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The first British movie was released in 1889 by the inventor William Freise Greene. The contemporary industry of British movies has held its own prestige against intense competition from the American and Asian film industries.
The industry of British movies is characterized by remarkably high artistic excellence. The British film industry also exhibits a high level of technological prowess that is clearly projected on screen. Many worldwide blockbusters like the Harry Potter film series and the animation super grosser Chicken Run (2000) were conceptualized, directed, made, and post-produced in Britain. Horror and post-apocalyptic films like 28 Days Later (2002) and Dog Soldiers were directed and produced in Britain.
Beginnings
The first British film was shot by William Freise Greene in 1889. It was, however, a non-commercial piece. The first commercial film was 'Incident at Clovelly Cottage' in 1895. The medium attracted investors resulting in a number of British films being produced at that time. The American producer Charles Urban started his own company – the Charles Urban Trading Company in London to produce and market British films.
Between Wars
The period between the two World Wars saw the British film industry slide into decline. This was largely the effect of the United States film industry making inroads into British audiences. The period also heralded the beginning of talkies, films that incorporated sound. Notable film directors like Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Powell also started their careers at this time. Alfred Hitchcock directed 'Blackmail'-the first British film with concurrent sound. The 1930's saw the emergence of British documentary films. The first commercially displayed documentary film was 'Drifters' by John Grierson. The Hungarian emigrant Alexandre Korda made his cinematic mark at that time. Korda's films like Knight without Armor, Rembrandt, and The Thief of Baghdad are regarded as classics even today.
War Aftermath
The end of World War II saw British films being made primarily for the domestic audience. The films produced in Britain show-cased the heroism of British soldiers during the Second World War War films like The Dam Busters in 1954 and The Cruel Sea in 1953 were made in this period.
The 1950s saw a large number of comedy films like the 'Doctor in the House' (1954) and Genevieve (1953) being made in Britain. The latter years of the decade saw horror films like 'Dracula' and 'Frankenstein' being shot.
The 1960s were a happy period for British cinema. The film industry saw the emergence of spy films that achieved box office successes worldwide. The James Bond film franchise emerged at that time. British films like Modesty Blaise in 1966 and Billion Dollar Brain in 1967 cemented the superiority of British storytelling at that time.
Decline
The 1970s saw a decline in British cinema. This was largely the offshoot of the economic recession that plagued both Britain and the United States at that time. Richard Attenborough made two films: A Bridge Too Far and Young Winston in this period.
Re-emergence of the British Film Industry
The 1990s saw British cinema gaining a new confidence in the world stage. Films like 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and 'The Full Monty' achieved stunning success worldwide. Many North American film companies also began to shoot their films in Britain. United States' films like Mission Impossible (1996), The Mummy (1999), and Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was also shot and underwent post-production in Britain.
The turn of the millennium saw British cinema increasingly starting to look for newer pastures in film-making. Cartoon blockbusters like 'The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' were made in 2005. Independent film production companies like Working Title shot and marketed many British blockbusters like Love Actually (2003), the Bridget Jones series, and The Last King of Scotland around the world. British film studios like Shepperton, Leavesden, and Pinewood now hosts film shootings for many North American film companies.
The British Academy Awards or BAFTA were instituted in 1993 to grant formal recognition to outstanding British film makers. Alexander Korda was the first recipient.
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