A British empire of their own? Jewish entrepreneurs in the British film industry

Spicer, Andrew H.

Abstract

The article provides an overview of the contribution of Jewish entrrpreneurs to the British film industry from the beginnings through to the present. It argues that film was an open and rapidly expanding industry that offered exciting opportunities in production, distribution and exhibition for individuals regardless of class, background or ethnicity; it therefore provided an arena in which Jewish traditions of risk-taking, independence and ambition could thrive, though not without courting anti-Semitic prejudice. As the film industry contracted from the 1950s onward there were less opportunities, but nevertheless the Jewish presence remained strongly represented. Overall, the shape and contours of British cinema as it evolved are inconceivable without acknowledging the Jewish influence.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Dec 15, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 7, 2019
• Journal: Journal of European Popular Culture
• Print ISSN: 2040-6134
• Publisher: Intellect
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 117-129
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/jepc.3.2.117_1
• Keywords: United Kingdom, cinema, film industry, entrepreneur, Jew, Jewishness, anti-semitism
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/941108
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1386/jepc.3.2.117_1