British Science Fiction Cinema

Description

*British Science Fiction Cinema* is the first substantial study of a genre which, despite a sometimes troubled history, has produced some of the best British films, from the prewar classic *Things to Come to Alien* made in Britain by a British director. The contributors to this rich and provocative collection explore the diverse strangeness of British science fiction, from literary adaptions like *Nineteen Eighty-Four* and *A Clockwork Orange* to pulp fantasies and ‘creature features’ far removed from the acceptable face of British cinema. Through case studies of key films like *The Day the Earth Caught Fire* , contributors explore the unique themes and concerns of British science fiction, from the postwar boom years to more recent productions like *Hardware* , and examine how science fiction cinema drew on a variety of sources, from TV adaptions like *Doctor Who and the Daleks* , to the horror/sf crossovers produced from John Wyndham’s cult novels *The Day of the Triffids* and *The Midwich Cuckoos* (filmed as *Village of the Damned* ). How did budget restrictions encourage the use of the ‘invasion narrative’ in the 1950s films? And how did films such as *Unearthly Stranger* and *Invasion* reflect fears about the decline of Britain’s economic and colonial power and the ‘threat’ of female sexuality? *British Science Fiction Cinema* celebrates the breadth and continuing vitality of British sf film-making, in both big-budget productions such as *Brazil* and *Event Horizon* and cult exploitation movies like *Inseminoid* and *Lifeforce*.