Online Resources for LLE5127 / LLE52127 British Culture and Civilisation: Britain on Screen

Topic 1. The Establishment: The King – Henry VIII

[1] A documentary made by the BBC about the relationship and marriage between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

[2] Details about King Henry VIII: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-VIII-king-of-England

[3] A Man for All Seasons – Film Script Extract

Topic 2. British University Life

2a. Oxford

[1] A virtual tour of Oxford University Campus

[2] Episode 1, “Et in Arcadia Ego”, from the series Brideshead Revisited, made by Granada Television, based on Evelyn Waugh’s homonymous novel. Watch basically from 17:45 when the main hero, Charles Ryder, starts his reminiscences of his university days in Oxford he spent with Sebastian.

2b. Open University

[1] “Educating Rita” (1983), the film version of Willy Russel’s play of the same name, screenplay also by Willy Russel, directed by Lewis Gilbert, with Michael Caine as Frank Bryant and Julie Walters as Rita. The film has English and Chinese (I think!) subtitles.

[2] “Educating Rita” – Film script

Topic 3. Heritage

3a. William Shakespeare

[1] A tour of Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace, and a centre of high interest for visitors from Britain and the whole world. The tour includes: Shakespeare Birth Place – Henley Street – Holy Trinity Church Stratford – Ann Hathaway’s Cottage – Royal Shakespeare Theater – Swan Theater – Halls Croft – Stratford Alms Houses – Garrick Inn – Nash’s House – Mary Arden’s Farm – Stratford Upon Avon – River Avon.

[2] An article about Bardolatry (defined as “the worship, particularly when considered excessive, of William Shakespeare” by Encyclopaedia Britannica).

Adrian Radu, Three Aspects of Bardolatry
Article published in “The First National Conference of the Romanian Society for British and American Studies”. Ed. Ecaterina Popa. Cluj-Napoca: SRSAA, 1994, pp. 114-121.

3b. Jane Austen

[1] “Behind Closed Doors”, a documentary about Jane Austen and the places she visited which had a greater or lesser influence on her creations.

[2] “Persuasion”, a 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s homonymous novel. The film is directed by Roger Mirchell, with Amanda Root (as Anne Elliott), Ciarán Hinds (as Captain Frederick Wentworth) and Susan Fleetwood (as Lady Russell). The video has English subtitles.

Topic 4. British Arts

4a. British Painting: J.M.W. Turner

[1] Details about Turner, his life and creations can be found on Tate Gallery’s webpage dedicated to the painter: J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours

[2] Watch this excellent BBC documentary about the painter, a docudrama in 4 parts “The Genius of Turner : Painting the Industrial Revolution”.