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'Tears of laughter': 1990s British cinema in the comic mode

Mather, Nigel Derek (2004) 'Tears of laughter': 1990s British cinema in the comic mode. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis, University of Kent. (doi:10.22024/UniKent/01.02.94512) (KAR id:94512)

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https://doi.org/10.22024/UniKent/01.02.94512

Abstract

The thesis examines the interactions of comedy and drama in three significant strands of British film production during the decade of the 1990s, classified and considered under the headings of ‘comedies of class, culture and community’, ‘ethnic’ comedy dramas exploring issues of cultural identity, and romantic comedies, set and produced in Britain. The study will consider the extent to which these particular kinds of narrative are both indebted to earlier forms of comic drama in British film culture, and also represent a decisive break from established traditions in British film culture. The thesis seeks to demonstrate that the ‘comic mode’ proved to be a dynamic creative mechanism in recent British cinema, facilitating the construction of innovative and genuinely exploratory filmic stories about characters seeking work, cultural acceptance and romantic fulfilment.

Part one considers the role of humour in societies, the relationships between comedy and other dramatic modes of expression, such as tragedy and melodrama, and the significance of genres in British film culture. Part two discusses a series of 1990s films which dramatise issues of community from a comic and tragi-comic perspective, and includes case studies of Brassed Off (1996) and The Full Monty (1997). Part three examines a series of 1990s British films revolving around British-Asian and African-Caribbean characters attempting to feel ‘at home’ in Western and modern British culture, and features a detailed analysis of East is East (1999). Part four explores the emergence of romantic comedy as a popular and influential genre in 1990s British cinema, and concludes with case studies of Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Notting Hill (1999). The thesis will claim that the comic framework deployed in the films discussed was crucial to their success in creating compelling portraits of the multi-faceted nature of modern British society.

Item Type: Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD))
DOI/Identification number: 10.22024/UniKent/01.02.94512
Additional information: This thesis has been digitised by EThOS, the British Library digitisation service, for purposes of preservation and dissemination. It was uploaded to KAR on 25 April 2022 in order to hold its content and record within University of Kent systems. It is available Open Access using a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-commercial, No Derivatives (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) licence so that the thesis and its author, can benefit from opportunities for increased readership and citation. This was done in line with University of Kent policies (https://www.kent.ac.uk/is/strategy/docs/Kent%20Open%20Access%20policy.pdf). If you feel that your rights are compromised by open access to this thesis, or if you would like more information about its availability, please contact us at ResearchSupport@kent.ac.uk and we will seriously consider your claim under the terms of our Take-Down Policy (https://www.kent.ac.uk/is/regulations/library/kar-take-down-policy.html).
Uncontrolled keywords: British cinema; comedy
Subjects: P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Arts
SWORD Depositor: SWORD Copy
Depositing User: SWORD Copy
Date Deposited: 11 Nov 2022 11:49 UTC
Last Modified: 11 Nov 2022 11:49 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/94512 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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