Critical score – 9.5/10

In my opinion ‘This is England’ is the best movie that we have watched on our course so far. I loved the setting the movie was based on in the mid 80s. I also liked how the sets where real places each time. Nothing was made or set up for the movie. I liked how accurate it felt as well. I know i was not alive in the 80s. Not even close. Although the movie felt as if the director Shane Meadows was really accurate of how lower class England looked in the 80s.

One of my favourite scenes was near the beginning as Sean was reading a comic and the shop keeper took it off him. I like the way Sean was dealing with it with not a care in the world. Wanting his cola cubes.

Over all this was a great film to watch and I highly recommend it to whoever has not seen it.

This Is England (Meadows, 2007)

CRITICAL SCORE: 9/10 My first initial thought of the film was that the story line was interesting and easily captivated me but also how everything was realistic and believable.

Memorable Scene: I think the most memorable scene for me was when Milky and Combo were having a conversation about Milkey’s family and how he’s grown up. The way you can see the happiness on his face (Milkey’s) when he’s talking about them is so believable, it felt as if it was real. However, this scene really shows the psychotic side, the instant change as he says, “you have anything don’t you”, you could hear the jealousy and anger in his voice.

All aspects of film form including narrative contribute to the representations of cultures and societies (gender, ethnicity and age) including the ideological nature of those representation.

Ideology is set ideas

Performance

age

ethnicity

costume

facial expression

body language

Stereotype

Ideas that aren’t progressive and confining certain types of people into set categories based on gender, race, class etc.

Countertype

The idea of braking away from set ideas and breaking harmful stereotypes. Example: a black president of America.

Sarah Conner Representation

Sarah Conner in terminator one is represented as a young ditsy waitress, falling in the the stereotype that all women are girly and aren’t fit to do action and violence. however in the second film she transformed into nan action heroine to be a powerful woman with ability’s and skills to yield weapons and kill bad guys, this countertype wasn’t common for the release date of the film. you can see the difference between the two images and can see the large difference between the character in the two films, number one being her dressed in pink with soft feminine makeup, and number two her holding large weapon in a harsh black tank top showing her new muscular build, with her hair pulled into a messy ponytail with visors on showing her to be ready for action and combat.

Trainspotting representation

1.WHO IS DOING THE REPRESENTATION? (DIRECTOR’S VIEWPOINT)

The director, Danny Boyle is choosing who and what is being represented.

2.WHO IS BEING REPRESENTED ? (Identify specific social groups)

There is representation of poor working class, representation of Scotland in the 1980s, representation of drugs, representation of drug addicts, representation of friendship, representation of sobriety.

3.WHAT SOCIAL GROUPS ARE OMITTED FROM THE REPRESENTATIONS?

There is very little representation of women positively as they are shown in not very positive light, no representation of any different races or different ethnicity’s other than white people, there is no representation of any lgbtq characters.

4.WHAT MESSAGES ABOUT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS ARE BEING CONVEYED?

It is conveyed that people who live in poverty throw their life’s away for drugs sex and alcohol, it shows that the poor will continue to be poor as they don’t try to achieve goals.

5.WHICH CHARACTERS OR SOCIAL GROUPS HAVE POWER WITHIN THE REPRESENTATIONS?

the characters in authority in this movie are the police, the parents, and the drug house runner. this shows that the only time people are in power are people who have something the characters want *(drugs) or have a higher social ranking.

6.DO THE CHARACTERS ADHERE TO OR CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES?

the characters adhere to stereotypes such as. women are only there for a relationship or sex. that all drug addicts are dirty and grimy. that people with addictions are irresponsible and do nothing but do drugs.

7.ARE THE CHARACTERS TYPICAL OF FILMS IN THAT GENRE?

the characters id say for a “black comedy” all act reasonably to fit the genre, as they still keep the film heavy and emotional yet still having the right comedic timing.

8.WHAT DO REPRESENTATIONS TELL AUDIENCES ABOUT SOCIETY AT THE TIME THE FILM WAS MADE AND/OR SET?

It shows within society that drugs where too normalised and by realising the film they shown people what drugs does to peoples lives.

9.HOW ARE ELEMENTS OF FILM FORM (MISE EN SCENE/PERFORMANCE/SOUND/EDITING/CINEMATOGRAPHY) BEING USED TO CONTRUCT THE REPRESENTATIONS?

The use of mise en scene depicts the reality of low class Scotland in the 1980s by showing their homes and the crack den to be mostly unpleasant. the performance of the actors shows the look and tries to convey the feeling of drugs to the audience. the editing in times shows the hallucinations of the main character, Renton.

Initial response: 6/10

This movie is raw and real showing the realistic effects of drug abuse with out glorifying it, that is why I believe it is good. However I found it difficult to stay focused as the plot line seemed a little weak, however I understand that its necessary for it to be like that for this movies subject. It shows getting clean from substance isn’t a straight road to recovery and becomes repetitive much like the movie.

Sound

During the beginning of the movie the main character Mark Renton runs along the streets of Scotland reciting the iconic “choose life” monologue accompanied with “lust for life” by Iggy Pop. The diegetic monologue is upbeat and positive, opposing the contents on the movie by this it adds more interest within the viewer.

Mise-en-scene

The use of the colouring in this film is unique and interesting, as this photo not only depicts lots of colours of all the apartment curtains, yet it still manages to be so glum and drained of life, almost allowing you to see the world the way mark does. The lighting in this is dull and lifeless incorporating more into the depressing vibe the movie gives off. The set on this movie depicts the reality of the working class in the 1980s.

Editing

The use of editing in this film is crucial to represent what Renton feels and sees when he is high. This creates a connection between the audience and Rendon by taking a look into his mind while he is in euphoria.

Cinematography

the use of cinematography in trainspotting is crucial within this movie to create affect for the audience. The use of this medium close up eye level shot allows the reader to see Renton and get a better grasp of his emotions.

SOUND-In the opening scene of Trainspotting director Danny Boyle decided to use the song “Lust For Life” by Iggy pop. This is a fast paced song that matches well with the characters running from the police in Edinburgh’s streets. The title “Lust For Life” coincides with Renton’s monologue about choosing a normal life over heroin.

Cinematography- In every scene we see Swanny, also known as Mother Superior there is a halo of red light around him (2:30) This red light is only present in the drug den. This red glow is representative of the life style that the men live while they are under the influence of their addiction. Red is a universal colour in trainspotting that represents sex, drugs, death and all other things that won’t help Renton “Choose life.

MISE-EN-SCENE- (34:27) The set design of the drug den also holds important representation. The drug den has overwhelming shades of brown and dark, dirty colours with used needles and burnt spoons, But. Scattered around the den are muted vibrant colours, on the walls and carpet. These subtle vibrant colours represent the euphoria that the characters go through when they inject heroin, but the darker browns and greys represent the decay and disease that their addiction creates.

EDITING- (1:20) In this scene we see a freeze frame of each important character. The effect of this editing style tells the audience that each person we see is important to the plot and will be reoccurring.