British Social Realism

‘British Social Realism’ is a genre of film that emerged in the 1950s but grew more during the 1960s. It was originally known as ‘Kitchen Sink Drama’ and was meant to capture the reality of British life, deviating away from a glossy/ glorification of real life that Hollywood would tend to portray. It was mostly pushed by the BBC, and was linked to the emergence of a new generation of British filmmakers. These films were usually low budget and would consist of only diegetic sounds. They would typically focus on the working-class dealing with everyday issues such as unemployment and domestic violence. The genre had a reputation for being grim and often pushing the boundaries of what was accepted in cinema. A couple examples of notable films from this genre include ‘Saturday Night and Sunday Morning’ (1960) and ‘Kes’ (1969).

‘Saturday Night and Sunday Morning’ (Karel Reisz, 1960)

Directors such as Shane Meadows and Danny Boyle have incorporated elements of this genre of film within their own work, but with them having a more modern approach that lends them better to being accepted and seen by mainstream audiences. The success of doing this can easily be seen by just how popular ‘This is England’ and ‘Trainspotting’ are, with both (particularly ‘Trainspotting’) being cultural phenomenons.

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Summarised notes: 

• Emerged in the late 50s and throughout the 60s
• Used to be called ‘kitchen sink drama’
• Specifically British and was meant to capture the reality of British life
• Championed by the BBC
• Low budget
• Linked to the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers
• Working-class
• Diegetic sound only
• Dealing with everyday topics eg) unemployment, domestic violence
• Reputation for being grim and often pushing the boundaries of what was accepted in cinema
• ‘Saturday Night and Sunday Morning’
• ‘Kes’
• Genre that effectively documented the experience of being working-class and being British
• Both Shane Meadows and Danny Boyle have taken inspiration from the genre, but put a more approachable, appealing and modern way