English Heritage, English Cinema

Costume dramas such as Chariots of Fire, A Room with a View, Sense and Sensibility, and Shakespeare in Love were vital to the success of British cinema in the 1980s and 1990s. This is the first book-length study of these important films, and the debate about their politics and their meanings, and about their relationship to the heritage industry. It maps the extent of the production trend, and looks in detail at the commercial context in which the films were funded, marketed and exhibited, in both the UK and the USA. There are also extensive case studies of two key films, Howard's End and Elizabeth.