Audiences and Institutions

Case Study: This Is England

Certification: 18

Frequent use of strong language and violence occur throughout the film; this is one of the main reasons that ‘This Is England’ has such a high certificate rating in the UK. In other countries, the film has been given a widely varying range of certificate ratings. In France for instance, ‘This Is England’ is rated as a U which suggests that the opinions of different cultures on the suitability of a film can differ greatly. English audiences can still relate to the issues which are shown through the film because of the familiar locations. This makes the film more personal to the English audience and therefore gives it reason to have a higher certificate rating. The use of drugs and violence is shown in a way which makes this type of lifestyle seem exciting, therefore this film appeals to the 18 - 25 demographic, including adolescent boys. This film could also have been issued the high certificate rating to try to prevent younger children watching the film and wanting to follow in the footsteps of the young boy in the film. The film has a theme of racism running through it and seeing as this was not uncommon in the 80s, racist comment are frequently used by the skin head characters.

Filming Locations:
Filming took place in an area of Lincolnshire called Grimsby and some scenes were shot in Nottingham. This is relevant to the storyline and adds even more realistic elements to the films as it was set in this area of England.

Production Companies/Distribution:
Big Arty Productions
EM Media
Film4
Optimum Releasing
Screen Yorkshire
UK Film Council
Warp Films

Set up in 1999, ‘Warp Films’ is a production company, based in Sheffield. The company employs 3 full time members of staff, one of which is Shane Meadows. Set up by the Labour Government in 2000, The UK Film Council (UKFC) operates to promote the British film industry. It is funded through sources such as the National Lottery and …. It’s objective is ‘To stimulate a competitive, successful and vibrant UK film industry and culture, and to promote the widest possible enjoyment and understanding of cinema throughout the nations and regions of the UK.’(Quoted from Wikipedia) ‘Film4 Productions’ is a British broadcasting company, which is also a part of Channel 4. They have taken part in the construction of many films in the UK. ‘This Is England’ was distributed by ‘Optimum Releasing’ on DVD in the UK. This distribution company is well known for their contract with ‘Studio Ghibli’, which has produced many anime films including ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘My Neighbor Totoro’.

Reviews:

UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2007/apr/27/drama2
http://www.timeout.com/film/news/1481/lff-this-is-england-review.html

The overall impression that the reviews give is that Thomas Turgoose acted brilliantly as ‘Shaun’ and the storyline was impressionable and interesting to watch.

USA
http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/07/27/movies/27engl.html
At the beginning of this review, it seems that the violent aspect of the film is being focused on too much. Unlike the UK reviews, Manohla Dargis fails to relate with the morals and good qualities of the storyline, and instead concentrates on the bad.

User Comments

Gary – London (UK) – 9/10
‘A snippet of life in 1983- told through the eyes of an impressionable 12 year old-against the back-drop of the Falklands War.This film shows Director Shane Meadows at his best, a new generation Mike Leigh/Ken Loach. Gritty, ultra-real story telling (not least because it reflects time and events from Meadows own childhood.From the outside this movie might look like an all out "Doom and Gloom" exercise (akin to Nil By Mouth?), but it is so much more! It has a great sense of love and nostalgia for the time and place-not too mention the Skinhead culture. However, it also shows how the initially innocent fashion trend of the Skinhead- which came from the "Mods" and "Ska" music scene- was twisted and subverted by a racist element from within. Fashioning a striking look (near bald heads with imposing Dr Martin boots) a perfect foil for those wanting to make a clear impression of aggression for the National Front.Performances are great- Turgoose as the young fatherless lonely boy- searching for someone to lead the way. Special mention to Stephen Graham as the aggressive, neo-Nazi, Combo. He is a horribly violent man, but played with such depth by Graham, you can see he has his own issues which have destroyed him. Ultimately, he is the saddest and most tragic of all the characters in it.Graham's is an Oscar/Bafta performance if ever there was one! Summary- A brilliant slice of life from the 80's reconstructed with love , affection, humour and a dash of "Venom"- eat your heart out "Spideyman"!’

Emuir- 1 – Florida (US) – 5/10
I found the film overall to be depressing and I disliked the foul language, yet it is not a film that I will forget. It does give an insight into how the gangs recruit isolated young people. The young boy has recently lost his father in the pointless Falklands war. His mother is a quiet unassertive widow trying to cope with raising a young son as well as the loss of her husband in Margaret Thatcher's vanity war. They live in a dreary treeless council estate in a time of high unemployment as nationalized industries are being shut down and firms are moving to countries where costs are lower. The tourist England of the picture postcard villages, titled upper classes, Masterpiece Theater, boarding school, country pubs and everything we Anglophiles think of as England is not present in the lives of these young men. They might as well be living in a small town in the former Soviet Union. At first, the lonely fatherless boy is befriended by a bunch of cheerful, friendly, but aimless youths who take an interest in him more as a little mascot. Every gang has its wannabe who runs errands and makes the older boys feel more important. Suddenly he has a purpose and a sense of belonging to a family. All this ends when combo, a thug, comes out of jail and takes over. Things take a darker turn as Combo recruits them for the racist National Front. I was a little bothered by Steven Graham's Liverpool accent, as the film was set in East Yorkshire, but I told myself that he had probably moved in. I would have liked to see a more extensive "making of" documentary which explained where they found all those 80's items in the convenience store. Clothes and furniture are easy, but the small stuff and groceries! Although I found the film disturbing, after all, who wants to be entertained by watching young thugs fighting and swearing, it did give me more of an understanding of the hopelessness of the young men depicted in the film. If you want to be entertained, don't watch it. If you want to learn something, I recommend it.

Gold Standard:

A1: 4/4
A2: 4/4
A3: 4/4
A4: 4/4
B: 4/4
C1: 2/2
C2: 1/1
D1: 1/1
D2: 1/1
D4: 0/1
D5: 1/1
D6: 1/1
D7: 1/1
D8: 1/1

TOTAL: 30
The pass mark for tax relief is 16 and the total number of mark to be ticked is 31 so it is clear that ‘This Is England’ can definitely be classed as a British film.

Movie Connections:
American History X – has similar themes to ‘This is England’. It covers issues such as racism and has a main focus of violence. Both films have a deeper meaning to them and later on, reveal morals about love, friendship and family.

Awards Won and Nominated:

2008

BAFTA Awards

Won - BAFTA Film Award – Best British Film
Mark Herbert, Shane Meadows

Nominated – BAFTA Film Award – Best Screenplay
Shane Meadows

Empire Awards – UK

Nominated – Empire Award – Best British Film

Nominated – Empire Award – Best Newcomer
Thomas Turgoose

Golden Trailer Awards

Nominated – Golden Trailer – Best Independent Poster

London Critics Circle Film Award

Nominated – ALFS Award – British Breakthrough – Acting
Thomas Turgoose

Nominated – ALFS Award – British Director of the Year
Shane Meadows

Nominated – ALFS Award – British Film of the Year

Mons International Festival of Love Films

Won – Best European Film
Shane Meadows

Won – Young European Jury Award
Shane Meadows

2007

Bangkok International Film Festival

Nominated – Golden Kinnaree Award – Best Film
Shane Meadows

Flanders International Film Festival

Nominated – Grand Prix

Gijón International Film Festival

Won - Young Audience Award ("Enfants Terribles")
Shane Meadows

Newport International Film Festival

Won – Best Director Award
Shane Meadows

2006

British Independent Film Awards
Won – British Independent Film Award – Best British Independent Film

Won – British Independent Film Award – Most Promising Newcomer (On Screen)
Thomas Turgoose

Nominated – British Independent Film Award – Best Director
Shane Meadows

Nominated – British Independent Film Award – Best Screenplay
Shane Meadows

Nominated – British Independent Film Award – Best Supporting Actor/Actress
Joseph Gilgun

Nominated – British Independent Film Award – Best Supporting Actor/Actress
Stephen Graham

Nominated – British Independent Film Award – Best Technical Achievement
Ludovico Einaudi

London Film Festival

Won – UK Film Talent Award
Mark Herbert

Other Films Made By Shane Meadows:

Meadows has directed a total of 10 films; ‘Somers Town’ (2008), ‘This Is England’ (2006), ‘The Stairwell’ (2005), ‘Northern Soul’ (2004), ‘Dead Man's Shoes’ (2004), ‘Once Upon a Time in the Midlands’ (2002), ‘A Room for Romeo Brass’ (1999), ‘24 7’ (1997), ‘Small Time’ (1996/II), and ‘Where's the Money, Ronnie?’ (1996).

Thomas Turgoose’s Audition:
The way in which Thomas Turgoose was auditioned, was extremely rare for the casting of a main role in a film. A man, possibly a casting director, filmed Turgoose, whilst asking questions about his life and interests. In this way, the casting director realised that Turgoose had a similar personality to that of ‘Shaun’s’ character. Turgoose had been expelled from school for violent behaviour; this behaviour showed the same sort of frustration that Shaun feels in the film. When asked what he thought of acting, Turgoose replied ‘It’s alright’. This seemed to be one of the factors that Shane Meadow was looking for when finding a performer to play Shaun. He didn’t want an experienced actor, he wanted a young boy who had felt a lot of the emotions as the character and had a lot of attitude. This technique worked especially well with Meadows’ way of not scripting the scenes. Turgoose was able to form a natural reaction, which was therefore realistic and believable.