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Society & Culture

Film and Comedy

Separate film history, famous directors/actors, franchises, BAFTA, and comedy traditions.

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What to be able to answer

  • Recall first public film screenings and early film figures.
  • Match famous films, directors, franchises, and awards.
  • Understand the satire/comedy timeline from Punch to Monty Python.

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British cinema, famous films and the tradition of comedy

Topic 10 of 12

Names to recognise

Scan the name, then the exact work, role, or achievement attached to it.

Visual connected to Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin

British actor famous for silent movies and his tramp character; made career in Hollywood.

Visual connected to Sir Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Hitchcock

Eminent 1930s British director who later moved to Hollywood. Directed The 39 Steps.

Sir David Lean

Director of Brief Encounter and Lawrence of Arabia; found success in the UK and internationally.

Nick Park

Won four Oscars for animated films including three featuring Wallace and Gromit.

The UK has had a major influence on modern cinema. Films were first shown publicly in the UK in 1896 and screenings very quickly became popular. From the beginning, British film makers became famous for clever special effects, an area that continues to be a British expertise.

Film and comedy timeline

Follow the medium changing over time: cinema, studios, franchises, awards, then satire and television comedy.

  1. 1896

    Public film screenings

    Films were first shown publicly in the UK and quickly became popular.

  2. silent era

    Charlie Chaplin

    Chaplin became famous for his tramp character and made a Hollywood career.

  3. 1930s

    Studios and directors

    British studios flourished; Korda and Hitchcock are the named directors to recognise.

  4. 1950s-60s

    British comedy films

    Passport to Pimlico, The Ladykillers and Carry On films mark the comedy high point.

  5. today

    Franchises, BAFTA and animation

    Harry Potter and James Bond, Ealing Studios, Nick Park and BAFTA are the modern film facts to separate.

  6. comedy

    Satire to Monty Python

    Court jesters, political cartoons, Punch, Private Eye, music hall, Morecambe and Wise, and Monty Python form the comedy tradition.

Alfred Hitchcock
Link Alfred Hitchcock with British film directors of the 1930s and The 39 Steps.

During the Second World War, British movies (such as In Which We Serve) played an important part in boosting morale. Later, British directors including Sir David Lean and Ridley Scott found great success both in the UK and internationally.

The 1950s and 1960s were a high point for British comedies, including Passport to Pimlico, The Ladykillers and the Carry On films.

Some of the most commercially successful films of all time, including the two highest-grossing film franchises — Harry Potter and James Bond — have been produced in the UK. Ealing Studios has a claim to being the oldest continuously working film studio facility in the world.

Actors such as Sir Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Sir Rex Harrison and Richard Burton starred in a wide variety of popular films. Recent British actors to have won Oscars include Colin Firth, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Dame Judi Dench, Kate Winslet and Tilda Swinton.

The annual British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) are the British equivalent of the Oscars, hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

British film date pairs

Earlier classics

  • 1935 — The 39 Steps — Alfred Hitchcock

  • 1945 — Brief Encounter — David Lean

  • 1949 — The Third Man — Carol Reed

  • 1962 — Lawrence of Arabia — David Lean

Later classics

  • 1981 — Chariots of Fire — Hugh Hudson

  • 1984 — The Killing Fields — Roland Joffe

  • 1994 — Four Weddings and a Funeral — Mike Newell

The traditions of comedy and satire are an important part of the UK character. Medieval kings and rich nobles had jesters who told jokes and made fun of people in the Court. Shakespeare included comic characters in his plays.

In the 18th century, political cartoons attacking prominent politicians became increasingly popular. In the 19th century, satirical magazines began to be published; the most famous was Punch, first published in the 1840s. Today, magazines such as Private Eye continue the tradition of satire.

Comedians were a popular feature of British music hall, a form of variety theatre common until television took over. Some performers from the 1940s and 1950s music halls, such as Morecambe and Wise, became stars of television.

Television comedy developed its own style — situation comedies (sitcoms), which often explore family life and workplace relationships, remain popular. In 1969, Monty Python's Flying Circus introduced a new type of progressive comedy.

Stand-up comedy, where a solo comedian talks to a live audience, has become popular again in recent years.

Do not mix up

BAFTA is the British equivalent of the Oscars
Ealing Studios claims oldest continuously working film studio
Monty Python's Flying Circus began in 1969

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