6/10 I enjoyed parts of the movie; I enjoyed the character design and their costumes. I found that the cast were all really suited for their roles, which made the film enjoyable for me.The plot stood out for me, showing how young people can be brainwashed into ideas that are so far from what they believe. The reason it is lower than the over movies we have watched is due to the language and some scenes were just uncomfortable to watch, that may have been intentional by the director, but I found it disturbing.
I think the scene which stands out the most is the scene where combo attacks milky, this stands out to me due to the break in his behavior. All throughout the movie combo shows racist behavior but this final scene shows that extreme feelings he has deep within. This also shows Shuan’s realization that combo is not a caring man like he believed him to be.
I gave this movie a 8/10 because the film was engaging and I believed it was funny since there was a lot of jokes made throughout. The characters where entertaining and also shows a wide range of different types of people in a group of friends. Some scenes in the movie where difficult to watch and it was hard to understand what the characters where saying at some points.
Memorable scene
A memorable scene in the movie was when Shaun was hanging out with woody and al of his friends and it was the first time we get to see Shaun not picked on and actually have a fun time. Its also a fast pace scene with the camera angles changing rapidly and the camera following in them around at times, this made me feel more involved with the scene and see from their perspective
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.
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.
Shane Meadows uses classic British songs like ‘Come On Eileen’ and ‘Tainted Love’ to make the movie more in sync with English culture.
Mise En Scene
Setting
The film is set in a working-class estates with run down houses, overgrown shrub and graffiti everywhere. This gives off the impression of poverty and unemployment.
Costumes
Shane Meadows uses clothing to represent identity and skin head culture. The skinhead clothing is Doc Martens, rolled-up jeans, braces and Fred Perry shirts. is historically accurate and signifies the group’s working-class roots.
Although as Sean becomes more of a skin head to feel included his clothing is the same the skinhead group. This shows he is searching belonging within the group.
Cinematography
In the film Shane Meadows makes the camera look like it is being held by a camera mans so that the point of view we are seeing makes us feel as if we are in the room with the characters. It gives off a shaky affect like the camera is an extra person in the story.
The use of a high angle here on Shaun shows his sense of almost superiority in this scene; he is learning how to use racist slurs and he seems almost proud of it. It really shows the effect that combo has had on him, as he is shown as proud and confident using racist language.
Sound:
Sound in This Is England is interesting, because they use a lot of real music that would apply to the time it is set in; 1983. However, one noticeable thing is that at the beginning of the film during the montage, they show impactful things that were happening at the time, such as Margaret Thatcher, the Miners’ strike and Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding. There isn’t much gore and violence to do with the Falkland’s War shown in this first montage, which connects well with the more upbeat reggae playing in the background. On the other hand, the montage that plays after Combo nearly killed Milky, the music playing is far more melancholy and orchestral, which, paired with the real footage from the Falkland’s War makes it feel far sadder.
Editing:
I think that the best use of editing in This Is England is when they have the St. George’s Cross edited over Combo and his group. It is especially poignant because it this flag is associated with England, and it’s almost saying that their racism and nationalism is what the flag represents, therefore, what England represents.
Mise en Scene:
I like the use of mise en scene in Shaun’s house because it makes it feel of the time period; 1983. It feels cluttered and lived in, which is always necessary when creating a living room scene, but also having the half-smoked cigarette emphasises the feeling that it is set in 1983, because it was common and a normalised thing to smoke indoors then. I also like how it is quite symmetrical as it gives a sense of order and balance while Shaun’s mother is trying to talk to him about something very sensitive.
I think sound throughout the film was used really well. For me the music used help to enhance scene and create more of a meaning for example – 25 minute in, there is happy upbeat music while everyone is playing football implying the happy and fun atmosphere of the game and friendship for Shaun and Woody, this help the audience reflect similar type of emotion like Shaun.
Editing
In This Is England, I really liked the editing such as the montages throughout the film especially the first opening scene of the film, where there is a montage of the prime minister, King Charles and Princess Diana and a war. This helps the audience know when the film was set in and to know some knowledge about the film before it has properly begun.
Mise en Scene
I really like the mise en scene for this film such as the location which created a verisimilitude feeling for the audience, I really liked the costumes as well for example in order to fit in with the skinhead you needed a shirt, doc martins, brace and your head to be shaved.
Cinematography
For me the cinematography was used really well, for example at shake camera work. This creates a sense that you are in the scene with the other characters, as the audience it creates an instability of nervousness. The shaky handheld camera throughout contributes to the authentic tone of this social realistic film.
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 representations.
ideology- a system of ideas and ideals, a set of opinions or beliefs of a group or an individual.
Performance- what carries representation?
age, costumes, gestures, body language, setting/background
Stereotype- A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.
Countertype- Countertypes can construct an alternative ideology which reflects a less mainstream view point. Casting someone against the stereotype.
Sarah Connor, Example.
In the first movie, Sarah Conner is a young woman working a job as a waitress. She doesn’t have ambition to succeed in her job, as we see her turning up late and not being attentive to customers when but in a stressful situation in the diner.
In the second movie, terminator 2. We see Sarah Conner dressed in masculine clothes unlike the previous movie. She’s also extremely comfortable about guns and smokes. In this movie she is transformed into a action heroine
Representation in Trainspotting.
Who is doing the representation? – Danny Boyle, the director.
Who is being represented? – white young Scottish men and people who abuse drugs.
what social groups are omitted from the representations? – People of colour, wealthy people
what messages about particular social groups are being conveyed? – Drugs have a negative impact on people, leading to them to do things out of character.
which characters or social groups have power within the representations? – people who interviewed spud had the power to turn him down, due to their wealth and position within the company. They looked down on spud due to his working class nature, this can be shown through clothes.
Do the characters social adhere to or challenge stereotypes? – It shows the negative impact of drugs and how bad your life can get.
Are the character’s typical of films in that genre? – The characters actions could be typical of a drama, with the arugementive nature of the character’s and suspense in the storylines
What do representations tell audiences about society at the time the film was made and /or set? – I think the representation of the young men doing drugs shows that there wasn’t a lot of educational push or information about drugs, this stands out to me in the choose life monologue where the film is set young people don’t have a interest in leading a normal materialstic life and instead choose drugs.
Consider the ways in which the following groups are represented in the film-
Young people
In train-spotting the young people are seen often acting against following a ‘normal life’ for example in the choose life monologue it shows the uninterested nature of the young people to live a simple life with families and jobs. I also see the young people in train-spotting to have a great influence on each over, showing that young people are subject to peer pressure. For example Tommie who lived a normal life is suddenly introduced to drugs by his friends. We also see this effect with Diane who often smokes due to Renton.
Older people
The representation of older people in transporting from my point of view is they are the people who do choose life, for example Renton parents are seen to own their own home and have a family with a quiet life.This is everything the younger people act against. We also see the young people steal perceptions from the older generation making them seem gullible and vulnerable.
Working class people
The working class in trainspotting is represented in the way that you are never going to get any fulfilment from the job you work, the scene which represents this to me is spud in his job interview. He is applying for a job in leisure which he has no real interest in. The scene is shot in a gloomy grey room showing the mundane nature of the job he is applying for. This shows that the working class aren’t given any opportunities to build their career.
Scottish people
In the movie the scene which stands out to me about Scottish people is when they are waiting nearby the trains tracks looking at the beautiful Scottish mountains, however none of the boys there are proud to be Scottish and talk about how they dislike where they live. This belief is also followed up by Renton moving to London showing that it was easy for him to leave Scotland behind.
Addicts
The addiction in trainspotting is not glamorised like some over films choose to do. In trainspotting we see the characters do drugs in dirty rundown spaces and the movie also shows the negative effects drugs can have on your life. Addicts are represented in the movie by constantly being in a battle against moving away from drugs but being quickly pulled back into the world. ” one last hit” the phase is used a lot in this movie showing how the characters addiction never truly disappears.
Men
The men in the movie, are represented by having toxic relationships with each over but also by violence. Throughout the movie the men betray and lie to each over. For example tommie’s video tape which is his downfall but little reaction or guilt is shown to his death, showing that the men in this movie are represented as morally bankrupt.
Woman
The woman in this movie are reperneted as almost side pieces to the men, for example Renton in the nightclub is searching For a woman just because his friends have one brings on the desire not because he wants to form a romantic relationship. The woman in the movie such as Diane also are only present due to their male relationships showing that they are seen through the male gaze.
The scene at the end when Combo snaps and beats Milky into unconsciousness uses a piano score as the backdrop. Another filmmaker may have decided to include high tempo, energetic, dramatic music behind such a brutal scene, but Meadows instead uses a slow, sombre piano score. This could be to show that this is the biggest emotional low point of the film, and the biggest turning point of all the main characters present: It breaks Combo, it leaves the kind and well meaning Milky a battered unconscious body, and most importantly it disillusions Shaun to Combo’s nationalist rhetoric. The sound also uses pretty heavy sounds for Combo’s punches, making it clear to the viewer that he is really trying to do serious damage to this person who never did anything to him.
Editing
The film starts with this montage of archival footage of 80’s British culture set to ’54 To 46 That’s My Number’ by Toots and the Maytals. It sets the tone of the film well, editing various clips from children’s shows and news footage together to give the audience a feeling of the space the film is set in, showing clips of people at school, music performances, dance exercise videos, Princess Diana etc. What really stood out to me was the short beats at some points in the song being overset by footage of disasters, usually explosion. These parts stood out to me because I liked how the footage synced up to the audio and because I found it funny.
Mise En Scene
This screenshot is taken from the final sequence of the film, where the members of Combo’s gang meet at his apartment for a sort of party, to which Milky also comes. This uses Mise En Scene to show the state at which Combo lives in: a totally empty floor, a sofa and bed pressed against the wall, some pictures stuck to the wall, and a large St. George’s cross flag that Shaun stole across the wall. This tells the audience that Combo is really in a bad economic state and is fairly alone in life.
Cinematography
This shot uses a long shot to show off all the characters and the urban setting. Woody is on one side of the tunnel, the rest of his gang on the other, and Shaun is in the middle, illuminated by the sun before entering the tunnel. The shot has some really nice symmetry that makes it pleasing to look at, and also some potential symbolism, like Shaun being illuminated by sunlight while the skinheads are in shade under the tunnel, showing Shaun’s innocence compared to the harder, rougher lives of the skinheads.
This Is England (2006, Dir. Shane Meadows) First Response
Rating: 8/10
This Is England tells a story about a lonely young boy who starts out just wanting friends and to belong and ends up at the centre of a nationalist gang. The film does a really good job at showing a bleak story, and makes great use of its British setting, making me connect to the film as the scenery creates a sense of familiarity in me, especially scenes in the fields or the streets. The story is told well and the characters are interesting, though I found the scenes with Smell and Shaun quite uncomfortable. I would probably watch this again.
Memorable Scene:Combo Splits The Gang
This is the scene where the actual plot of This Is England begins. Combo, one of Woody’s friends, has just been let out of prison, and in the prior scene he made a racist joke in front of Milky, the only black member of the gang. In this scene, he begins by apologising to Milky, and then begins berating Woody for not doing anything. He then begins a monologue after asking Milky if he considered himself English or Jamaican (to which he responded English) in which he claims the idea of an English identity is fading and that British people are being forced out of living comfortably in their country while immigrants get housing and such. Its a rant that clearly shows the type of character Combo is, and immediately the audience should be clued in that he is becoming the film’s antagonist. The scene uses long shots (such as the one above) showing Combo’s back as he gives his speech to the room of skinheads, and close ups of the characters faces in response to his ranting. In the speech he brings up the Falkland Islands war going on (the film is set in the 80’s), which prompts the main character Shaun to tell him that his father died in that war. What follows is what cements Combo as the villain: he uses the death of Shaun’s father to manipulate Shaun into joining his nationalist group. He weaponizes ideas of patriotism and death in war meaning something in order to convince a young boy to join a nationalist regime. In the end, Woody leaves with Lol, Milky and some others, while Gadget, the groups punching bag, Kes, the short tempered one, and Shaun stay behind. Combo has officially separated Shaun from the kinder people in the skinhead gang, and Shaun is now vulnerable to Combo’s preaching.
