British cinema in the late-1990s is recognized by many as an important window on the past and during the late 1980s and early 1990s has been seen to have become a dynamic and rapidly growing area of study. This volume represents current progress made in exploring the history of British cinema. The essay topics range from: the silent cinema to the future of British films in the 1990s; from the documentary movement to quota quickies; from the flamboyant melodramas of the 1940s to the portrayal of women in the 1960s; and from the role of European exiles to the cosy pleasures of Ealing - the book offers a comprehensive account of the history and characteristics of the British cinema.