Origins of social realism

Origins of social realism - How it has shifted over time 

• At the beginning of the 1960s, there was a new appearance of feature films which challenged some serious social issue which were current at the time. These films were describes as 'New Wave' films which was said to be largely influenced by the French new wave.
• Since its origin British social reasism has pushed boundaries within film inorder to represent real Britons in society, and has impacted the rrest of the world.
• 'After the war'( in 1902) highlighted struggles of a war serviceman returning from the war to unemployment and was one of the first films to use this genre to create a soicial protest.  
  
• Durig war time, many realist films helped relieve tensions of the class-bound society and the change in ginder roles.
• As cinemas reopened after the war, many saw it as a place to relieve stress for hard work, companionship, release from tension and where they could discover some confirmation of the values of humanity
• The new wave films often adressed issues around masculinity which is now a common theme within British realism.
• Many early films dealt with prostitution, abortion, homosexuality, alienation and relationship problems. There were factory workers, office underlings, dissatisfied wives, pregnant girlfriends, runaways, the marginalised, poor and depressed.