This book argues that over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the
cinema in Britain became the site on which childhood was projected,
examined, and understood. Through an analysis of these projections; via
case studies that encompass early cinema, pre and post-war film, and
contemporary cinema; this book interprets the child in British cinema as
a device through which to reflect upon issues of national culture, race,
empire, class, and gender. Beginning with a discussion of early
cinematic depictions of the child in Britain, this book examines
cultural expressions of nationhood produced via non-commercial cinemas
for children. It considers the way cinema encroaches on the moral
edification of the child and the ostensible vibrancy and vitality of the
British boy in post-war cinema. The author explores the representational
and instrumental differences between depictions of boys and girls before
extending this discussion to investigate the treatment of migrant,
refugee, and immigrant children in British cinema. It ends by
recapitulating these arguments through a discussion of internationally
successful British blockbuster cinema. The child in this study is a
mobile figure, deployed across generic boundaries, throughout the
history of British cinema and embodying a range of discourses regarding
the health and wellbeing of the nation.
