The Screenwriter in British Cinema

This book is a goldmine of new material, and clearly the product of painstaking scholarly research. I think it will take its place as the most important and extensive study of this subject yet written, and an essential resource for scholars in the field.' - Steven Price, Bangor University, UK

Jill Nelmes' original study of the role of the screenwriter in British cinema, from the 1930s to the present, draws on screenplays and other material held in the Special Collections of the BFI National Archive, and features case studies of a diverse range of key writers, including Muriel Box, Robert Bolt, Paul Laverty and the 'Carry On' writers.

Though screenwriting is an essential part of the film production process, in Britain it is yet to be fully recognised as a form in itself. In this original study, Jill Nelmes brings the art of screenwriting into sharp focus, foregrounding the role of the screenwriter in British cinema from the 1930s to the present day.

Drawing on otherwise unseen drafts of screenplays, correspondence and related material held in the Special Collections of the BFI National Archive, Nelmes's close textual analysis of the screenplay in its many forms illuminates both the writing and the production process. With case studies of a diverse range of key writers – from individuals such as Muriel Box, Robert Bolt and Paul Laverty, to teams such as the Carry On writers – Nelmes exposes the depth and breadth of this thriving field.