A new book, titled The Story of British Propaganda Film, written by Scott Anthony, puts the British film industry under the magnifying glass to examine the effects of propaganda in film starting from World War I and continuing to the present day.
Scott Anthony, the deputy head of research at the U.K. Science Museum Group, analyzes how wartime propaganda films were just the beginning, and while those films are not made anymore, propaganda morphed into an institutionalized standard. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said, “The book describes how the propaganda film went from being a stand-alone object — think Triumph of the Will or Battleship Potemkin — to forming part of an expansive media environment.” He claims that the industry no longer focuses on creating films to actively encourage militarization or other wartime efforts but instead on the “need to sell a global vision of Britain” to allure tourists and sell its culture.
He goes on to explain how this has affected the creation and production of some more popular and recent British film content, including Harry Potter, The Crown, Paddington, and of course, James Bond. Franchises such as Harry Potter and Paddington are simpler in the sense that they are organic stories that also happen to incorporate British culture into them. The feel-good nature of Paddington is perfect for this since it is a series that elicits a lot of emotion from its audience in an environment that is very British.
James Bond is an interesting case as it is less about promoting a feel-good atmosphere in Britain and more about showing off how they can still be cool. He says, “As regards James Bond, I had this bit in the book because it strikes me that Britain is not a hard power country anymore. They’re not really a military power, but it still has a big reputation for spying.” British spy agencies have become fairly famous in the space of action films, and they can even be seen in other blockbuster franchises such as Mission: Impossible and Kingsman.
The Story of British Propaganda Film by Scott Anthony is available for purchase now.
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