'The Americanisation of England’ Anti- American sentiment and the arrival of the Talkies'

Abstract

The arrival of synchronised sound films in Britain between 1928 and 1930 gave a boost to the anti-American sentiment that had been bubbling under the surface for some time. Hollywood films had dominated the British box office since WWI and Hollywood silent films were intrinsic to popular culture and entertainment in Britain. This presentation looks at the diverse ways in which anti-Americanism permeated the popular consciousness and the ostensible reasons for these sentiments, despite the fact that American popular culture, particularly cinema, fashion, music, lifestyles and so on, were so widely adopted, emulated and aspired to in post WWI Britain.