British New Wave

At the turn of the 1960s, new energy surged into British cinema as directors like Tony Richardson, Karel Reisz, Lindsay Anderson, and John Schlesinger spearheaded renewed domestic production as audiences turned away from standard Hollywood fare. Collaborating with young writers who had already changed the face of the British stage, including John Osborne, Shelagh Delaney, and Harold Pinter, these filmmakers created socially conscious films centered on the struggles of the working class starring an array of newcomers to film acting including Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Julie Christie, and Alan Bates. This youth-centered movement generated one of the most abundant periods in British cinematic history.