ADRIAN BRUNEL AND BRITISH CINEMA OF THE 1920S : the artist versus the moneybags

British cinema has been in the shadow of Hollywood for over a hundred years, constantly attempting to define itself in an effort to challenge its dominance. During the 1920s, a small group of intellectuals argued that injecting a level of ‘art’ into the medium was the way to do this, a view strongly opposed by the industry’s commercial forces. Using the experiences of Adrian Brunel, Josephine Botting demonstrates how this clash affected the careers of filmmakers attempting to prove their theory. Brunel was cultured yet financially insecure, caught between the creative Bohemianism of 1920s London and a conventional, conservative film industry. Tracing the ups and downs of Brunel’s biography with detailed reference to his personal papers, Adrian Brunel and British Cinema of the 1920s exposes the various forces controlling the production, distribution and exhibition of films in Britain as Brunel tried to negotiate them and find a niche in the insecure and competitive arena of British film. Uncovers the life and work of a key figure in British cinema, Adrian BrunelOffers an account of British film history through the prism of a unique creative voice within itExamines history through the interaction between archival research and textual analysisExplores the issues that beset British cinema in the late silent period, many of which pertained over subsequent decadesBritish cinema has been in the shadow of Hollywood for over a hundred years, constantly attempting to define itself in an effort to challenge its dominance. During the 1920s, a small group of intellectuals argued that injecting a level of 'art' into the medium was the way to do this, a view strongly opposed by the industry's commercial forces.Using the experiences of Adrian Brunel, Josephine Botting demonstrates how this clash affected the careers of filmmakers attempting to prove their theory. Brunel was cultured yet financially insecure, caught between the creative Bohemianism of 1920s London and a conventional, conservative film industry.Tracing the ups and downs of Brunel's biography with detailed reference to his personal papers, Adrian Brunel and British Cinema of the 1920s exposes the various forces controlling the production, distribution and exhibition of films in Britain as Brunel tried to negotiate them and find a niche in the insecure and competitive arena of British film Contents Figures Acknowledgements Abbreviations INTRODUCTION ‘Might repay serious excavation . . .’: Adrian Brunel as a Subject for Study CHAPTER 1 Contextualised Biography of Adrian Brunel, Part I CHAPTER 2 A Syndicate of Beggars: Minerva Films Ltd and Independent Short Film Production CHAPTER 3 Art, the Trade and The Man Without Desire CHAPTER 4 Making Dull Films Jolly: Brunel’s Burlesques CHAPTER 5 ‘A war film with a difference’: Blighty and Brunel’s Negotiation of the British Studio System CHAPTER 6 Adaptation and Screen Censorship: The Vortex CHAPTER 7 Adaptation and the Power of the Author: The Constant Nymph CHAPTER 8 Contextualised Biography of Adrian Brunel, Part II CONCLUSION Brunel’s Legacy Bibliography Index