• Colour drawing of a staged theatrical scene framed by two symmetrical classical structures with niches containing gilded statues, flanked by trees. At the centre, a painted backdrop shows an island within an archipelago, with a visible settlement; in the foreground, a vessel approaches the shore. Four figures stand before the backdrop holding branches and other objects. The composition is enclosed within a thin rectangular gold border.

The Politics of ‘Acting’: Why Cast Comedians?

By Neil Archer What makes a performance ‘truthful’? In one of my previous professional lives, as an actor, this question was one that concerned me on an everyday and practical level. But it’s one I’m still dealing with in my…

Inventing London on Blackfriars Bridge, 1896: Part Two

By Sean Cubitt Catch up with Part One of this blog post. Note from the editors of Journal of British Cinema and Television: Given the current state of culture war, the Journal of British Cinema and Television is extremely keen to encourage further…

Inventing London on Blackfriars Bridge, 1896: Part One

By Sean Cubitt Note from the editors of Journal of British Cinema and Television: Given the current state of culture war, the Journal of British Cinema and Television is extremely keen to encourage further discussion of the sort of topics covered in…

Doing History in the Age of Downton Abbey

Julie Anne Taddeo As the most watched period drama in television history, Downton Abbey has met with popular success but not always critical acclaim. Historians in particular have criticized what they see as the series’ conservative politics and nostalgic view…

Nuancing Ken Russell

By Kevin M. Flanagan Director Ken Russell (1927-2011) tends to evoke extreme reactions. Critics, academics, and fans lavish a few of his works with rapturous praise. His adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s Women in Love (1969), or some of his composer…