Transformation and Tradition in Sixties British Cinema: Production Cultures, Cross Media Relations and National Branding

The 1960s is widely regarded as a period of significant social and cultural transformation - for historian Arthur Marwick, the decade constituted nothing less than a 'cultural revolution'. British cinema of the 1960s would appear to support this assessment, with first the working class realism of the 'new wave', then a more classless and cosmopolitan cinema epitomised by the James Bond cycle, the Beatles films, and other productions of 'swinging London'. There was also a growth in independent production, much of it backed by Hollywood finance, and the presence of major international film-makers in British studios. Moreover, cinema was benefitting from a process of unprecedented cultural exchange with other dynamic media including television, pop music, advertising and fashion. But recently the decade has been subject to different interpretations, Dominic Sandbrook arguing it was marked much more by continuity and tradition than by radical transformation. There is also evidence that British cinema continued to be dictated by established structures, processes and styles. The industry remained dominated by the duopoly of Rank and ABPC - a system firmly in place since the coming of sound. Meanwhile alongside new talent like Tony Richardson, John Schlesinger and Richard Lester, seasoned veterans such as Anthony Asquith, David Lean, Carol Reed and the Boulting brothers continued to work. The collaborative nature of production meant that established and neophyte filmmakers sometimes worked together, while international luminaries from Stanley Kubrick and Joseph Losey to Roman Polanski and Francois Truffaut formed significant creative associations with British technicians. Cultural exchange was also complicated by two-way movement between media - as 'young turks' from TV drama and current affairs moved into cinema (Ken Loach, Ken Russell, Jack Gold), so older film personnel found new opportunities in single camera TV drama (Charles Crichton, Roy Ward Baker, Pat Jackson).

This project will critically examine the implications of this tension between novelty/innovation and tradition/continuity in 1960s British cinema, providing new insight and understandings of this apparently familiar but rather over-mythologised decade. It will focus on three distinct but related areas of inquiry.

Firstly, the organisation and operation of the industry and the development of production and distribution. How significant was the development of independent production? How beneficial was Hollywood finance and how did this compare with the relationships independents had with the established UK companies? How important were sources of public support? Did independent producers constitute a new entrepreneurial culture with the British film industry during the decade?

Secondly, the promotion and reviewing of films at home. How were these films understood as innovative and/or traditional? Was their Britisness significant? How did associations with the 'swinging sixties' sit alongside more traditional versions of the national culture?

Thirdly, the significance of new forms of exchange between different media including television, advertising, the visual arts and fashion. How did this impact upon production processes, techniques and styles? How did innovation sit alongside the presence of established and more traditional film-makers and approaches? How did the collaborative nature of film-making complicate the relationship between old and new? What were the implications of creative personnel moving between different media?

The project will benefit from collaboration with the British Film Institute, making extensive use of major BFI research collections - including newly acquired and rarely consulted papers and other archive resources - and ensuring strong public engagement by informing publications, screenings , public talks and other events which will form the BFI's blockbuster programme on 1960s British cinema in 2017.

Impact potential played a key role in the genesis of this project, which entails the collaboration between the team of academic researchers and the British Film Institute (BFI) - a charity established by a royal charter and the UK's major public agency engaged in the cultural promotion of film and television. In addition to being a project partner, the BFI will also be the primary beneficiary in terms of the impact of the research. In turn, this partnership will subsequently facilitate high-quality public engagement through the networks and activities that are the BFI's core business.

The nature of the project relates directly to two of the BFI's three core objectives as set out in their current five year strategy document 'BFI Forever', namely 'expanding education and learning and boosting audience choice' and 'unlocking our film heritage'. The project was also devised and developed in consultation with BFI staff as a means of utilising resources contained in the BFI's collections to directly inform and develop their planned blockbuster programme for 2017, 'British film in the 60s', which is also timed to mark the 50th anniversary of the cultural watershed dubbed 'the summer of love'. This blockbuster programme will involve a raft of high profile public engagement initiatives and events building on the BFI's previous highly successful flagship programmes: 'The Genius of Hitchcock' in 2012 and 'Gothic: the Dark Heart of Film' in 2013. These programmes included numerous public events including extensive seasons and screenings of films at the National Film Theatre and other venues around the country and special exhibitions and public lectures, as well as film restorations, new DVD releases of films, the production of educational resources and book publications. The 'British Film in the 60s' programme will follow suit, with the various outputs directly drawing on and being informed by the research generated by this project.

Thus while the BFI will itself be the major direct beneficiary of the project, their involvement will allow the research to access other beneficiaries. These will include film exhibitors who will be involved in screenings of seasons and individual films identified and contextualised as significant by the project; and museums and galleries involved in exhibiting materials whose curation will be informed by the project. This will in turn impact on the media through engaging with and generating stories relating to the wider project (both the Hitchcock and Gothic programmes had extensive coverage in the press and on radio and television). The general public will also be a major beneficiary through their attendance at the various screenings, exhibitions and lectures and their buying of DVDs and books. It is also possible that former film industry professionals will benefit through their work being critically reassessed, repackaged and made available to the public in new ways. As one of the intended outcomes of the partnership with the BFI will be the generation of educational materials including teaching resources and supporting screenings, the project will also engage with Film Nation UK, a major BFI and lottery-funded film education initiative, and its film educational programme for 5-19 year olds, 'Adventures in Film'.

The conference to be held in the third and final year of the project will also contribute to impact by bringing together researchers and academics with other kinds of educational and cultural professionals including teachers, programmers, curators and archivists to consider the cinematic legacy of the the sixties, how this remains relevant and engaging today and how can it be used to develop new projects and initiatives.