British Cinema - This is England

who directed This is England

Shane Meadows

when was This is England released

2006

what was the budget of This is England

£1.5 million

what companies were involved of the production of This is England

warp films, big arty productions, EM media, Film 4, UK Film Council

when is This is England set

1983

where is This is England

the East Midlands

what was the economy like in the East Midlands in the 1980s

the economy was based on manufacturing (of cars, steelworks, docks) which declined dramatically in the 1980s

what genre is This is England

social realist

what is the equilibrium of This is England

Shaun’s dad is dead, he is being bullied at school, and he begins to spend time with the skinheads

what is the disruption of This is England

when he starts to be indoctrinated into the racist side of the skinhead movement, and the main disruption is when he is presented with a choice between going with Woody and Combo; the disruption occurs when a binary opposition is introduced to the narrative. How he resolves this opposition in the resolution will have ideological significance

what is the new equilibrium of This is England

Shaun’s realisation of the true violence of the gang, Combo killing Milky, Shaun throwing the flag into the sea and his resolving of the binary opposition through this

what is the main binary opposition of This is England

between the old and new skinheads

what does the resolution of the binary opposition suggest about the film’s ideological message

we are aligned with Shaun, and so his rejection of the new skinheads is intended to encourage our own

where is the iconography of violence, the flag, seen elsewhere in the film’s mise en scene

1. at the nationalist meeting that Shaun attends with Combo, the flag covers most surfaces of the room, as if patriotism is suffocating the people there
2. Combo gives him his own cross of St. George and the cross then represents him as a father figure in his life
3. The flag forms the centre-piece of the new skinhead’s home and so it becomes a symbol of community and family
4. It is as once a symbol of violence, and all the things Shaun has never had, and the distortion of its meaning could represent his vulnerability and how easily he was groomed


1. Shaun has never been able to take pride in anything/ be proud of himself and the national identity offered by the flag gives him a sense of community, identity, and something to be proud of

what is significant about when the iconography of the flag appears in the mise en scene

the flag only appears once Combo has entered the narrative and as such it is a visualisation of the binary opposition between the two groups

could the flag be a binary opposition in itself

yes - it represents at once community and connection and exclusion and hate

which two characters could be seen as binary oppositions

Woody and Combo

what are the differences between Woody and Combo that cast them as binary oppositions

Woody is


1. playful
2. in touch with his femininity
3. inclusive
4. an anarchist
5. like an older brother to Shaun (could also be seen as a father figure to Shaun, but presented very differently to Combo)
6. a helper of the vulnerable

Combo is


1. aggressive
2. an embodiment of toxic masculinity
3. exclusivist
4. racist and right wing
5. an abusive father figure to Shaun
6. preying on the vulnerable

how are Woody and Combo constructed as binary oppositions through elements of film form

Woody represents unity while Combo represents division and this juxtaposition is portrayed through the use of wide shots and master shots with every character in together for Woody and extreme close ups and shot reverse shots for Combo to make clear his confrontational nature. Both of these scenes are contextualised after arguments. After both argument scenes, differing non-diegetic sound is used to contrast the two characters - positive and upbeat after Woody’s, but melancholy after Combo’s

the flag also becomes iconography for Combo but Woody’s rejection of it mirrors Shaun’s rejection of the flag at the end

out of Woody and Combo, which character is the ideology of the film aligned with

Woody

how does the film use aspects of the coming of age genre in the narratology

the equilibrium presents the audience with a character who is an outcast to society, and part of his motivation is wanting to fit in; by the new equilibrium this has been achieved

how does the coming of age idea of wanting to fit in relate to binary oppositions

Woody and Combo are binary oppositions of one another and they present juxtaposing ideas about the idea of fitting in

Combo represents the idea that the world exists as a series of binary oppositions - British and foreign, fitting in or fitting out - and he preys on Shaun’s vulnerability and loneliness by making him believe that you have to fit in to be worth something in society. Through his indoctrination into racism, he tries to force Shaun to create a sense of national identity, by forcing the iconography of the flag on him (this iconography only becomes so numerous on his arrival)

Woody on the other hand allows Shaun to feel at once a sense of community and individuality, he rejects the idea that society should be based on the notion of binary oppositions at all

what political ideology does Woody’s rejection of binary oppositions represent

the anarchy of the old skinhead movement

how does film form show Woody’s ideology of the importance of individuality

individuality is shown especially well during the hunting (?) scene, where the costume for each character is distinctly different, yet they are all displayed as united together in a master shot; bright colours are used to show their joyousness in their individuality; the costumes also don’t seem cohesive within themselves, which is reflective of the way the group seems randomly jumbled together as people, but they revel in it; gender theory also plays a part here in that Woody is dressed in stereotypically feminine clothing

the use of location and wide shots - an open field also combines this mise en scene with a symbolism of freedom to emphasise the ideology being presented - freedom of self expression and identity

how is the film’s narrative used to juxtapose the binary oppositions with each other

in the narrative, events often mirror each other, with one involving the new skinheads/ Combo and one involving the old skinheads/ Woody, which allows the audience to see their different ideologies in how they respond differently to similar situations

how is a complex presentation of masculinity achieved in This is England

especially through Combo (and Woody), men are presented as angry and aggressive, but also emotional

There is a sense that he is lost, and looking for an identity (which relates to the theme of identity overall), and this manifests in the form of toxic masculinity

Are women and men presented as binary oppositions in the film

Partially, more so within the new skinheads; there is less distinction between masculinity and femininity within the old skinheads

How is Cynth presented in the film

1. as quite uninvolved, but that is typical of the 1980s
2. as having strength in the protectiveness she shows in confronting the group

Taking Cynth as an example, women aren’t in the film much. Why is there more of a focus on the male characters?

the narrative follows a young boy looking for identity and a father figure

how is Smell presented in the film

Smell is presented alongside iconography of femininity:


1. the colour pink in the mise en scene, in her costuming
2. the clothes she wears are typically feminine - there is less experimentation with gender expression

does the character of Smell suggest that gender is a binary opposition

yes, through iconography of femininity, and also the idea that Shaun is encouraged to be in a relationship with her shows traditional gender norms of the expectation on men, to prove themselves in sexual acquisition of a woman

aside from binary oppositions, what else does Shaun and Smell’s relationship represent

his vulnerability, and the idea that this is being preyed on, as their relationship seems highly paedophilic, but he is too naive to realise this

close up shots of their kiss are used to show discomfort

how does Margaret Thatcher represent ideas about gender

men and women, according to new skinhead ideology are binary oppositions, as society is based off of binary oppositions. Women are expected to be submissive to men, both vocally and sexually

Margaret Thatcher emphasises this cultural norm by the idea that, in order to have any authority, she has to make herself very traditionally masculine

diegetic sound of Margaret Thatcher on the radio reminds the audience of her presence as a political and cultural figure at the time

which female character refuses to be objectified and forgotten

Lol

how does Combo feel in relation to Lol

he feels entitled to her - there is a sense of male and self-superiority here

how does film form show Lol’s refusal to submit to Combo

a physical barrier is placed in between Lol and Combo in the mise en scene - the car window - she also makes it look like he is trapped in the car

performance - she persistently refuses to talk to him

shot reverse shots - she refuses to be part of his narrative and is just as confrontational as him, there is no conceding

tracking shot - he has to pursue her, which juxtaposes the idea that he is entitled to her (may need to double check this)

her costuming shows experimentation with androgyny

what are the main identities that This is England explores

male and national identity\`

what suggestions are made by the title of the film

the importance of national identity, as well as suggesting the immediacy of the issues addressed by the film - the present tense is used, but the film is set in the 1980s, so we see the relevance of the issues to contemporary society

what has national identity been referred to as

an imagined community - in other words, it is argued to be a social construct

why is national identity so complex and divisive

not everyone within a nation will agree with what the national characteristic are, or feel that they fit in

what is Shaun feeling like an outsider a metaphor for

feeling like an outsider with regards to national identity

how does the scene at the national front meeting construct a representation of national identity

1. mise en scene - costuming - formal clothes to show that the ideology is held by those in power and those respected in society (eg. politicians and the upper classes); binary oppositions and ideology at a societal level
2. the flags to show identity seem almost suffocating
3. close-ups on Shaun and Puke’s face show their suffocation and their discomfort
4. there are no women, and they are all white - the ideology that society exists as binary oppositions, and given that this is a meeting and a speech, we see that the new skinheads are selective about whose voices they hear - this is also shown by there being only one speech at this ‘meeting’, there is no room for deviance
5. performance and the idea of one figure giving orders to many - they are characterised like an army, freedom fighters, they believe themselves as the saviours of Britain