This is a collection of essays and interviews on the British art cinema as it emerged particularly in the post-World War II period and prospered until the turn of the twenty-first century--when Internet piracy began to put more and more pressure on producers and directors to make strictly commercial, international, blockbuster-style films that could turn a huge profit within the first few weeks of their release. The British Art Cinema, 1938-2008 includes eighteen review/essays and six interviews, an extensive bibliography, film credits as well as directors' filmographies, and numerous illustrative film stills. Directors treated in this book include John Schlesinger, Jack Clayton, Derek Jarman, Ken Loach, Mike Leigh, Stephen Frears, David Hare, Peter Greenaway, Terence Davies, Kenneth Branagh, and Danny Boyle. Among the films discussed are Room at the Top, Pygmalion, How I Won the War, Secrets and Lies, The Remains of the Day, Henry V, Trainspotting, The Comfort of Strangers, Sid and Nancy, Prick Up Your Ears, and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. -- Provided by publisher.