In Film and the Working Class , Peter Stead explores British and American depictions of the working class from the 1890s to the age of television and the era of James Bond and Rambo. As well as discussing films specifically concerned with working class conditions and struggles, he analyses the debate on both sides of the Atlantic about the social significance of the feature film. He contests the view held by critics that films could only get better by becoming more realistic, and the pact between performers and audience which depended on a rather different set of assumptions. In a discussion of the role of film acting, Stead looks at actors like James Cagney who allowed the workers to believe in the reality of film. This book should be of interest to students and teachers of film studies.