Classics Foretold? Contemporaneous and Retrospective Consecration in the UK Film Industry
Cultural Trends, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 239-248, September 2009
Posted: 23 Jan 2020
Date Written: September 1, 2009
Abstract
Consecration of cultural products occurs both contemporaneously and retrospectively. This paper examines the influence of contemporaneous consecration on retrospective consecration in the UK film industry. We first examine the impact of professional and popular consecration on retrospective consecration using the list of “best films” compiled by the British Film Institute to gauge retrospective consecration. We then examine the impact of international film festivals on retrospective consecration. We show that experts and peers will have a differential effect on the process of retrospective consecration.
Keywords: Contemporaneous and retrospective consecration, international film festivals, British Film Institute
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