Contemporary British Cinema: This Is England

Representations of working class and race in contemporary British Cinema focusing of the film This Is England

      Representation can be defined as a way in which something or someone is portrayed through the media and on screen. It has largely dealt with how particular social groups have been represented such as women, young people, old people, sub cultures and many more through re-presenting and the idea of reality. However sometimes it is hard to define what representation really means: “representation has no fixed meaning until it has been represented” (Moore 2013) This quote by Stuart hall expresses that representation is hard to define until it has actually been seen and done. This essay will aim to express representations of the working class through the main characters and setting of the film this is England. It will also aim to express representations of race through the main characters and storyline in the film. It will also focus on the extent in which the film represents realism in terms of racism, class and violence and will look at key issues and debates in terms of race and class. It will focus on the subculture of skin heads and look at the subculture theory as a form of critique to mainstream hegemonic culture. It will analyse two key scenes in the film which expresses representations of working class and race in contemporary British cinema and it will discuss Shane Meadows the director of the film in relation to the Auteur theory. It will also look at other aspects of the film when analysing class and race. 

      This is England was released on the 27th April 2007 in the United Kingdom and was directed and written by Shane Meadows which was seen as the genre of a British drama. The narrative follows the life of a young troubled boy growing up in England in 1983 where a group of skinheads become his new best friends. His father was killed in the conflict with Argentina where his mother was now his only companion. The film shows an intense insight into the subculture of skinheads and expresses the divisions caused by white nationalists and neo-Nazis which was around in this time in England and how the skinhead culture became more than just style, music and soul as it became adapted by white nationalists. The film talks about the Falklands war and nationalistic politics of two different groups opinions which allow the division to be made in the plot. Throughout the film many groups of people are represented such as: Teenagers, The working class, Black British, British Asian, Middle class, Skin head culture, Criminals and single mothers. This shows many different representations of people in the film and allows that idea of representations and reality and of course stereotypes are shown. “Today, a stereotype can be defined a fixed idea or image people have of a particular of person or thing” (Brunsch pg. 3 2013) this signifies what a stereotype is and how people stereotype others on looks and what they have previously seen. This Is England is a look back at the early 1980’s period of the British working class life style which is seen through the eyes of the young protagonist Shaun and his gang of friends. It allows us to see the struggle of influences such as unemployment, racism and xenophobia. We see this through the narrative of the film itself and all the characters shown such as Shaun, Woody and Combo. The film also expresses the idea of leadership through combo’s character and we see the two different sides of the skin head culture through Woody’s group and Combo’s group.

      

   A key scene from the film This Is England is the scene where Shaun the protagonist and Combo the extreme skinhead are in their local shop abusing the owner due to his race. This scene shows extreme racism and extreme leadership through Combo’s character over Shaun. It shows very gritty content which spectators would find very shocking and offensive. The language used in the script is also very graphic. Combo goes on to abuse the shop owner which expresses historical content of what was happening in England at the time. An explanation of race can be seen as: “‘race’, is a social and historical construction whose meanings and uses have changed over time”(Smith 2008 pg.23) This quote is taken from David smiths theory’s about race and he is explaining the meaning of race and how it has changed dramatically over the years. This relates to the film This Is England due to the historical content the film holds of racism and war etc. Carrying on from that the scene is expressing when black and Indians moved into the Country in the 1980’s. The character Combo has very strong views and believes that many people have come to England and taken all the jobs and that’s why they are unemployed. He believes it is their fault that there are no jobs for them to do. Around this time there were many different types of skin heads. This Is England represents the different types through the characters. Many skinheads were apolitical and held very strong views about race and ethnicity. There were different types of skin heads who were known to be anti-racist and skinheads who engaged in violence especially against South Asian immigrants which was also known as paki-bashing in common slang. This is England clearly represents this through Woody who is seen as anti-racist and Combo who is seen as an extreme skinhead with powerful views. This then started to form the skin head culture in their area. Even though skin heads were not racist from the beginning the film shows the development of certain skin heads becoming racist. This then became their Identity which then explained who and what they were and what they believed in. "By the end of the 1980's they achieved a reputation as the most violent extremist group in the country". (Moore:1993:4) This quote by Moore’s explains how violent the skin head culture were seen to be and how they were seen as a threat to society which we see In the film This is England to extent through the graphic nature of the narrative and through the action on screen.

     

Following on from that, we also see strong representations of class as the skin head culture was known to be of the working class hierarchy. When talking about the scene I mentioned before we see this clearly and also in the key scene of when Shaun is transformed into a skin head by the rest of his gang. Shaun persuades his mother to buy him some brand new Doctor Martin boots. We see straight away that Shaun is from a working class background and that his family do not have much money as Shaun’s mother expresses how expensive they are. However she proceeds and buys them to help her son fit in. The group then shave his hair to make him look like one of them as it was known for the skinhead culture to have shaved heads.  His footwear is now doctor martins and his shirt is checked and he starts to wear the brand which is known in this subculture of skinheads such as Fred Perry and ben Sherman. He is also seen throughout the film wearing suspenders. All of these are representations of class. This was the fashion for this sub culture in the 1980’s and most of the groups of skinheads would wear these particular items of clothing. Not only was it a representation of class but it also became a representation of race as this was what people thought when they thought of the skin head culture. This is because of the stereotypes formed by many people in the 1980’s. The majority of skinheads were known to be racist which meant if you had this particular look and style you were known as trouble to other groups of people such as the immigrants around this period of time. “People can be divided into races usually via observable differences in appearance. Some accounts are obsessed with ‘colour, hair and bone’ difference, which are used to argue for an absolute difference between ‘black’ and white” (Branston & Stafford  pg. 111 2010) This quote expresses that racism does not necessarily  mean a hate towards non-white people but more of stereotypes in one’s culture. This relates to this is England as the groups of characters we see are strongly stereotyped for their appearance and behaviour which allows race representations to appear.

    However, not only in the key scenes this essay has mentioned but throughout the entire film race and class is shown in many other different ways: For example where the film is set. The film is set in northern England in the east midlands and throughout most area’s and locations used on camera come across and are seen to be very grey, gritty and full of back streets which portrays the living conditions of Britain in the 1980’s. This was all down to the unemployment rates and how men had hardly any money to fund a decent life style for themselves and for their families. This was all due to the lack of job opportunities in England at the time. This historical and known content strongly represents the working class as it was hard for them to get by around this time. This is also a signification of class exploitation. “THE TERM "exploitation" often conjures up images of workers labouring in sweatshops for 12 hours or more per day” (Lapon 2011) this quote explains the term exploitation and how it affects social class. This is seen through This Is England as we see the characters struggling for work. Carrying on from that this then also leads on to further representations of race in the film as many skinheads believed that their jobs had been taken by minorities which were known to be immigrants. This then allowed racism to occur as it was their way of helping themselves in what they believed was right and it became acceptable in certain parts of the skinhead culture to be racist as they believed they were doing what was right for their country.

      Furthermore, another key scene in the film this is England Is the scene where the character Combo makes his “This Is England” speech to the rest of the gang.  This scene expresses the depths of Combo’s beliefs when it comes to racism. Combo’s this is England speech was based on the condition of immigration and criticism of Margaret Thatcher’s Falkland war policy. This was a large debate in the 1980’s in England between many different people and especially in the skin head culture. His speech is extremely racist due to the language used and what he says. However we do see characters such as Woody in this clip who is seen to be an antiracist skinhead to be in disgust to what is being said by combo but does not say a word due to the violence it may cause. This is the part in the film were the protagonist Shaun also starts to realise the extremist views some people have about others. Combo would be seen as an extremist due to this speech and later in the film when he brutally attacks the character known as milky due to jealousy, racism and rage. "The most conspicuous sign of change (the black presence in traditionally white working class areas) was being used by the skinheads to re-establish continuity with a broken past" (Hebdige:1979:57).This quote explains the racism imbedded in the skin head culture which drove many people like combo to become racist as the change in England at this time was a great shock to them. It also expresses the historical content which the English grew up with and how it had affected their culture. This is clearly shown throughout This Is England. As well as that the beginning of the film is a great eye opener to the spectators. This is because it begins with grainy footage of the Falkland’s war which Combo talks about later in the film. This expresses realism and the issues of what was occurring in the England. The diegetic sound shown in this part of the film is speeches of the embattled cultural which is known as race of the not so good and nice Great Britain. This is a persuasion in the media of the topic war to be still thought about every day and to make it an issue to everybody who is living in England in the 80’s which caused much conflict. 

     However, there have been many arguments about social realism and if this is England is in fact a true representation of what people and Britain were like in the 1980’s. Social realism is a genre of film that focuses on topical issues such as class, race, money, drugs etc. which is seen through modern society and seen through the script of this is England. This is England is put into the category of a social realism film due to This is England being based on true events which had happened in Britain around the 1980’s which makes it a realistic story and theme as the film was based on historical facts about war and law. It was around the exact time when Margret thatcher was in power which made violence occur due to the rise of immigration and the increase of unemployment rates due to her decisions. Many British men could not provide for their families which caused racism as the men had no control anymore of what they seen was their own rights. It became the norm for the working class to be seen as racist which represents stereotypes, “This is England is an autobiographical film, based on Meadow’s experience during his childhood.” This explains the realism of the film and how the representations are in fact true as the director himself experienced what was happening in England in the 1980’s. This is due to the director being seen as an Auteur as he is putting his own experiences into his film and makes it very personal to himself as a director.  “Theory of filmmaking in which the director is viewed as the major creative force in a motion picture” (Auteur Theory) this explains the idea of the Auteur theory and what elements are needed to be an auteur which Meadows is seen to be. “Over a group of films a director must exhibit certain recurrent characteristics of style, which serve as his signature.” This quote was said by Andrew Sarri (Auteur Theory 2014) this expresses the idea of theme director Shane Meadows had through most of his films as they were similar to the theme and story of this is England.  Another element of the film which is seen as a strong connotation is that the film is also in a fast pace motion to represent that it is going through the years quickly and to signify changes in events and that it is not about the present but it is about the past and history which also represents realism. Meadows used unknown actors in his movie this is England to get the feeling of a realistic nature of living as he believed known actors would not form that sense of realism due to the theory of stardom. This expresses what Bazin called the "ontological realism" which many directors such as Meadows put faith into and put this idea into his own work and films. 

      When looking at the film this is England we clearly see the sub culture theory as the sub culture of skin heads is shown throughout the film and throughout each character. We see the subculture theory as a form of critique to mainstream hegemonic culture as it was different back in the 1980’s as issues such as race and class were a lot stronger in England at this time compared to the culture now.  A man named E.B. Taylor in the time of 1871 made one of the very first definitions of what he thought culture was:” Culture, taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. ” (Peacock pg. 3 2001) This quote connotes the definition of culture and helps to define the aspects of what makes culture what it is today. We see this in relation to this is England’s narrative as it is in fact about people’s beliefs, morals and the law itself at the time of what was happening. For example the law of immigration by Margret thatcher in the 1980’s was an incredible dramatic change which is shown in the film itself. When it comes to the sub culture as a theory it expresses that people who tend to live in an urban area or setting are more able to find ways of creating and adapting a type of community together even despite what is happening at the time of creating there community. We see this through Shaun the protagonist and his friends as they build a community together which expresses their skinhead culture regardless of the alienation and problems happening around them.

    

  “A skinhead is a member of a youth subculture that originated among working class in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world.”(Subculture list) This quote defines what a skin head actually is and how they are seen to be and helps to explain where the subculture originated from and how it began so spread worldwide. However the film questions how we define the skin head culture and what it is it stands for. This is shown through the characters of Woody and Combo. This is due to the fact of them both being skin heads but having completely different views on racial matters. Meadows plan was to update the matter by expressing the most frequent skin heads associated with race and not just simply stereotype anyone as racist. Woody was seen as an anti-racist and combo was seen as the complete opposite. This is expressing that not all skin heads are racist and it is in fact just a stereotype made by others.

     

  To conclude, this essay aimed to express representations of the working class when analysing the key film this is England by Shane Meadows. It also aimed to represent race and class through the sub culture theory and the subculture of skinheads. It expressed terms of stereotypes and focused on the director himself for being known as an auteur and explained the auteur theory to an extent. It expressed ideas of class and race through the main characters such as Shaun the protagonist, Woody the anti-racist and Combo who was seen as the extreme racist of the film. Another powerful way in which the essay explained race and class was through the narrative of the film: Such as the storyline of racism, immigrants, violence and many more key topics. Also through the setting and historical context the film holds .It clearly aimed to deal with the term realism and focused closely at many key issues and debates in terms of race and class. This text clearly aimed to explain representations and a key point which was made was the idea of how the skin head culture itself clearly represented class and race and how this was a very key topic in the 1980’s in England and how it caused many extreme problems. The essay also looked at key theorists and theories such as Hedge, Moore, smith and many more to explain more in depth about race, class and representations. 

 Bibliography

  Books

  Brunsch, C (2013) Stereotyping as a Phenomenon in Intercultural Communication: Grin Verlag

  Branston, G & Stafford, R (2010) The Media Students Book: Routledge

Moore, J (1993). Skinheads shaved for battles: a cultural history of American skinheads. U.S.A: Bowling Green State University Popular Press.

Hedge, D (1979). Subculture: The Meaning of Style. London, New York: Routledge. 

Peacock, J,L (2001) The Anthropological Lens: Harsh Light, Soft Focus: Cambridge University Press; 2 edition

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