The Child in British Cinema

Description

This book argues that over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the cinema in Britain became the site on which childhood was projected, examined, and understood. Through an analysis of these projections; via case studies that encompass early cinema, pre and post-war film, and contemporary cinema; this book interprets the child in British cinema as a device through which to reflect upon issues of national culture, race, empire, class, and gender. Beginning with a discussion of early cinematic depictions of the child in Britain, this book examines cultural expressions of nationhood produced via non-commercial cinemas for children. It considers the way cinema encroaches on the moral edification of the child and the ostensible vibrancy and vitality of the British boy in post-war cinema. The author explores the representational and instrumental differences between depictions of boys and girls before extending this discussion to investigate the treatment of migrant, refugee, and immigrant children in British cinema. It ends by recapitulating these arguments through a discussion of internationally successful British blockbuster cinema. The child in this study is a mobile figure, deployed across generic boundaries, throughout the history of British cinema and embodying a range of discourses regarding the health and wellbeing of the nation. Acknowledgements Contents List of Figures 1 The Child in British Cinema What is British Cinema? Defining Childhood Bibliography 2 Writing the Child Puritan and Lockean—Born in Sin and Tabula Rasa Tilly the Tomboy Bibliography 3 Watching the Child Dreadful Literature and Nasty Videos Hope for the Future: Johnny on the Run Bibliography 4 The Child and the City: The Urban Adventurer in Post-war Britain Urban Adventurers Deleuze, Neo-Realism, and the Rubble Film The Family Onscreen in Post-War Britain Hue and Cry The Battle of Ballards Wharf Bibliography 5 Girlhood: Mobility, Ambiguity, and Change Runaway Girls Shell Bibliography 6 Other Children: Migrant, Refugee, and Other Jemima + Johnny Bend It Like Beckham Conclusion Bibliography 7 Harry Potter: The British Child and Franchise Cinema The Potter Series Mobility and Border Crossing: From Muggle to Magical Race and Otherness: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Dumbledore's Online Army: Children as Resistant Readers Bibliography 8 Conclusion: Projecting the Child Bibliography Selected Filmography Index