Nasty, Brutish and Tall: The Representation, Role and Influence of Brutalist Architecture in British Cinema

Brutalism is the controversial modernist architectural trend centred on uncompromising concrete structures that became prominent during the rebuilding of post-war Britain. In the British public imagination, Brutalism has been mythologised as a concrete nightmare, encapsulating the worst tower block living and oppressive dystopian futures. While a revaluation of Brutalism has begun, there remains a question of how an architectural movement initially typified by utopian ambitions has become plastered in negative connotations? Brutalism has appeared in British cinema in many genres: science fiction with 1984; realist dramas like Red Road; and gangster films with Get Carter. Through these films, Brutalism has been imbued with cultural cinematic significance which in turn has influenced how we interact, respond and imagine these buildings.

This project is important because it intends to address how Britain understands and imagines Brutalist architecture through the culture of cinema, an area unaddressed within academic literature. This project will contribute to the growing literature on how British cinema represents and imagines itself on screen, and how these representations impact British identity. Furthermore, with The Twentieth Century Society debating "urgent questions of conservation, regeneration or demolition" for Brutalism, this project could open new debates into the intersection between culture and conservation.