Billy Elliot Quotes Flashcards
You’re a disgrace to them gloves, your father and the tradition of the boxing hall
Diegetic background piano sound which gets Billy dancing. Juxtaposes the masculinity and toughness of boxing. The boxing teachers harsh words represent the language and attitudes of the army-degrading language in order to instil discipline and does relate to Billy’s struggle of finding his identity, symbolises the gender constraints and pressures that are placed on Billy.
Billy finds ballet scene
Reverse Dolly - Reveals Billy’s boxing boots in contrast to the ballet slippers. Presents Billy as an anomaly in society, shows his willingness to step out of the norm and go against the societal stereotypes/beyond the collective expectation for a boy.
Pursuit of dreams pirouette montage
Repetition of the pirouettes in different environments - home, bathroom, in his pyjamas, in the classroom at school. Shows how all consuming Billy’s passion for dance is and his pure determination to perfect the pirouettes, as well as all the time invested into achieving his goal.
Arabesque scene
Symbolism - he’s wearing his yellow singlet and green shorts. Shows the audience that he’s still young and innocent but now that he’s got a real passion for ballet, which contrasts from the beginning scene of the film.
Scene Billy and piano - Struggle with adversity
Tilt shot and music motif. Tilt reflects Billy’s sad expression to the photo of his mother on top of the piano. Highlights the sadness and loss of his mother and how much he misses her and connects to her through music.
Scene We love to boogie
High angle mid shot represents his emotions through his facial expressions and the metaphorical barrier between the boxing ropes, portrays adversity and separation from Mrs Wilkinson.
Billy dancing on street
Metaphor - Everyone’s watching down on him as he dances around the streets. This is the moment when he realises he’s talented and has a gift, he then is placed on a pedestal in order to pursuit his dreams of dancing and be successful.
Pursuit of dreams
Diegetic sound - Mrs Wilkinson yelling, splashing water and Billy breathing. Represents the encouragement from Mrs Wilkinson and how proud she is of him becoming into a dancer and being good and finding enjoyment out of it.
Billy dancing in front of boxing ring
Wide shot - dancing contrasts boxing. Paradoxical because he can never properly separate himself from the boxing ring because of the deep family ties, and the strict gender normalities that are expected throughout the whole family and rest of the town.
Swan lake playing while Billy dancing
Intertextuality - Swan lake song plays while Billy’s dancing, Daldry is trying to encourage the audience to think deeper than just Billy’s story.
Jackie on bus scene
Focus pull - Jackie’s look of fear on his face and the focus on Tony’s face outside the bus. Jackie has to break away from the collective dream of the town (success of the mining strike), in order to help Billy, his son achieve his dream. He’s sacrificing his mora, stance on the strike.
Billy and Jackie about to leave audition
Music motif - Billy and Jackie are about to leave the audition. Shows the power of dreams and represents the sentimental fact that his mum is always with him and connection of his mum to his dreams of pursuing ballet.
“Do you support Billy?” Jackie face
Close up shot shows his proud and happy expression and how he has grown up in a potentially traditional masculinity time frame, where he is not expected to show emotion to others around him.
After interview scene
Metaphorical barrier - shows the door as the barrier in between dance school and back home to his family and community. Further can show the financial and social differences between the 2 environments.
End dance scene
Symbolism - represents how he said he felt in the interview “I feel like a flying bird” shows how far he’s come from and represents his love of dancing and how he successfully pursued his ballet dream, despite all the challenges along the way. Special moment to the film.
Billy finds ballet
Mirror motif layer - the mirror reflects 2 Billy’s as he enters his first ballet class. Shows Billy has 2 different “pathways” or choices he has to make in order to find his identity as either a boxer of dancer. Boxing equipment in the background is significant to the future or not.
