Cecil says: We saw this film about skinheads and fascists in early 1980s England while holidaying in Copenhagen (and by the way, a quick tip for anyone going to the pictures in Denmark: don't arrive late because they won't let you in).
Having grown up in the 1970s and often encountered pretty nasty gangs of skinheads on the streets of Hull, this film felt all too real to me - I had a dull ache of remembered fears most of the way through it. And the film did feel as much like a description of 1970s England as 1980s. In fact, the whole issue of time and context within the film was a slight annoyance throughout. It claimed to be set in 1983, but was all to do with the Falklands and there were clips of our boys in Port Stanley shown every now and then through the film. Why declare it as 1983 if the rest of the footage so clearly wasn't. And given that it could just as easily have been the 1970s, why define its time so exactly?
The film grabbed the attention from the off. Two types of skinheads come across: the National Front fascists and the rather nice, caring types (not sure I ever met them in the 1970s, but they did feel believable in This is England). The battle for psychological and physical dominance between the two strands is fascinating and at times disgustingly violent. I can't actually remember the end of the film - what remains is the pervasive sense of violence, of racism, and of constant threat. Felt very odd walking out into the sunny streets of peaceful Copenhagen afterwards...
***.5
Bea Says: Copenhagen was warm and relaxed. Beautiful blondes cycled past, we drank coffee and ate lots. We swam in the sound, and hung out at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Seeing "This is England" in this environment was surreal, to say the least. When I am in England, the gritty grimness of film like this, like Ken Loach's or Mike Leigh's makes sense. It is what you see around you - grey 60s build estates, desolate grey beaches. In Copenhagen it was utterly, utterly bleak, and although very good, "This is England" is probably the most depressing film I've seen all year. That's not a reason not to see it though - but you might want a comforting cup of hot chocolate afterwards. We did.
***.5
Having grown up in the 1970s and often encountered pretty nasty gangs of skinheads on the streets of Hull, this film felt all too real to me - I had a dull ache of remembered fears most of the way through it. And the film did feel as much like a description of 1970s England as 1980s. In fact, the whole issue of time and context within the film was a slight annoyance throughout. It claimed to be set in 1983, but was all to do with the Falklands and there were clips of our boys in Port Stanley shown every now and then through the film. Why declare it as 1983 if the rest of the footage so clearly wasn't. And given that it could just as easily have been the 1970s, why define its time so exactly?
The film grabbed the attention from the off. Two types of skinheads come across: the National Front fascists and the rather nice, caring types (not sure I ever met them in the 1970s, but they did feel believable in This is England). The battle for psychological and physical dominance between the two strands is fascinating and at times disgustingly violent. I can't actually remember the end of the film - what remains is the pervasive sense of violence, of racism, and of constant threat. Felt very odd walking out into the sunny streets of peaceful Copenhagen afterwards...
***.5
Bea Says: Copenhagen was warm and relaxed. Beautiful blondes cycled past, we drank coffee and ate lots. We swam in the sound, and hung out at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Seeing "This is England" in this environment was surreal, to say the least. When I am in England, the gritty grimness of film like this, like Ken Loach's or Mike Leigh's makes sense. It is what you see around you - grey 60s build estates, desolate grey beaches. In Copenhagen it was utterly, utterly bleak, and although very good, "This is England" is probably the most depressing film I've seen all year. That's not a reason not to see it though - but you might want a comforting cup of hot chocolate afterwards. We did.
***.5
No comments:
Post a Comment