Authorship, collaboration and national identity: Lindsay Anderson's directorial practice in the cinema

Abstract

The thesis investigates the directorial practice of Lindsay Anderson in the cinema. This includes a study of his work as a feature film director, documentary filmmaker and film critic. From his formative years as a film critic and documentary filmmaker, Anderson developed a distinctive vision for the role of the director. As the study of his critical writings and personal correspondence will show, his vision translated into a celebration of the concept of artistic integrity, which he located at the level of both the production and reception of the film. In turn, this implied a belief in the integrated nature of the filmmaking process with the director in a central but reactive function. The use of archive material – mostly from the Lindsay Anderson Archive located at Stirling University – will uncover the existence of a tension: the study of the tension will be attached to the conceptualisation of a dialogue that I see as underpinning Anderson’s directorial practice in the cinema. It will become apparent for instance, that the practice of diary writing that Anderson maintained for over 50 years, echoed his working relationships with his close collaborators during and after the making of his films. I aim to uncover the sites of convergence as well as of tension between Anderson’s films and the context of their production. In order to do so, I have identified three themes which the director’s life and career in the cinema suggest: authorship, collaboration and national identity will provide the basis for a study of Anderson’s work in relation to their national and cultural context as well as the wider academic context in which his legacy will be assessed.