all aspects of film form including narrative contribution to the representations of cultures and societies’ (gender, ethnicity, and age ) including the ideological nature of those representations
ideology – a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.
performance
age
ethnicity
body language
costume
facial expressions
stereotype
a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing e.g. all black people are criminals
countertype
an opposite of the stereotypes that are already in place. it opposes stereotypes e.g. a black president instead of a white president
Sarah Conner example
Sarah was a stereotypical American waitress in he first terminator movie. She is shown to be weak and incapable of doing her job since she spills the coffee on the man and when she arrives late she isn’t phased or bothered by it.
in the follow up movie, she breaks away from the female stereotypes and becomes a countertype. During this time and becomes a heroin, she is shown holding a gun and she looks to be skilled with it, she’s also has muscles and is no longer the weak woman she was in the first movie.
Trainspotting Representation
1 who is doing the representation?
Renton and his group
2 who is being represented?
Renton and his friends represent a clique friend group who have issues and do drugs. drug addicts are being represented and so are people with mental issues
3 what social groups are omitted from the representation
people who are of colour and diverse women
4 what message about particular social groups are being conveyed
The message was that drugs are a life changing choice and once you get caught up in social groups with people who drugs you are bound to fail e.g. tommy ends up dead due to his friends co orison into heroin
5 which characters or social groups have power within the representation
Mother superior had the most power since he provided them with drugs. The parents in the movie also had power since they were the adults and created rules.
6 do the characters adhere to or challenge stereotypes
I believe that they do challenge societies stereotypes of drug addicts since they are white men in a white base country. The character of Renton also came from a functioning family with two parents which goes against the ‘people who do drugs came from a broken home’.
7 are the characters typical of films in that genre
The genre of Trainspotting is a dark comedy and I believe that the characters do fit the the genre since they are young adult men.
8 what do representations tell audiences about society at the time the movie was made
It shows us how society viewed different groups of people e.g. woman weren’t seen often in the movie other than Diane who was only displayed as a woman used for Renton’s benefits. There was also little to no people of colour in the movie which showed how they weren’t expected to be in movies at the time and where an afterthought.
Young people in This Is England are presented in various ways. The main character Shaun is presented as a lonely child who is picked on by crueller children, who make up a lot of the films other representations of young people (like the fedora wearing one who makes fun of Shaun for his dead dad). The skinhead gang is also presenting young people, as Woody and others are only in their early-mid twenties, which implies Woody had a similar experience to Shaun as evidenced by his friendship with Combo. This representation of younger people are kinder than the school children we are shown first (aside from Pukey) and are also presented as being relatively content with their lives as they are right now.
Older People
In a lot of the movie, older people are presented quite negatively. There aren’t a lot of much older people in most of the movie until the introduction of Combo and Banjo, who are “first generation” skinheads, and the other older people in the movie are introduced because of them. The older people are the nationalists in the film, giving speeches about how Britain should be for the British, etc. and overall serve as an antagonistic force, targeting younger people like Shaun and Pukey to persuade them over to their prejudiced way of thinking.
But not all older people are presented this way. Shaun’s mother is presented as a kind and caring character in the movie, always trying her best to look after Shaun even if Shaun doesn’t appreciate her efforts. Even when Shaun gets his head shaved and gets new clothes, she isn’t incredibly angry. She does become quite upset but she meets with the skinheads and thanks them for making Shaun feel happy, showing she does have his best interests at heart.
Class
The majority of the films characters come from the lower class, suggesting reasoning as to why they decided to become skinheads. The skinheads hang around in run down buildings and find fun in wrecking them, and they don’t normally complain about their life situations. The only one who does is Combo, who blames immigrants for his poverty. The highest class member of the group we are shown is Smell, who’s family is shown to own a relatively nice house with nice furnishing and such. Higher classes are only really shown in the nationalist speaker Combo takes Shaun to go see, who rants on about topics similar to Combo, despite it being implied that the speaker is in a comfortable position in life. The lower classes are usually presented as people looking to make the best out of what they have, while the upper classes are shown complaining about things that don’t even affect them in the slightest.
English People
The English people make up a lot of the main cast of This Is England, but unlike Trainspotting their English identity forms the basis of the plot of this film. Characters like Woody and Lol aren’t really impacted by their English identity, and characters like those are normally presented as the most comfortable. However, the idea of an English identity is used by Combo (and the nationalist speaker) to convince people to join their gang. Combo twists the idea of patriotism to convince Shaun to join his gang, and very nearly persuades Milky to join by telling him his English identity is more important than his Jamaican identity.
Asian/Black people
There isn’t a lot of representation of Asian people, but it is very important regardless. The most apparent presentation is the shopkeeper, who is seen at the beginning and near the end of the film. He is presented as a man who is just trying to make a living, but is given trouble by Shaun in the beginning due to him being am annoying child, and later by Combo, Shaun and the rest of the gang, when his store is hit by them for a racially motivated reason and slurs are hurled at him during the robbery. This scene is quite hard to watch, as it shows this shopkeeper who didn’t do anything wrong being threatened by a machete while his store is robbed. The gang also steals a ball off of a group of Indian children, during which they also make racist remarks. These characters are shown as receiving a lot of trouble for doing basically nothing, and the audience should feel pity for them
Most of the black representation comes from Milky, the only black member of the skinhead gang. Milky is English with Jamaican heritage, and is treated the same as any other English character until Combo is introduced. Combo uses the fact that Milky is black to fuel a lot of his argument in the scene where he attempts to break up the gang, by using the fact that no one stood up for him when Combo made a very racist joke at the party to say that English people don’t stick up for each other anymore. This argument falls apart at the end when Combo is just very racist towards Milky and beats him, showing that he doesn’t care about any of that and really is racist. Milky is initially presented as a normal Englishman before Combo weaponizes his race to back his nationalist beliefs.
Men
The men in This Is England make up a lot of the cast. Their presentations vary, from Shaun’s wannabe masculinity where he idolises men he views as strong (Initially Woody then Combo, though this idealisation of older men in his life probably stems from how highly he views his father), to Woody wanting to enjoy life and protectiveness of his friends, and Combo’s ideas of masculinity tying in with his nationalist ideas. A lot of male characterisation features strength in some way, but they often display extreme emotions as well.
Women
Like Trainspotting, women are usually wives or girlfriends. The most prominent female character, Lol, is Woody’s girlfriend, but is given a lot of her own character and story. Smell as well is only in the story to act as Shaun’s girlfriend and serves no other purpose in the story, so why she is included I have no idea. Shaun’s mother is given strength in her widowed status, having to look after Shaun by herself, giving the audience respect for her. The women in This Is England, while still designated to set roles, are given their own aspects of strength and character.
Place
The films English setting is, in my opinion, the films biggest strength. The film presents a familiar, small town English setting, and shows the audience the mundane nature of the town streets, the brick buildings and flat grassy areas. The film shows how boring and stagnant life for a young person would be in this town, and so gives reasoning as to why Shaun joins the skinhead gang, and why the skinheads find fun in wrecking abandoned houses and have house parties: because the audience can tell from the town that it is set in that there is nothing better to do. The setting of This Is England is presented as common and familiar to an English audience, and as dull and boring to the characters, though through the films cinematography it can form some shots that are very nice to look at.
In this movie the soundtrack is a very crucial thing, a example of this is the use of the smiths song please, please, please, let me get what i want in the final scene, i think the use of a sad song for this scene makes the viewers feel something for shauns character however it also indicates a new beginning for shaun and shows that things are going to go uphill for him as he is letting go of the racist beliefs he was taught.
cinematography-
The use of cinematography in this film is represented well in this image, this long shot of combos white supremacist group with combo placed in the middle shows how combo has such control on everyones a d their beliefs and how he is the most powerful of the group.
Editing-
The use of editing and montage in this film helps establish to the audience not only the timeframe in which the movie is set but also the conflict in england at the time, and that people in england, like combo are focusing on the wrong problem.
Mise en scene-
In this film the elements of mise en scene are crucial to help viewers understand the context of production, the use of costume in this film establishes to audience that it is set in the 80s with the characters wearing high top doc martin boots and tight jeans with suspenders, the style of clothing also helps the viewers understand that majority of the characters are skinheads. The setting establishes that shaun is brought up in a working class area living in a large estate with small houses and run down corner shops.
•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 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.
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.
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.
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.
