Manchester University Press
6 An ambiguous national iconography
Abstract
This chapter discusses the film Family Portrait, Jennings' most personal work, as noted by a number of observers who have called the film a personal essay, personal in the sense that it is Jennings' summing-up of his notions about England. Family Portrait, which was praised at the time of its release as a vibrant and creative work, won applauds for its masterly style and its fine balance of camerawork, editing, voice-over and music. It negotiates a theme running through Jennings' work concerned with national identity, which, in this case, is framed within a particular moment within modernity in Britain. The ambiguity at the core of modernity is recast within Family Portrait at the intersection of the past and the future. Within this context, Family Portrait celebrates Britain's past achievements in the fields of industry, science, exploration and the arts, and also looks to the nation's future.
Abstract
This chapter discusses the film Family Portrait, Jennings' most personal work, as noted by a number of observers who have called the film a personal essay, personal in the sense that it is Jennings' summing-up of his notions about England. Family Portrait, which was praised at the time of its release as a vibrant and creative work, won applauds for its masterly style and its fine balance of camerawork, editing, voice-over and music. It negotiates a theme running through Jennings' work concerned with national identity, which, in this case, is framed within a particular moment within modernity in Britain. The ambiguity at the core of modernity is recast within Family Portrait at the intersection of the past and the future. Within this context, Family Portrait celebrates Britain's past achievements in the fields of industry, science, exploration and the arts, and also looks to the nation's future.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Series editors’ foreword ix
- Acknowledgements xi
- Introduction 1
- 1 Modernity, myth, colour and collage 14
- 2 Work and leisure 31
- 3 Sound, image and nation 47
- 4 Documentary reconstruction and prognostication 82
- 5 ‘What will befall Britain?’ 103
- 6 An ambiguous national iconography 118
- 7 Legacies 132
- Afterword 143
- Filmography 145
- References 154
- Index 167
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Series editors’ foreword ix
- Acknowledgements xi
- Introduction 1
- 1 Modernity, myth, colour and collage 14
- 2 Work and leisure 31
- 3 Sound, image and nation 47
- 4 Documentary reconstruction and prognostication 82
- 5 ‘What will befall Britain?’ 103
- 6 An ambiguous national iconography 118
- 7 Legacies 132
- Afterword 143
- Filmography 145
- References 154
- Index 167
