Michael Balcon's Vision of a National Cinema : Propaganda, the Producer and the Market

This article examines Michael Balcon's vision of a British national cinema, as articulated in a series of lectures and articles in the 1940s and early 1950s. Balcon is best known for his role as Director of Ealing films during that studio's peak years, yet he also was a significant spokesperson for Britain's film industry in a period of world war and the post-war reconstruction of Britain's social contract. For Balcon, it was crucial that British national cinema reflect the mundane qualities of daily life, that it appeal to audiences rather than hector them, and that it convey British values to international audiences in the service of cultural diplomacy. This article argues that Balcon's vision of a producer-based film theory not only served the strategic needs of an industry faced with seemingly overwhelming competition from Hollywood, but also appropriately reflected the democratisation of British society. Moreover, by addressing the state's increased need for cultural diplomacy as the material basis of its international position declined, Balcon cast cinema as a nationally crucial industry.