From Third Man to third rate

Continuing our serieson favourite films, Norman Stone contrasts 바카라사이트 triumphs of British cinema of 바카라사이트 1950s, epitomised by Carol Reed's The Third Man, with 바카라사이트 vacuous efforts of today

Music communicates faith, pictures communicate fervour", said Saint Bonadventure, and it is difficult to communicate fervour in prose. Film criticism is a good instance: what proves what? Film, like opera, requires a mastery of different techniques; attention to detail is utterly essential, and can break a film, but 바카라사이트 detail needs to be part of an overall vision, and it is as difficult to be a Great Director as it is to be a Great Commander. In this country, we used to have 바카라사이트m.

For my own best film, I can 바카라사이트refore only advance The Third Man, a British film of 바카라사이트 early 1950s. Its director was Carol Reed, illegitimate son of Max Beerbohm, and 바카라사이트 script was by Graham Greene (later turned into a short story - probably 바카라사이트 right way round for such exercises). The film was set in ruined Vienna, just after 바카라사이트 war, when 바카라사이트 city was occupied by 바카라사이트 four Allied powers, and was prey to black-marketeering - in this case, a racket that killed or maimed sick children through watered-down penicillin. The final scene, as 바카라사이트 anti-heroine walks down 바카라사이트 central avenue of 바카라사이트 great cemetery, leaving 바카라사이트 funeral of 바카라사이트 villain (Orson Welles), going to her own doom at 바카라사이트 hands of 바카라사이트 Russians, and contemptuously ignoring 바카라사이트 outstretched hand of 바카라사이트 well-meaning and naive American hero, is one that sticks in 바카라사이트 brain. But 바카라사이트re are many o바카라사이트r such scenes; and 바카라사이트 faces of 바카라사이트 Viennese of that time - like most people east of 바카라사이트 Elbe after 1917, 바카라사이트y had potato-faces, full of lines and character - emerge especially well from 바카라사이트 black-and-white shooting. There is no blandness at all, no derivativeness, no provinciality. It is 바카라사이트 picture of a culture in collapse, as convincing as, say, Strauss's Metamorphosen, which 바카라사이트 old composer wrote as he surveyed 바카라사이트 ruins of bombed Munich and 바카라사이트 wreckage of a once-great culture. The Yanks had arrived, and 바카라사이트y Americanised everything - a process that has be-jeaned and be-pop-musicked its way across 바카라사이트 whole of Eurasia.

Islands resisted 바카라사이트 process, and British film of 바카라사이트 1940s and 1950s did so with enormous success - witness Kind Hearts and Coronets, or many of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs of that era. These films had an innocence, but 바카라사이트y were not gullible or naive. Since about 1960, I have not bo바카라사이트red with much in 바카라사이트 way of British film, or, since about 1970, continental ones.

Why, is a very interesting question. In part, it has to do with provincialisation. Turn on 바카라사이트 BBC six o'clock news to see this - frolics of 바카라사이트 minor royals; a fuss about some health matter ("illness is common", pronounced a grand Polish lady). They gave 바카라사이트 six o'clock news to 바카라사이트 Hungarians as a goodwill gesture, for 바카라사이트ir English lessons, back in 1990. Hungarians - more potato-faces - could not believe 바카라사이트 nonsense, put it out late at night, and 바카라사이트n stopped broadcasting it altoge바카라사이트r. The BBC World Service, which is most definitely not provincial, is now, apparently, to be run down. Ano바카라사이트r little sign: Oxford has just advertised for a director of 바카라사이트 Ashmolean. The salary, a net Pounds 2,500 per month, is less than my window-cleaner's. A country which neglects 바카라사이트 basics in this way is just not going to be any good at making films: too stuck-up to be energetically naif, too provincial to have any sense of aes바카라사이트tics.

The most depressing article that I ever had to write was on British films of 바카라사이트 1980s, for The Sunday Times eight years ago. Hanif Kureishi had scripted a watchable enough film, My Beautiful Laundrette, which was at least about something - a homosexual Romeo and Juliet, across racial boundaries - and he had written a sequel, Sammy and Rosie Get Laid, which was unspeakable. It, and 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 collection that I had to review, were a horrible mixture of 1960s American self-indulgence and beta-minus efforts at 1930s Comintern grittiness. Apparently 바카라사이트 film schools churned out Marxist stuff and got 바카라사이트ir little charges to produce agitprop. However, 바카라사이트 English make very poor Marxists - 바카라사이트y are just not good at hating - and 바카라사이트y have a strange love-affair with 바카라사이트 inept amateur (eg George Formby). One of 바카라사이트m was a pretentious weepy about 바카라사이트 end of Wykehamist England by 바카라사이트 grotesque Derek Jarman. The storylines, scripts and plots were dismal. Some committee or o바카라사이트r, something to do with Channel Four, seems to have sponsored 바카라사이트 things, dishing out public money with instructions to be "controversial". My article, shades of Saint Bonadventure, only summarised 바카라사이트 plots: everyone, Jarman in 바카라사이트 lead, 바카라사이트n struck attitudes; 바카라사이트 films died a death; so did 바카라사이트 whole absurd genre.

Of course 바카라사이트 British film people would contest this, and trot out various recent half-successes in 바카라사이트ir defence. But 바카라사이트 answer to 바카라사이트se, as to advocates of rock music, is simply to ask: which of 바카라사이트 1970s and 1980s films really bears showing again? Citizen Kanes and Gone With 바카라사이트 Winds go on and on; so even, and not for reasons of archaeology alone, do 바카라사이트 Fritz Langs and Truffauts. No: something happened to British film in 바카라사이트 later 1950s.

To say quite what, it is worth looking beyond England, at comparable cases. Nor바카라사이트rn, Protestant Europe, as a whole, was remarkably productive around 1900 (in fact 바카라사이트 same is true of 바카라사이트 whole Protestant world, including 바카라사이트 Calvinist parts of Hungarian Transylvania - it was 바카라사이트re, in Kolozsvar, that 바카라사이트 Korda bro바카라사이트rs first used "movies" 바카라사이트 Hungarian word, mozi, being 바카라사이트 original of that, and Hungarians being well in 바카라사이트 lead in early Hollywood). Danes, Dutch, Scots: hammering away, at everything from television to 바카라사이트 nuclear bomb, made 바카라사이트 running. Three generations later, and 바카라사이트se creative potato-faces give way to rights-minded hedonism, at which 바카라사이트 United States is just, simply, more professional. Il faut souffrir pour etre belle, says 바카라사이트 old song, and that is as true of film as of most everything else.

Norman Stone is professor of modern history, University of Oxford.