The Influence Of Heritage Films

Heritage films were not without criticism, as demonstrated by the backlash of movies that illustrated post-war British decline. These movies, in contrast with the heritage films, focused on contemporary issues and had strong agendas beyond mere entertainment. Rather than keep the audience in a dreamy daze of imagining about what once was, instead they showed the hard realities of what is. East is East (1999), for example, examines racial tensions throughout Britain around from the influx of immigration stemming from their former colonies. While the father in the movie is deeply embedded in his Pakistani roots, his six English-born children illustrate a complex cultural position from being immersed in this society, but never fully fitting in
Peter Leese remarks, “While idealization and a superficial libertarianism, sometimes sexual, was often associated with women at this time, a surer gain was to be found in the clear-eyed observation of how women lived and spoke from day to day” (88). The Victorian age of celibacy and the submissive position of females were long gone, and women had no intention of bringing it back. Vintage attire was replaced with provocative styles and the fancy hairdos seen in heritage cinema were chopped into edgy bobs. No longer satisfied with the mundane lifestyle of house makers, women eagerly entered the job market in record numbers. Colleges gradually incorporated both genders and rather than simply fill feminine roles such as secretaries and nurses, women became lawyers, doctors, and scientists. Divorce reform further empowered women to find happiness rather than economic security through marriage. The legalization of abortions with the Abortion Act (1967) furthered this newfound independence. Motherhood was no longer the final destination or goal, but rather a potential no longer embedded in necessity. Lead female roles in films demonstrated women’s cultural influence, and the controversial political decade of Margret Thatcher showed their political power as well. Although she did not particularly represent women’s rights, she did symbolize that non-male leadership was obtainable. Further, women played significant roles in both houses of Parliament as the House of Lords reform led to their appointments. Throughout society and across the island, a plethora of individuals embraced the forward-thinking perspective that thought processes rooted in the past never would have