and dramas they tried to present the renewed Britain which could be built after the war had ended. For example film "Halfway House" and "They Came to a City" used rather new fantastic scenarios in order to involve Britain's internal conflicts and implicitly. The idea was to ask question how those divisions can be cured. Those questions were meaningful in that period and were on many lips. What is more important to mention is that Ealing is responsible also for serious and recognizable realistic dramas, although comedies were dominating. The famous serious works were: "The Blue Lamp" (1950) "Frieda" "Dance Hall" "Pool of London" "Scott of the Antarctic" (1948) It was mentioned by Lou (2003) that such films "echo the vision of the comedies, whether in their articulation of a version of Britishness and British pluck and resilience, or the community patrolled by PC George Dixon in The Blue Lamp"(Balcon 1969). For example, "Frieda" is a melancholic thriller representing the hostilities of the World War II. The film shows the social criticism according this situation, but social prejudice is later broken down by sensibleness and sweet reasonableness. The film shows that stereotypes have to be broken and people must be judged by their deeds, not by their belonging to one or another nationality. Such storyline was not used in comedic genre and was the distinctive feature of serious works. A serious work is considered to be "The Blue Lamp". Although it is a comedy, it can be termed as serious work. It is impossible to say that this is the evidence of co-existing of drama and comedy in one film. Drama and comedy are closely interacting in this work. This film is the classic example of the Ealing "ethos of inclusiveness". The film began with pseudo-documentary opening and offered the examination of new generation of the young criminals who are hardened by wartime period. Their recklessness and violence is contrasted to a discipline of the older criminal generation. The dramatic element is that everything has been changed and there is nothing constant in the world. The Blue Lamp offers a very English vision of honest, cheerful bobbies unwavering in their determination to root out crime". The film suggests rather interesting moral hierarchy of the criminal world. The ending of the film is very Ealing: the community gathers united with the common purpose to defeat common enemy and to restore social order. It is apparent that comedy style of Ealing was new and unexpected, because it dealt with utopian ideas and desires of the upper working class and lower middle class rather than their indignation and resentment. "Hue and Cry" was the first comedy of the Ealing Studio and was among the first comedies produced in Britain after war. The comedy is generally considered to be the first remembered as the Ealing comedies. The film kept with a famous Ealing's tendency during the last years of war to introduce the inclusive images of contemporary British society. "Hue and Cry" was the first of seven comedies produced by Ealing Studio which suited the best for the way the Ealing comedies are fondly remembered nowadays - because of mild eccentricity and community spirit(Lou 2003). And it is apparent that drama took the second position in Ealing ideology. Although the problem of resentment was present in the comedies and dramas it was not paid to much attention. Balcon (1969) often uttered a facetious remark concerning the problem of resentment: "Who hasn't wanted to kick a bureaucrat in the pants" Ealing style dealt with the consequences of people's indignation when it was emphasized. The consequences were mentioned to be the release of "subterranean" values. Such values and their revealing were in a limited amount in those period and they contributed the fantasy, surprise and whimsicality into the famous Ealing comedies. But many common traits are seen in dramas and comedies of Ealing. In some productions they are closely interacting. For, example in the film "The Lavender Hill Mob" comedy hot mixed with dramatic traits when the main hero was captured. Ealing drama complements Ealing comedy and makes it full of sense and vivid(Lou 2003). It is necessary to admit that the concentration of the comedies and dramas on the lower middle class was the result of many factors. The first and the most important factor was biographical: it claimed that the majority of the film-producers were born in the families of the lower middle class. Many of them were inspired with liberalism and longed to express the class interests in their films. Film-makers of those times were the generation which had passed through difficult period of depression and they were radicalized by it. Their desire was to show the real people in their film productions and all of the comedies were done with affection(Street 1997). The difference between these genres was also that drama touched the problems of nationality and prejudice in the society. The main difference between comedy and drama was also the depiction of daydreamers used in Ealing comedies and never used in dramas. For example, "The Lavender Hill Mob" comedy is a harmless daydream and "ultimately mild gesture of defiance against conformity"(Street 1997). The film satirizes the Establishment, the police and the media. Such combination of elements was never used in dramas. Ealing comedies were a subtle protest against the sinister regimentation. The company was going thorough a euphoric period believing in itself and in national pride. Ealing films were the first who treated the lower class as human beings and with respect(Lou 2003). In the post-war years there was no cynicism yet. When the bloodless revolution took place the company's desire was to avoid wartime restrictions and to start mild anarchy in film industry. Ealing comedies were the reflection of the people's mood and anti-social impulses(Balcon 1969). It is necessary to mention that Ealing was against real revolution and criticism of national institutions such as army, parliament and judiciary. They introduced everything that was sanctioned and welcomed by comedies. "Passport to Pimlico" is the best suitable comedy for the phrase "our mild revolution"(Balcon 1969). The accent in the film is maid of "mild" and revolutionary elements are not paid too much attention. The film allows contemporary audience to see the fantasy of escape from the inevitable burden of postwar austerity and rationing, from strict government and from Britain. "Passport to Pimlico" is a yearning nostalgia for national unity of the wartime which was remembered as the "finest hours"(Balcon 1969). The main core of the film is the exploration of the British character. In spite of their resistance the Burgundians has never lost the sense of true identity. This position can be proved by the most memorable line from the film: "We always were English and we always will be English, and it's just because we are English that we're sticking up for our right to be Burgundian!"(Balcon 1969). Ealing supported the idea that every opinion is worth of being represented and that film has to ho far beyond the "purview of the government documentary". The comedies and dramas together according to Ealing were aimed to portray the Britain's contemporary life of all classes, to present the outdoor background of the Britain, to adapt literary classics and to reflect postwar aspirations of individuals. Ealing produced comedies, dramas and documentary films about ordinary people such as daydreamers, little men and anarchists and presented real people in impossible situations. The company made an effort to look for a more just society(Lou 2003). It is known that except dramas and comedies Ealing tried his luck in horror genre. But this direction was not as successful as comedy and drama, because it didn't reflect main ideas of Ealing. This genre was not suitable for the studio. The famous horror films were "Dead of Night" and "The Ventriloquist". "Dead of Night" is one of the first true horror films produced by British cinema and is an obvious break from the documentary realism dominated in all wartime films, especially of Ealing Studio. Although the film was successful, but it was a dead-end for Ealing Studio that never returned to horror again(Lou 2003). Jokily it is possible to say that horror genre was unable to compete with drama and comedy. Conclusion In conclusion it is necessary to outline main ideas of Ealing drama and comedy. As it was mentioned above Ealing drama promotes the ideas of national identity, national interests and community spirits. Ealing dramas and comedies presented the interests of the British lower working class and treated them as respectful humans. They were the first to pay attention to social injustice and struggle for human liberty and freedom. The idea of their films was to show that even the most little man is worth of being respected. Ealing drama do interacts with the comedy and creates with it a single whole. For the first time it may seem that Ealing drama and comedy have nothing common, but if to look deeper it is seen that they promote the common values and ideals but by means of different approaches. Both of them promote the ideas of strong Britain and respected working class. It is the evidence of their similar traits and interactions. Although comedy and drama has many common traits, they were a little bit different. Many of the themes and storylines presented in dramas were not used by comedies (e.g. "Frieda", wartime films) as they were not suitable for comedic genre. In conclusion it is necessary to note that films are eternal and they record sacred ideals to be remembered by future generation. The art of Ealing was great and beloved by millions of people as it promoted the sacred human values that were so needed in those times. Coedies and dramas helped people to survive in the most difficult times for them and what is more important is that comedies together with dramas helped them to remain personalities and to preserve sense of humor. It is necessary to admit that atmosphere at Ealing Studio was very warm and aroused familial feelings. References Aldgate, Anthony. 1994. Britain Can Take It: The British Cinema in the Second World War. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. MacKillop, Ian. 2003. British Cinema of the 1950s: A Celebration. Manchester, England: Manchester University Press. Street, Sarah. 1997. British National Cinema. London: Routledge. Lou, Alexander. 2003, April. "Ealing Studios". Retrieved July, from http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/456030/ Balcon, Michael. 1969. Michael Balcon Presents: a Lifetime of Films. England: Hutchinson. Read More