British Film Flashcards
This is England- Introduction:
This is England (Meadows, 2006)
Warp production
social realist film, set in the North of England.
Margret Thatcher was prime minister at the time film was set.
Thatcher caused high rates of unemployment sue to closing mines.
High rate of racism and hate crime.
Skinhead subculture became vulnerable to the white nationalist movement.
Shot through the pov of Shaun the protagonist.
Highlights the vulnerability of the skinhead subculture
This is England- Opening scene
Thomas Turgoose played Shaun with no prior acting experience, this creates social realism.
Opening scene establishes Shaun’s equilibrium.
The camera fades into a bedroom with muted colours and chipped wall paint, a chair with a photo of a man is centre frame.
A radio is balancing on the chair - diegetically Margret Thatcher is talking about the Fawkland war.
Camera begins to zoom out, revealing Shaun looking at the photograph.
Revealing a connection between Shaun and the man in uniform, we assume he’s Shaun’s dad and that he is at the Fawkland war.
This is England- Second scene:
At school Shaun and another boy get into a fight, and it’s revealed Shaun’s dad died at the Fawkland war, establishing Shaun is vulnerable.
Shaun sits outside the headteachers office biting his nails, as we hear the other boy being cained.
Camera slowly zooms out revealing Shaun’s closed body language.
Reminds us Shaun is still only a child and is now unprotected.
This is England- Third Scene:
Shaun is introduced to the antagonist of the film, Combo, and finds a father figure in him.
Combo illustrates how vulnerable skinhead subculture was to the white nationalist movement.
Inflicts racist ideology on Shaun.
Combo’s out of prison and tells a racist story using exaggerated facial expression, aiming it towards Milky.
Shaun looks to Combo, till he witness Combo’s maltreatment of Milky.
Shaun throwing the flag Combo gave him symbolises Shaun rejecting Combo’s views.
He creates a new equilibrium, him and Combo becoming binary opposites.
Trainspotting- Introduction:
Trainspotting (Boyle, 1996)
Channel 4 film adaption of the book by Irvine Welsh.
Follows a group of heroin addicts in Glasgow.
High rates of unemployment and heroin was cheap to buy.
Andrew Macdonald expressed “we were determined to show why people took drugs” heightened realism implements this accentuates the burden of Thatcher’s neoliberal agenda which fell on the shoulders of the working class.
Trainspotting is perhaps one of the most ubiquitos cult films ever made, with its alluring aesthetic thematic grunge and twisted wit, the film described as ‘the best film of the 90’s’
Trainspotting- Opening Scene:
The opening scene is Renton and Spud running down princes street in Glasgow with cd’s flying out of their pockets.
Trainspotting rejects capitalists social conditioning in favour of a lifestyle encapsulated by the movies opening sound track; Iggy Pops ‘lust for life’ which plays non-diegetically.
The fast paced tempo reflects the adrenalin drugs fuel.
Renton’s monologue begins offering a nihilistic alternative to the younger generations aspirations stating “why choose life when you can choose heroin” conforming his iconoclastic views.
Also confirms Renton is an unreliable narrator as he is always high.
The opening scene also establishes Renton’s equalibrium of being a heroin addict.
Trainspotting- Second Scene:
Introduced to Renton’s friend group.
Characters = fundamental to narrative as it propells it.
Still images of them while they are playing football introduces the characters.
We’re also introduced to their binary opposites.
Renton’s teams effortlessly dishevelled style, was used as a tool to destigmatise- injection drug users and texturize the two dimensional stereotype of the the toothless junkie.
The oppositional all have clean, matching uniforms, illustrating a sober, clean life vs a life of addiction.
Later after Renton attempts sobreiety and suffers withdrawls he overdoses on heroin = his character arc.
Trainspotting- Third Scene:
In the final scene, Renton creates his own new equalibrium.
When deciding to steal the money it’s shot in a round room, symbolises Renton breaking the cycle.
A longshot of Renton crossing a bridge too symbolises him moving away from his old life and crossing into a new sober life.
He begins his monologue, stating “I choose life” as he rejects his old anti-materalist views and nihilistic attitudes in order to reach sobriety.
Renton walks towards the camera smiling implying he’s looking forward to his new life, happy with his new equalibrium.
