Le cinéma mettant en scène des anglais d'origines indienne ou pakistanaise, se déroulant sur le territoire britannique et traitant de relations avec les habitants qu'ils soient anglais dits de souche, anglais issus de l'immigration ou de familles métissées est appelé British-Asian cinema. Quelle image moderne de la britannicité les films British-Asians propagent-ils? L'identité anglaise n'est pas liée à la couleur de la peau ou aux origines ethniques mais au sentiment d'être anglais et de partager une culture commune. Beaucoup de personnes issues de l'immigration se disent aujourd'hui anglaises comme cela a pu être expliqué dans le très surprenant documentaire "100% English". Ces diverses représentations transparaissent dans les médias et de façon claire et accessible dans les films. Le cinéma agit comme un moyen de propager dans le monde entier une image de la britannicité. C'est dans ce contexte de redéfinition identitaire britannique que le gouvernement de Tony Blair a misé sur le cinéma britannique et son développement dans toute sa diversité. Nous pouvons nous interroger sur ce qu'est cette représentation britannique, mais aussi anglaise, vu sous cet angle particulier du mélange culturel au cinéma. L'intégration, réussie ou non, les mariages forcés, la religion, les stéréotypes culturels britanniques et Asians sont autant d'obstacles à franchir pour affirmer une identité britannique. Certains anglais ne savent plus qui ils sont réellement, on en vient à faire des tests ADN pour évaluer son niveau d'anglicité et toute légitimité à être anglais. Il est étonnant d'observer qu'à l'inverse, ces nouveaux britanniques issus de parents indiens ou pakistanais, affichent souvent une identité britannique et anglaise claire, peut être même exacerbée et mieux définie. / Cinema staging English people of Indian or Pakistani origins, taking place in Britain, is called "British-Asian cinema". What is the modern image of Britishness that British-Asian films convey? In this respect, English identity is not linked to the color of the skin or to ethnic origins but to a common culture. Various representations appear in media and in a clear ans approachable manner in films. The cinema acts as a means to spread an image of Britishness worldwide. It is in this context of British self-defining or redefing that the government of Tony Blair gave support to the British cinema and its development in all its diversity. Analysing British representation through the lens of cinema seems quite interesting. Whether it is represented as successful integration or forced mariages, religious fanaticism, the Asian cultural stereotypes are obstacles to overcome to assert a British identity. Moreover, some English people do not know who they are, indeed they ended up making DNA tests to assess their level of Englishness and any legitimacy to be English, as it is explained in the TV documentary "100% English". It is striking to notice that on the opposite, these new British people of Indian or Pakistani parents, often show a clear British and English identity, which can sometimes be exacerbated and very accurately defined.

This thesis seeks to better understand the relationship of film genre to globalization through an examination of the use of the British romantic comedy and other related genres by the production company Working Title Films (WTF) from the 1900s through the 2000s. Because of the sudden and unexpected global success of British romantic comedies by Working Title Films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, the 1990s is a significant period for the study of the genre. In this examination the process of globalization is understood as one of complex connectivity postulated by John Tomlinson in Globalization and Culture as ‘the rapidly developing and ever-densening network of interconnections and interdependences that characterize modern social life’. This theory of globalization is used as a methodological framework to understand the complex network of global and local interconnections that has driven the development of Working Title Films over the past twenty five years to becoming one of the most important British production companies in the international film industry. Through a detailed analysis of the practices of development, production, distribution and exhibition by Working Title Films and the Hollywood dominated global film industry, this thesis seeks to understand the function of genre and genre films as cultural products, economic products and meaningful representations in the global market and to better understand Hollywood, mainstream film and cinema as social institution. The analysis in the following chapters serves as evidence to support the central argument of this thesis that the use of genre in the film industry’s production, distribution and exhibition processes of globalization was the critical area for Working Title Films to master in order to produce value as meaningful audience appeal and connectivity to global audiences for on-going economic success.