Discuss the ways in which filmmakers have employed or subverted fantasy in their representations of British characters and communities. Draw upon one or two films of your choice.

The British Cinema has always had ways of depicting communities in film. Whether it’s an organised and patriotic group of people in a 1940’s British war film or a comedically hopeless community in an Ealing comedy, British communities are always represented in some way through film. However, a representation of a British community is dependent upon the genre of film in which it exists. As an example, a community in a British horror film are seen to be weak and terrified of the threat of the film. However, there is one genre of British cinema that is ideal for portraying communities of Britain. British fantasy films have been around since the early to mid-20th century, employing the fantastic to construct/depict British communities and characters. Fantasy is defined as ‘Imagination; the process or the faculty of forming mental representations of things not actually present.’ (Oxford English Dictionary) Fantasy has no boundaries or rules, as it is part of the imagination. Fantasy is used in film to subtly portray societal views or fears without obviously addressing the issue of the film. In A Matter of Life and Death (1946) directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, fantasy is employed to reflect on the war of the previous years. Whereas in a more recent fantasy film such as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (from now on referred to as TLTWTW) (2005) directed by Andrew Adamson, fantasy is used as an escape for the characters rather than a reflection. Although both films are set during/after World War II, A Matter of Life and Death portrays a patriotic side of war in which soldiers go to heaven and live peacefully (represented through fantasy). However, in TLTWTW, war is portrayed as brutal and unforgiving as the children are seen becoming orphans early in the film, therefore the fantastic is used as an escape from the reality of the war.