Popular Film-going in Britain in the Early 1930s

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between leisure and class in early 1930s Britain. Based on an examination of Sidney Bernstein’s film popularity surveys, the article offers a comparative analysis of the tastes of middle- and working-class cinema-goers in a period during which society’s engagement with that cultural medium was vital. It argues that while the middle and working classes shared many similarities in film tastes, they also exhibited a number of key differences. These differences, it is claimed, were directly linked to their class position. While gender, generation and geographical location are all shown to be determining factors in the consumption process, it is argued that class was the principal determinant overall.