Locarno Festival sheds light on an under-appreciated era of British cinema

The period between 1945 and 1960 used to be considered the “doldrums” of filmmaking in Britain. The Locarno Film Festival’s retrospective aims to change this perception. By looking beyond period dramas, class stories or literary adaptations, this carefully curated selection of British postwar films tells of a pivotal moment in that country’s history. This year’s Locarno Film Festival’s retrospective section, titled Great Expectations: British Postwar Cinema 1945–1960, offers a comprehensive exploration of British studio filmmaking during a period marked by national reconstruction and cultural transformation. Eschewing period dramas and wartime narratives, the selection highlights contemporary-set films that reflect the complexities of postwar British society. It is curated by Ehsan Khoshbakht, in collaboration with the British Film Institute National Archive and the Cinémathèque Suisse, with support from STUDIOCANAL. In an interview with Swissinfo, James Bell, senior curator at the ...