Bloody slaughter, honourable death and utopian vision—the British cinema and the war

The industry was keen from the outset to be involved in the war effort although initially its potential rôle was dismissed by the services. This did not prevent commercial exploitation: at least forty-four films with a war theme had been released by December 1914.1 Nakedly patriotic, and popular, they included England’s Menace, Boys of the Bulldog Breed and The Shirker’s Nightmare. The trade also launched a boycott of German film companies, though this was soon dropped.