Pocket Essentials is a dynamic series of books that are concise, lively, and easy to read. Packed with facts as well as expert opinions, each book has all the key information you need to know about such popular topics as film, television, cult fiction, history, and more. In this volume Don Shiach encapsulates the peaks of the British film achievement from the beginning of the sound era to the first decade of the 21st century. The giant figures of the 1930s, Alfred Hitchcock and Alexander Korda, set a standard for the domestic film industry in its attempt to challenge the domination of the Hollywood film. Many saw the 1940s as the Golden Age of British cinema with directors such as Carol Reed and Michael Powell leading the way in establishing British cinema as worthy of serious consideration. From then on there were as many troughs as there were triumphs, but the industry continues to produce the odd masterpiece to extend the great tradition.