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John Ormond and the BBC Wales Film Unit: Poetry, documentary, nation. / Kieron Smith
Swansea University Author: Kieron Smith
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Abstract
"This thesis is a detailed examination of the films of Swansea-born poet and BBC Wales documentary filmmaker John Ormond. It examines the uses of the documentary form within the context of a broadcasting institution that many have argued has been one of the central agents in the political and c...
| Published: |
2014
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| Institution: | Swansea University |
| Degree level: | Doctoral |
| Degree name: | Ph.D |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa42379 |
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| Abstract: |
"This thesis is a detailed examination of the films of Swansea-born poet and BBC Wales documentary filmmaker John Ormond. It examines the uses of the documentary form within the context of a broadcasting institution that many have argued has been one of the central agents in the political and cultural development of this small nation. Given that the thesis is concerned with the work a decidedly creative figure, it seeks throughout to keep in focus Ormond's unique contribution to the documentary form. It begins with an interpretation of Ormond's broad cultural and philosophical framework as embodied in his poetry, and from here goes on to explore the ways in which this thinking impacted upon his approach to film as a medium and, particularly, the documentary as a cultural form. It positions Ormond's approach to documentary within the tradition of the Griersonian 'British Documentary Movement', in particular its post-war manifestations on British television as pioneered by producers such as Denis Mitchell, Norman Swallow and Philip Donnellan. Indeed, the thesis is, in part, an attempt to align Ormond's work with these better-known figures in British television history. The major aim of the thesis, however, is to explore the uses of this peculiarly civic cultural form within a minority national broadcasting context. To this end, it utilizes Jurgen Habermas's notion of the 'public sphere' as a lens through which to examine the ways in which Ormond's wide-ranging oeuvre interacted with and impacted upon a Welsh public sphere at a time of unprecedented political, economic, social, and cultural change. It distinguishes three broad areas of thematic concern - "culture", "historiography" and the "ethnographic" - and examines the ways in which Ormond's films reflect and contribute to a wide and shifting range of national discourses in this pivotal era in the history of Wales." |
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| Keywords: |
Film studies. |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |