The British New Wave was the name adopted by a filmmaking trend in Britain between 1959 - 1963. Hill (1986, p.5) states that 'There can be little doubt that the key to understanding Britain in the 1950s resides on the idea of "affluence" of a nation moving inexorably forward from post war austerity'. The British New Wave shares many stylistic characteristics with the French New Wave; usually being shot in black-and-white with a pseudo-documentary style. Also being shot with the use of real locations and no extras, to capture life as it happens.
1950s British New Wave films finally gave the working-class a voice and celebrated their common identity. Previously the lower classes had been depicted on film as comic characters or as a nondescript and ancillary group. Now their daily lives were considered relevant enough to be the very premise of a story and they were portrayed as individuals with personalities, opinions and emotions. The nature of these films, which concerned the everyday events of ordinary people, earned them the tag of kitchen sink dramas. Unmissable available classics from the period include the brilliantly authentic and acutely observed 'This Sporting Life' and the timelessly poignant 'A Taste of Honey'.
The impact of the 50s/60s kitchen sink dramas on the British filmmaking industry was enormous.
A Taste of Honey (Richardson, 1961) is the story of a young girl who falls pregnant by a black soldier, befriends a young homosexual and gradually develops into a woman. It is one of few films out of the movement whose main character is a young woman. 'A Taste of Honey remains an outstanding example of the British New Wave, shot by its star cinematographer Walter Lassally' (BFI).
A common theme found in New Wave films was that they were all set in under explored areas of England, such as the industrial Midlands and the North West. Nowadays, this does not seem like such a radical idea, however, back then a majority of films were set in London of in a studio. A Taste of Honey, along with other films were shot on real locations so they could capture real life and give the audience the most accurate sense of realism possible. The Blackpool amusments sequence in A Taste of Honey shows 'emphasis on degrading the spectacle, similar to Lindsay Anderson's O Dreamland.' (1986, p. 153)
British New Wave cinema did not just focus on the characters and their interests, but also the visuals and aesthetics. 'The shots of Jo by the canal in A Taste of Honey reveal not so much an interest in their characters as their subordination to aesthetics, their visually pleasing positioning as "figures in a landscape"'. (1986, p.134)
'A Taste of Honey is the real thing' (1986, p.208) It is clear to see that many agree with the statement of A Taste of Honey being a typical film of the British New Wave with it's stylistic characteristics of black-and-white shot and a pseudo documentary style. Also due to it's use of real, unexplored locations gives it a more realistic feel than those New Wave films shot in a studio. It has been said that the key to understanding Britain at the time of the New Wave was its idea of "affluence", however in New Wave cinema, the protagonists were very much from a working class background and the New Wave films finally gave the working-class a voice and celebrated their common identity and their daily lives were considered relevant enough to be the very premise of a story. The British New Wave created a huge impact on the Film Industry with their stories of everyday people and ultimately Tony Richardson's A Taste of Honey is 'poetic, full of hard, glowing realism' (1986, p.208) which was the typical focus of The British New Wave.
The impact of the 50s/60s kitchen sink dramas on the British filmmaking industry was enormous.
A Taste of Honey (Richardson, 1961) is the story of a young girl who falls pregnant by a black soldier, befriends a young homosexual and gradually develops into a woman. It is one of few films out of the movement whose main character is a young woman. 'A Taste of Honey remains an outstanding example of the British New Wave, shot by its star cinematographer Walter Lassally' (BFI).
A common theme found in New Wave films was that they were all set in under explored areas of England, such as the industrial Midlands and the North West. Nowadays, this does not seem like such a radical idea, however, back then a majority of films were set in London of in a studio. A Taste of Honey, along with other films were shot on real locations so they could capture real life and give the audience the most accurate sense of realism possible. The Blackpool amusments sequence in A Taste of Honey shows 'emphasis on degrading the spectacle, similar to Lindsay Anderson's O Dreamland.' (1986, p. 153)
British New Wave cinema did not just focus on the characters and their interests, but also the visuals and aesthetics. 'The shots of Jo by the canal in A Taste of Honey reveal not so much an interest in their characters as their subordination to aesthetics, their visually pleasing positioning as "figures in a landscape"'. (1986, p.134)
'A Taste of Honey is the real thing' (1986, p.208) It is clear to see that many agree with the statement of A Taste of Honey being a typical film of the British New Wave with it's stylistic characteristics of black-and-white shot and a pseudo documentary style. Also due to it's use of real, unexplored locations gives it a more realistic feel than those New Wave films shot in a studio. It has been said that the key to understanding Britain at the time of the New Wave was its idea of "affluence", however in New Wave cinema, the protagonists were very much from a working class background and the New Wave films finally gave the working-class a voice and celebrated their common identity and their daily lives were considered relevant enough to be the very premise of a story. The British New Wave created a huge impact on the Film Industry with their stories of everyday people and ultimately Tony Richardson's A Taste of Honey is 'poetic, full of hard, glowing realism' (1986, p.208) which was the typical focus of The British New Wave.
