British film anagrams…

1. He cuts shed (2)2. A loony tour arrived (2)3. The untended maid (3)4. In pothole (3)5. Tho slovenly bee (3)6. A Smoldering Ilium Lo (2)7. Boney Whore (2)8. Hardback Teeth Toot (4)9. A Barfing Returned (3)

1. The Duchess2. Revolutionary Road3. The Damned United4. In the Loop5. The Lovely Bones6. Slumdog Millionaire7. Nowhere Boy8. The Boat that Rocked9. Burn After Reading

LEARNINGOUTCOMES…

Be able to…• …explain who, where and what is being

represented by the film.

• …explain the background to the skinhead movement and it’s relevance to the film.

• …explore how the notion of masculinity is used by Shane Meadows.

REPRESENTATION

Note down the different things that are being represented in this film. Consider:

– People (age, race, social groups etc)– Places– Time

SKINHEADSRead and highlight the handout, before considering the following…

KEY QUESTIONS

1. Think carefully about the last sentence of the final paragraph and this next quote Shane Meadows:

‘It’s not to do with colour so much, it’s to do with identity and belonging.’

Given factors like the high unemployment and the circumstances of their own lives (such as Shaun and Combo’s) can their actions be understood (although not condoned)?

1. How does Meadows convey this subculture to his audience?

MASCULINITY

Consider the different representations of masculinity shown by:

Woody Combo

MASCULINITYThrough the character of Shaun we see a number of factors come together that form part of his identity at that particular time, such as his relationship to his father, his relationship to the various members of the gang and how this manifests itself in terms of a sense of confidence and control over his life.

• How much do you think the ways these issues are represented are gender specific?

• Can you imagine this same narrative if the lead character were a girl?

‘I thought the be all and end all in life was that kind of hard masculinity in men. I craved to be like a Jimmy Boyle, or a John McVicar, or a Kray. It’s like kids who are into Beckham, I was into Jimmy Boyle in the same way. I wanted to see men fight, and there was an act of violence that I almost prompted, and that was something that became very difficult to live with.’

IS THIS ENGLAND?

Throughout the film we see competing ideas of national identity. There is a version offered via Combo and later with his association with the National Front, this overtly political group offers solutions to the problems of unemployment and a sense of national pride based on exclusion.

1. How do the connotations of the flag change for Shaun?2. What does the English flag mean to you?3. Having looked at the film do you think that these

associations have changed over time?4. Does the flag have group specific association now?5. Is the flag something to which you feel any kind of

allegiance?6. Where do these ideas/feelings come from?

CHARACTERISATION

COMPARING CHARACTERS

THE GANG