It is universally acknowledged, even by those for whom this is an uncomfortable truth, that film (including both cinema and television) shape the views of more people regarding past events and people than any other medium. This is, and has been, particularly true for early modern England, which has been, since the beginnings of cinema, a popular subject area for filmmakers. This module will examine and analyse popular films (as opposed to documentaries or non-fiction programmes such as those of David Starkey) dealing with England from the reigns of Henry VIII to Charles II, which were made from 1933 until the present.
This module is NOT an exercise in film criticism; the aesthetic quality of the films shown and the calibre of the acting in them are, at best, secondary considerations. Nor is it a study of filmmaking. Instead it will seek to study the films as representations of the past, in the same way that historical novels, historical dramas and historical paintings are representations of the past. For each film the module will attempt to: examine the general accuracy of the film, in the light of historical knowledge at the time that it was made and since. It will also explore the reasons behind deliberate inaccuracies and distortions; examine the context within which the film was made and, in particular examine the particular political, social and financial circumstances that shaped the contents of the film; discuss the effectiveness of the film in both representing and interpreting past events and people.
In addition to the particular films under consideration in the course, we will be examining both primary and secondary sources. The primary sources will consist of books upon which particular films were based, published versions of the scripts for the films, memoirs or autobiographies of those involved with the making of a particular film and interviews with them. Secondary sources will include critical analyses of the films, biographies of the filmmakers and historical and biographical works on the subjects of the films
This module is NOT an exercise in film criticism; the aesthetic quality of the films shown and the calibre of the acting in them are, at best, secondary considerations. Nor is it a study of filmmaking. Instead it will seek to study the films as representations of the past, in the same way that historical novels, historical dramas and historical paintings are representations of the past. For each film the module will attempt to: examine the general accuracy of the film, in the light of historical knowledge at the time that it was made and since. It will also explore the reasons behind deliberate inaccuracies and distortions; examine the context within which the film was made and, in particular examine the particular political, social and financial circumstances that shaped the contents of the film; discuss the effectiveness of the film in both representing and interpreting past events and people.
In addition to the particular films under consideration in the course, we will be examining both primary and secondary sources. The primary sources will consist of books upon which particular films were based, published versions of the scripts for the films, memoirs or autobiographies of those involved with the making of a particular film and interviews with them. Secondary sources will include critical analyses of the films, biographies of the filmmakers and historical and biographical works on the subjects of the films