This Is England

Synopsis

Shaun, who lost his father in the Falklands War, earns the respect of skinheads when he stands up to their teasing. He becomes part of the gang and enjoys hanging out with his new friends. Trouble starts with the return of Combo, a racist ex-convict. With the gang divided in two factions, Shaun sides with Combo and, unfortunately, finds him in a father figure

When is this is England set

1983

Meadows’ trademarks

* Gritty realism
* Focus on working class
* Draws heavily on personal experience

Premier

2006

Producer

Mark Herbert

Writer, director

Shane Meadows

Cinematographer

Danny Cohen

Editor

Chris Wyatt

Music

Ludovico Einaudi

Budget

£1.5m

Worldwide gross

£5m

Shaun

Thomas Turgoose

Combo

Stephan Graham

Milky

Andrew Shim

Cynth

Jo Hartley

Woody

Joseph Gilgun

Lol

Vicky McClure

Linear narrartive

 

Key Scene 1

‘Opening Montage’ (00:00)

\-To establish context in the 1980s

‘Opening Montage’ structuralism

* Home and away violence
* New technology and war
* Young and old

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‘Opening Montage’ point(s) of view

The directors

‘Opening Montage’ other narrative devices

Montage- sets the scene for the rest of the film, establishes context for society at that time

‘Opening Montage’ cinematography

1. Handheld camera- makes you feel more immersive, shows daily footage of British population
2. Close up on key figures of British population e.g Princess Diana- close ups for key figures, wide shots for main events
3. Many shots are grained, without high definition- gives an older feel
4. Tracking shot of car in Shaun’s estate
5. Close up of Shaun’s father after montage of the war- shows the war will be significant

‘Opening Montage’ mise en scene

1. Inclusion of Margaret Thatcher- shows her importance and the impact she had on all of Britain e.g war, culture
2. Clips of machinery/ video games- shows the context of the film being made in a time of emerging technology
3. Factory machinery- idea of people loses their jobs to machines
4. Montage begins with pop culture and ends with violence/ war- encapsulates Shaun in the film
5. Council houses, Shaun’s room has chipped wallpaper- establishes a working class environment
6. White people are unified (shaved heads, flags, army), asian people are dealing with the aftermath of hate crimes- shows what the film will centre on

‘Opening Montage’ editing

1. No smooth transitions, quick cuts
2. Quick cuts to smoother transitions in Shaun’s room
3. Condenses meaning into a short amount of time

‘Opening Montage’ sound

1. Upbeat ska music- Toots and the Maytails, 54-46 Was My Number- key figures in popularising reggae music, relates to blending of British and Jamaican culture

2. When montage fades out music does

3. Non-diagetic

4. Many skinheads adopted ska music yet hated Jamaican/ Asian people

5. Fun upbeat track juxtaposes with neo-Nazis later- links to Shane Meadows

6. After montage Margaret Thatcher on the radio about hatred of socialists

Key Scene 2

‘Combo’s speech’ (41:00)

\-Establishes binary opposition between Combo and Woody’s gang

\-Provides an insight to Combo’s agenda and intentions

‘Combo’s speech’ cinematography

1. Close up of all of their faces
2. One shot of Combo whereas everyone else is together- shows their division/ position
3. Handheld camera when Combo’s talking- provides authenticity
4. Camera tracks Combo’s movements- shows authority and intimidation
5. Scene begins with a close up of Combo- shows he will dominate the scene
6. Close ups followed by reaction shots- Shaun’s reaction changes throughout
7. Combo dominates the frame
8. Lighting is like a spotlight on Combo’s head
9. Unmotivated lighting through natural window lighting- creates authenticity

‘Combo’s speech’ mise en scene

1. Working class skinhead aesthetic- clothes, beer bottles
2. Dim colour palette- shows seriousness of scene
3. Decor- sitting on a mattress, empty bottles, no floor carpet, crates as tables, curtains half drawn
4. Combo’s movements dominate the others
5. Combo is the only one wearing white
6. The door is blocked so they can’t move

‘Combo’s speech’ editing

1. Lots of reaction shots to show their reactions
2. Shaun’s reaction differs to everyone elses
3. Quick cuts- harsher, lack of smooth transitions reflects unrefined nature of context and characters
4. Quick cuts to pick up the pace

‘Combo’s speech’ sound

1. No sounds until the very end- highlights the characters acting is the importance of the scene
2. Lack of sound creates more tension- the pauses in Combo’s speech are more significant as there is nothing else to listen to
3. Emotional score begins playing, same as when Milky was being beaten up

‘Combo’s speech’ performance

1. Arm and hand gestures, spitting words, face scrunches, voice breaks- shows how passionate Combo is
2. Maintains dominating proxemics
3. Vocal performance contrast between Combo’s loudness and the groups quietness

Key Scene 3

‘The Final’ (1:28:00)

‘The Final’ cinematography

1. 1 shot, 2 shot, 3 shot- they have a strained relationship
2. low angles- vulnerability
3. wide shots of beach- makes Shaun look small
4. Low angles of Shaun, behind and walking away
5. Breaking the fourth wall- looking into lens, close up, eye contact

‘The Final’ mise en scene

1. Shaun holding the picture of his dad rather than looking at it- shows his emotional growth
2. Clothes more like Woody’s and less like Combo’s- he is distancing himself
3. Throwing England flag- rejection of racism
4. On the beach- waves are washing away Shaun’s problems, wiping away summer

‘The Final’ editing

1. Montage which is slower than the first one- more sadder/ realistic
2. slower pace- a comedown after the climax
3. J cut- music started before montage

‘The Final’ sound

1. Please, Please, Please- Clayhill

2. Ludovico Enaudi score

3. Child laughing on the beach- nostalgic, waves, ambient

‘The Final’ performance

1. Real archive footage- the social realism is more compelling as it isn’t acting
2. Shaun is in bed vulnerable- in the same position he was in before
3. Shaun talking about his feeling- rejecting toxic masculinity
4. Strained relationship with his mum
5. Ending on Shaun breaking the fourth wall- shows this is really what is happening in England