Film Finances and the British New Wave

Abstract

This article explores the role of Film Finances Ltd in supporting the films of the British new wave focusing on six key films: Room at the Top, The Entertainer, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, A Taste of Honey, A Kind of Loving and Billy Liar. It evaluates what the Film Finances Archive reveals about the production of these films and their budgets and box-office performance. The article demonstrates that Film Finances played a key role in encouraging new directors and artistes during a period of flux and transformation for the British film industry. It also sheds new light on the cultural and political economies of an important movement in British cinema history.