User:Lord Cornwallis/Slump of 1924

The Slump of 1924 occurred in the British film industry when the post-First World War boom came to an end resulting in several leading film companies collapsing and the number of films produced dramatically falling. The slump in production led directly to the passage of the 1927 Cinematograph Films Act by Parliament which was designed to support British filmaking.

Background
During the First World War British resources had been shifted away from film production and towards war work and American films came to dominate the British and global market. The British industry was expected to recover once the war was over.

In 1919 155 feature films were made in Britian.

Slump
Hepworth Company collapsed completly while others such as Stoll Pictures struggled to

many leading British stars such as Betty Balfour and  had to go to Continental Europe to continue making films. Production reaches its lowest level in 1926 when just -- features were made in Britain.

Response
by imposing a quota

led to the creation of cheaply-made second features known as Quota Quickes, the benefits of which have been a matter of dispute between historians. However, in the wake of the act production

It wasn't until the Second World War that production levels fell as low as they had during the mid-1920s, due to a shortage of studio space owing to the war.

Explanations for Slump
Various theories have been cited for the

the failure to break a Hollywood monopoly of distribution in Britain and America, and the failure to produce enough films which would appeal to British, or international, audiences.