ABSTRACT
It Italy, the neo-realist movement was re-creating a cinema reflecting the social unrest of the time, but the discontents of Italy and their mode of expression found no echo in the work of British film directors until the late 1950s, when the angry young men were making themselves heard. But although these productions were a matter of pride there is nothing very adventurous in their choice of subject, no new fields are explored, nothing significant seems to have come out of the war, or into the post-war situation for comment or analysis. Hence in 1945 the authors are still confronting a star-struck screen, Directors had to find vehicles for stars, known or likely to be known, and while this was good for the box-office, they cannot fail to notice the inhibiting effect it had on ideas, and the stereotyped work it produced. Nevertheless, it gave some well-written parts to David Niven, Roger Livesey and Kim Hunter.
