The Metropolitan Police and the British Film Industry, 1919-1956: Public Relations, Collaboration and Control

This book explores the relationship between the Metropolitan Police Press Bureau and the British film industry, revealing how the police manipulated the industry to produce propaganda under the guise of mainstream entertainment cinema. It sheds new light on police-media relations and offers a radical re-reading of the context of production of several canonical British films.

Format: Hardback
Length: 278 pages
Publication date: 13 July 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This groundbreaking book delves into the intricate and often-controversial relationship between the Metropolitan Police Press Bureau and the British film industry. It sheds new light on the complex dynamics between law enforcement and the media, exploring the historical context and shifting attitudes that have shaped this relationship over time.

Beginning with the culture of suppression that prevailed during the interwar period, when retired police inspectors were threatened with loss of pension should they become involved with the film industry, the relationship underwent a significant shift. In 1945, a forgotten pioneer of public relations, Percy Fearnley, was appointed to the role of Metropolitan Police Public Information Officer. Fearnley was the first-ever journalist to take up this position, and through his efforts, the Metropolitan Police embarked on a series of collaborations with the highest echelons of postwar British cinema.

These collaborations included J. Arthur Rank, Ealing Studios, and Gainsborough Studios, among others. Using newly-declassified internal Metropolitan Police and Home Office correspondence, author Alexander Charles Rock tells the story of the Metropolitan Police's project to manipulate the British film industry into producing propaganda under the guise of mainstream entertainment cinema.

In doing so, he offers a radical re-reading of the context of production of a number of canonical British films, including "The Blue Lamp" (1950), "I Believe in You" (1952), and "Street Corner" (1953). Through his meticulous research and analysis, Rock challenges our understanding of these films and their role in shaping public perception and political discourse.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of law enforcement, media, and popular culture. It provides a valuable insight into the complex dynamics that have shaped the relationship between the Metropolitan Police and the British film industry, and its implications for our understanding of the power of propaganda and the role of the media in shaping public opinion.

Weight: 582g
Dimension: 222 x 146 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350295087