Movies

Britain's film industry is taking off and many of the films you have seen at the movie theatre recently will have had some British influence. Our directors, screenwriters and actors are everywhere!

The biggest films to be released lately are the Harry Potter series. Filmed on location in Britain and starring many famous British actors, the films are adapted from the books which J. K. Rowling wrote in a café in Edinburgh. The third film in the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, was released in June 2004.

Of course, everyone has heard of James Bond, MI6's infamous spy. Not unlike Harry Potter, the super-agent is a cultural phenomenon. The Bond character reflects all things British. James Bond is the top spy in Britain. He is sent by M, the leader of the British secret service, on dangerous missions to defeat villains who threaten the peace of the world. To help him he uses gadgets created for him by Q, a top British scientist. James Bond films, based on characters created by the British writer Ian Fleming, have been made over the last 40 years. They have become famous throughout the world. The latest film is "Die Another Day", starring Pierce Brosnan as Bond ("007").

Britain has had a lot of success at the Oscars in recent years, with awards for best supporting actress, best supporting actor, best screenplay and best director, as well as many awards in the technical categories. Catherine Zeta-Jones, who is originally from Wales, won best supporting actress for her role in Chicago in 2003.

Cinema

The audiences for cinema in Britain have steadily grown over the years; nowadays over half the population goes to the cinema at least once a month. Those aged between 15 and 24 go to the cinema more often than anyone else.
The success of "family" films such as Shrek and Cats and Dogs may have contributed to recent increases in attendance among those aged between 7 and 14. The type of films released through most cinemas tend to be large budget blockbusters. New cinemas are being built all the time and their comfy seats and high quality sounds systems are attracting more and more people back to the cinema.

Photo Credits: David James

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