British National Cinema traces the development of the British film industry, from the Lumiere brothers' first screening in London in 1896 through to the dominance of Hollywood and the severe financial crises which affected production companies such as Goldcrest, Handmade Films and Palace Pictures in the late 1980's and 1990's. Exploring the relationship between British cinema and British society, Sarah Street uses the notions of 'official' and 'unofficial' cinema to demonstrate how British cinema has been both 'respectable' and 'disreputable' according to the prevailing notions of what constitutes 'good cinema'.