•Young people: In this film the main protagonist is Shaun who is seen to be around 12 years old. He is the youngest main character in this film and all the others in the skin-head group are around 13-20. Within how Shaun is represented as a young person is negative and positive. It can be negative because his characteristics change and he becomes severely racists due to Combos actions however you see his character development as you see him having a sense of realisation that everything Combo said wasn’t true and his actions were bad.

•Older people (parents/authority figures/ politicians): There are two different types of older people viewed in this film, Shaun’s mum and Combo. Shaun’s mum is a loving mother grieving over her husband who had past away who wants nothing but the best for Shaun as he’s the only person she seems to have left. However then you have Combo the “original skin-head”, when he appears in the film everything changes. The mood shifts and the characteristics of some characters change. Combo is a very negative character who’s personality evolves around politics. He gains authority over Shaun however, he makes Shaun realise he is a bad person.

•Class (working class and other classes): Most people in this film are part of the working class no one is seen to be part of the high class status.

•English people: All characters are English and all are seen as equal however as Milky is still English but black Combo look down on him and discriminates him. I think there is a positive and negative view on English people as they can been see to be caring and gentle but Combo really changes up everyone’s characterises and makes the audiences view change to negative.

•Asian/Black people: Throughout the film I think black people where seen as equal to everyone else however, when Combo appears in the film everything seems to change. In the scene where Milky and Combo are having a conversation about Milky’s family you can see the jealousy and the anger on Combos face. Combo talks about the way unity was created when black people taught him the way of music. But I think throughout the film you could tell Milky always got looked down on by Combo.

•Men / masculinity: Most characters are men who are very opinionated. they all are part of the skin-head group. I think Combo is very stereotyped as he is your usual masculine male.

•Women: The main women in this film is Shaun’s mum and Lol. Shaun’s mum can be seen as a vulnerable character as she is still grieving over her husbands death. Lol is Woodys girlfriend and seem to have gotten manipulated by Combo. Both these women are head strong and don’t put up with the wrong answers. Overall I don’t think women are taken over control as they are very independent.

•Place (the Midlands where it is set): The setting (Midlands) is set where the true story happened. It is quite a run down area full off houses and flats with one or two corner shops.

Young people

Young people in This Is England is most represented from the gang of Skinheads, they are represented as being ready to fight and make a difference. Apart from the skinheads there is a scene that takes place at a school which shows a bit of bullying from an older boy who is making fun of Shaun’s jeans.

Masculinity

In the film, there is a showing of Shaun’s father who appears not to be alive anymore but it shows how he died in the war fighting for his country showing the typical masculine traits of being strong and powerful. This father figure is soon filled in by Woody who act very paternal to Shaun ( buying him shirts ).

Class

From many scenes in the film, you can see the low income housing being represented and the poverty being are going through. Most of the house being used have low amount of furniture of furniture that looks old, tacky and uncomfortable showing the audience that the people in the film couldn’t afford much.

Place

The location used from the film, like low income housing can create a verisimilitude feeling for the audience as many people have similar experience when living in poverty. There is many derelict, abandoned location showing isolation throughout the town.

Women

Women in the film are being portrayed as being the girlfriends to the main characters such as Kelly. There is the plotline of Shaun asking smell (16) to be his girlfriend, showing that age should be a reason not to date.

Black People

Black People are represented as being the villain and taking English peoples jobs, in many scenes you feel upset and bad for them as they are being accused of many thing when they are also just trying to have life in the UK.

Older People

Older people are being represented as being in a higher class with having more expensive items such as having a nicer car and nicer clothing showing they have had a different upbringing compared to the skinheads.

English People

In the film there is image of Margaret Thatcher, showing the nation and she is represented as being a nasty and unwelcoming conservative, There is image of the English fighting showing them standing of for themselves and fighting for the countries.

Young People

In the film young people are presented as free young adults who can do what ever they want really. In This Is England, young people are shown as searching for identity and dealing with challenges in a tough world. The film captures how their friendships, choices, and experiences shape who they become.

Older People

In the film ‘Older People’ are presented in lots of different ways. With people like Seans mum, the shopkeeper and the school teachers as normal English working class. Although there is then Woodys group and then Combows group who have become in contact with the law and are trying to renew the English dynasty.

Foreign People

People like Milky and the shop keep are discriminated against by Combow’s group for being in their county. They are also presented to have loving family’s like milky says to Combow. I suspect that Combow was jealous of Milky in that situation and quickly turned on him and lost his head.

I have decided to give this film a rating of 8/10 because i felt like this was a very impactful movie as it represents different social groups very well such as the younger and older generation of people living in England at the time of the war that was taking place. I also feel like this movie was great at presenting the nature of Englishmen and how pride can drive people to do horrible things such as murder and many other hate crimes just because some people did not fit the “English” stereotype in the eyes of characters such as Combo.  

In my opinion, the most memorable scene from this film was when Milky was brutally beaten by Combo after trying to stand his ground. In my opinion, this scene was very impactful as it showed Combo’s true colors and what he was capable of but also how he was able to very easily influence a child (Shaun) to join his “gang” and partake in offensive hate crimes towards different races and social groups. This scene was particularly impactful for me as this was the moment Shaun realized what kind of person Combo is and how he made the decision that he does not want to be associated with him anymore.  

Mise-En-Scene

The mise-en-scene is this film is used very effectively to support the tone of the film and to help explain to the audience what is going on in the film and the feelings that the characters are experiencing throughout the film. It also adds to the realism and versimilitude of the film, as this is a period piece. A very evident example of that is, in terms of costume, the skinhead ‘uniform’, which is used throughout the film to convey numerous ideas, such as the bond between the members of the gang. It also shows Shaun’s acceptance into the culture of the skinheads as well as Milky’s pride for his culture, which he has until his final scene in the film, where he is nearly beaten to death by Combo. The use of setting certainly adds to the versimilitude and realism of the film, as most of the film was shot in the real world locations of St Ann’s and Wilsthrope College in Long Eaton, in Nottingham. Also, the use of graffiti adds to realism of the film, showing the political views of people in the area. And in terms of characterization it shows Shaun’s lack of understanding when it comes to racism, as he simply graffitis he own name instead of a racial slur. The sound of the film, especially the soundtrack, and even more specifically the melancholic song by Ludovico Einaudi, conveys to the audience the negative impact that Combo has on Shaun’s life. Also, the use of ska music further reinstates the skinhead movement shown in the film. Finally, the constant radio chatter heard throughout the film keep the parallels between the conflict of the Falkland Wars and Shaun’s life fresh in the viewer’s mind, and show to the viewer why many English were angry at this time and why they were fed up with life, not that it excuses the disgusting behaviour of certain characters in the film.

Editing

Throughout the film, there is a heavy use of montage throughout, the main two examples being the montages of archive footage in the opening scene and the montages showing the different stages of Shaun’s life throughout the film. The first example sets the time period of the film, using lots of pop culture and historical footage from the 80s. Near the end of the montage though, it focuses on the conflict in Falklands War, which is constantly mentioned in the film due to Shaun’s dad dying in it. This invites the spectator to draw ideological parallels between the conflict and the event’s in Shaun’s life. The montages of Shaun show the three main stages in his journey/life as a young kid growing up during these times. The first one features numerous long shots conveying the isolation that Shaun is feeling at this point in his life. The second one has a more upbeat mood, showing footage of him having fun with Woody’s gang to the upbeat sound of ‘Louie Louie’. The final montage is much more serious in tone and it is when Combo is ‘training’ Shaun. The more serious tone matches the much more explicit and realistically depressing content of a young boy committing racist acts to people around him. The three different montages are useful for comparative analysis, as the tone of each one varies dramatically.

Cinematography

The cinematography used throughout the film allows for a more personal connection to the world of the film and to the characters within it. An example would be the handheld camera which is used throughout the film, which contributes to the authentic tone of this social realist film. An interesting use of cinematography, which remains in my mind as being very interesting, is the use of big close up shots, an example being the one used in the conversation between Combo and Shaun. In terms of the characters, this suggests a bond growing between the two of them, but for the audience it allows them to become much more intimate with the characters of Combo and Shaun and this may even be one of the points in the film where the audience likes Shaun, as in this scene he is shown to be somewhat caring towards Shaun, almost being like his father figure. A final example of cinematography that allows the audience to be more intimate with the characters in the scene is the use of POV shots from Milky’s perspective in the assault scene, which not only aligns the audience with him, but it creates greater emotional impact and horror.

Sound

The sound within the film does a multiltude of things within the film. It helps the audience be dropped back in time to the land of the 80s, with ska tracks such as Toots and The Mayals ‘Louie Louie’, which adds to the versimilitude of the film. Another feature of sound, which was previously mentioned, was the use of radio chatter of Margaret Thatcher talking about the Falklands War. This allows the viewer to draw parallels between Shaun’s life and the Falklands war, which he has been greatly affected by, as we know he has lost his father, which could be said is the main reason for his lack of direction in life.

Critical Score: 6/10

This Is England does a great job of capturing a slice of British life in the 1980’s, and while it boasts impressive documentary style cinematography, the shoddy acting and narrative pacing/continuity knocks the movie down significantly. The first 30 minutes act as a highlight for me, as the movie loses steam once Combo is introduced.

Favourite Scene: Shaun’s haircut

This scene is my favourite as it shows the close relationship that has developed between Shaun and Woody. This lays the foundation for Shaun’s “betrayal” very effectively, by showing Woody as a pseudo-father figure to Shaun, playing on all the things we know about Shaun and his personal life in this part of the movie.

Sound:

The film opens with a montage to a popular song in England at the time the film was set this creates racial inclusivity which juxtaposes many of the films events and ideas of characters.. This adds to the verisimilitude as the audience are submerged into England in 1983 in addition to news clips from the time being played over the music. In addition the beat of the song drops in sync to the change of clip or a big event happening such as an explosive blowing up or a fight breaking out.

Editing:

Throughout the film, there are edited clips of archive footage from the 1980s such as the war in the Falklands. They add political and social context throughout the film as they give the audience a wider representation of England in the time period as they were shot at that time and then edited into the film shot later on. These clips are edited in the film to break up the different events such as after Combo attacks Milky in his outburst. They also draw parallels to Shaun’s life as his father died in that war and the audience can link the footage to the events in the film

Mise en Scene:

Mise en scene is prominent throughout the film due to the gangs recognisable appearances. In this scene Lol is shaving off Shaun’s hair so he can be part of the gang, as well as this he also gets new clothes which show the audience he has joined as it is scene as the gangs “uniform”, this highlights the closeness of the members of the gang and Milky’s proudness of his culture as his clothes differ from the rest of the gang. The girls in the scene also have very bold hair, makeup and outfit choices which could cause audience members who would’ve been their age at the time the film was set to feel nostalgic. The mise en scene make the time period the film was set in more clear.

Cinematography:

‘The film had amazing cinematography throughout. In this scene POV shots are used from Milky’s perspective as he is beaten up and attacked by Combo. This aligns the audience with Milky and helps to portray Combo as crazy and violent as he switched from being seemingly kind towards him to aggressive. This adds sympathy for Milky from the audience in addition to giving the scene more horror and higher emotional impact. It also makes the scene feel more graphic as the audience are fully put in Milky’s position.

Sound:

This happens right at the beginning of the movie where montage is taken place. It shows lots of different things happening at the time of the film (1980s). The music is upbeat reggae music by ‘Toots & The Maytals’ this song helps represent what decade it is in.

Editing:

Also at the beginning of the film there is very distinct editing as there is a montage. On average each individual clip lasts around 2-3 seconds or more depending what they are showing. In this montage they show significant things that happen in the era of the film (1980s) such as Prince Charles and Princess Diana getting married and also various different clips of the wars that had happened.

Mise-en-Scene:

In this scene is can visually see a lot of people crowded into one room. The arrangement of the character can show the amount of importance each have or if a individual character is talking so the main focus will be on them. In this cause Woody is talking in this shot, the mis-en-scene shows he’s most important.

Cinematography:

This extreme longshot captures Shaun at the beach. This shot signifies to the audience he is isolated on the beach and seems so alone. The audience could feel a sense of nurturing for Shaun as in the previous shots he is seen enjoying his own company, but the extreme long shot shows that the whole day he had been alone.