The Englishness of British Cinema: Beyond the Valley of the Corndollies

Abstract

This chapter argues that films made in and about England are, if taken as a whole, and if not viewed solely through the prism of a certain conception of heritage, a rich repository of diverse versions of Englishness, versions which can and indeed should be mobilised against the overtly and stridently nationalistic forms which are now coming to dominate certain kinds of discourse. It provides a brief overview of the return of the 'English question'. In political terms, the revival of Englishness is largely a reaction to devolution, and especially to the powers granted to the Scottish Parliament. The chapter also explains the subject of culturally English cinema as a space in which such versions of Englishness can, and indeed do, flourish. It also argues that what is dominant is a certain way of conceptualising films about and set in England, and that Film England is a good example of this tendency.