Popular literature and theatre created the storytelling conventions that fed into film melodrama. Long neglected by critics, who dismissed it as mere fodder for the groundlings, melodrama has since come to be seen as a rich and vital tradition, no less so in British cinema than in Hollywood.

Here we will discuss such key figures as the barnstorming actor Tod Slaughter and the Gainsborough studios, which produced some of the most popular British films ever made.

Film Studies - Gaslight Melodramas: Murderous Men and Persecuted Women!

Curated and delivered by Dr Sheldon Hall, this series of four classic films and accompanying lectures dives into the realm of the 40's murder melodrama. Presented in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University.

Explore Film Studies - Gaslight Melodramas

Too Much: Melodrama on Film

Running from October - December 2025, Too Much: Melodrama on Film is a UK wide programme supported by BFI and BFI FAN which celebrates the visual excess and dramatic potency of a form of cinema which champions emotional intensity over propriety and ‘good taste’. This autumn, we're presenting live events and classic titles, to make you swoon, weep and make a scene!

Explore Too Much: Melodrama on Film

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