One important point that you all seem to have missed is the fact that
American Studios control their own cinema companies, thus if I want to go
and see a movie here in Manchester I only really have the choice of one UCI
multiplex from another.  What I get to see is carefully controlled by the
major studios as they only market their own productions through the cinemas
which they own. In simple terms they own all the shops and they only sell
their own products.
There are of course one or two independent cinemas in Manchester such as
the Cornerhouse which show a variety of foreign language  and independently
made films. The recent renaissance  of British film making has proved
irresistible to American Producers who are thus able to market the films
through their own Multiplex, films such as Brassed Off and The Full Monty.
The problem however with this is we are likely to get caught in the trap of
only having money available for comedy films made in this style, just as in
the fifties when we made 'kitchen sink' films which sold  because of their
sex content.
 
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Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
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