National Heroes - British Cinema in the Seventies and Eighties

Following on from Hollywood England, Alexander Walker's much-praised account of British cinema in the Sixties, National Heroes has social change as well as mass entertainment as its focus. From the so-called 'hangover years' of the early Seventies to the 'renaissance era' of the mid-Eighties, it shows the immense variety of human motives and talents underpinning the search for profit and power. Walker looks at the violent cinema of Get Carter and The Long Good Friday, the taxation that drove directors, producers and stars out of Britain, the coming of Channel 4 and the venture of British Film Year. From Lord Grade's empire to what David Puttnam was really thinking when Chariots of Fire won the Oscars, Walker also includes critical appraisals of talents such as Ken Russell, Glenda Jackson, John Hurt, Derek Jarman, Monty Python and many more. Informed by the author's unparalleled knowledge of films and the film industry, National Heroes is an outstanding work, and essential reading for anyone interested in Britain's film history.