This classic study of British filmmaking, first published in the United States in 1980, has been updated to bring a 1990s perspective to the work of the studio that gave the world such unforgettable comedies as Passport to Pimlico and The Lavender Hill Mob. The heyday of Ealing Studios lasted approximately from 1939 to 1951, generating a roster of films that projected - by design - a vivid and particular image of Britain and Britishness. Studio head Sir Michael Balcon gathered artists whose films, whether comedies or dramas, offer superior acting performances with a feeling of ensemble that reinforces the values of character, responsibility, and community. Readers will enjoy, in addition to a new chapter relating the Ealing phenomenon to Thatcher and post-Thatcher Britain, the refined and improved filmography and biography sections.