British Social Realism Timeline

1950s:

"Look Back in Anger"

This film covers many different themes common in British Social Realism, a struggle for equality, for example this is set at a time where women were clearly seen as inferior and taken for granted. The wife is kept at home all day and night, while her husband is out working all day and then spending time at a jazz club for most of the night, showing how Alison has been domesticated. It also tackles the idea of an abusive relationship as in a scene, Alison tells Cliff she is frightened of her husband, Jimmy. There is also a scene where an ironing board is overturned by Jimmy causing Alison to get burnt, yet he doesn't rush to her side, he simply apologises but in a way that does not feel sincere. However he doesn't treat her nice for a long time. Jimmy and Cliff both work on a sweet stall in the market place, showing an idea of the same mundane job everyday. They also tackle a theme of unwanted pregnancy as there is a scene where Alison's doctor asks if Jimmy knows about the baby and she asks if it is too late to do anything about it to which he responds, "I didn't hear that question" as any kind of abortion at this time in Britain would have been illegal. 

Look Back in Anger's interior shots were filmed at Elstree Studios. However some establishing shots were filmed in Derby, market scenes shot in Deptford Market and the railway station filmed in Dalston. 

Music plays a big role in the beginning of the film as the opening sequence shows Jimmy playing the trumpet amongst other musicians in a club which continues in the background of shots after. There is also non-diegetic sound of a train passing that creates a sound bridge at 5:15 of Jimmy and Alison in bed to a shot of the view from their flat. Only before 7 minutes in of the film you hear dialogue between Jimmy and Cliff, all the shots before are used to show you the setting and the jazz music used helps you understand the era. 

The character's clothes are not anything extravagant, it seems they are tight for money, as three of them seem to live in a very small flat. Alison is seen wearing what seems to be Jimmy's shirt in scenes of the film, perhaps showing poverty in the way she cannot afford new clothes. Lighting in the film looks artificial in some of the interior shots, as the flat seemed it would be very dark as it was so small. 

1960s:

"Poor Cow"

This film covers the topic of poverty as the setting of the bedroom seems very simplistic and small. Also it looks at crime, as the girl, Joy at only 18 runs away from home, marries and has a child with a thief Tom. When he tries to attempt a bigger robbery, he is jailed for four years, so Joy is left on her own with her son, Johnny so the film looks at single parenthood too. 

The film was set in London, and shows the effects of poverty and poor housing on the lives of its characters. 

The dialogue in the clip I have embed is limited but in the full film Joy acts as a narrator of her own story and the film didn't have a script and was mainly improvised which shows a more realistic story in the end. The music in the clip I have embed shows how the song is sung by the character and is actually diegetic sound but used in the clips before it shows him  singing.

The clothes of the characters show they aren't particularly wealthy, that they are just ordinary people. The lighting in the clip is natural, making the film more realistic to the audience.

1970s:

"Quadrophenia" 

This film is loosely based around the album called Quadrophenia by The Who released in 1973. The main theme of the film is the conflict between two different groups of people the "Mods" and the "Rockers" whom are both biker gangs that often fight each other. It also looks at mental illness, as the main character suffers from depression towards the end of the film. 

The film is set in London where the Mods are from and we follow them to Brighton where a riot takes place with the Rockers. 

The film makes reference to The Who and mainly has a sixties soundtrack which tells the audience when the film is set. The characters have the typical cockney accent that is associated with some Londoners.

There was a wider variety of shots in this film compared to the others, it was easier to identify techniques like Shot-Reverse-Shot. 

The clothing worn by the Mods does not show wealth but that they are ordinary people, along with the Rockers but they wear clothes that make them easier identify. In the clip shown, you see how a leather jacket made a character look like a Rocker. This also emphasises how there is a clear separation between the two groups as it was compared to the separation of black and white people which shows how serious the two groups took their conflict. Also, the main character avoided his friend because he was dressed like a Rocker. Natural lighting was used in this film, which makes it more realistic. 

1980s:

"My Beautiful Launderette"

This film tackles themes of homosexuality and racism, issues that were very controversial at that time. The clip shows how Omar's father does not want Omar working in a launderette as his job, a journalist is seen as much higher job and better living. His father is ashamed that his advice has lead them to where they are and refers to the working in a launderette as an "underpants cleaner" and that, "working class is a great disappointment" to him. He also tells Johnny at the end of the scene, that, "it is not a bad dump" he has. This shows how much working class people are looked down upon.

The film is set in South London, in Battersea where the story focuses on Omar and Johnny's reunion and romance and running of a launderette. 

The music at the beginning of this clip was non-diegetic and the sound of the door closing seemed to be foley sound, as it came across much louder than expected. 

The beginning of this clip was shot through the launderette doors, panning and following the character Johnny through the launderette. This was effective as you could hear the sound outside the shop and Omar's father's footsteps in the background although the shot was of Johnny. Then there was match on action used on Omar's father opening the door. There is also shot-reverse-shot used during the conversation between Johnny and Omar's father. Next, you see a low angle shot used showing Omar's father to be above the people in the launderette.

The clothing of Johnny in this clip, shows him to be lower than Omar's father as he is wearing a jacket and jeans compared to Omar's father wearing an ascot and suit. This shows their different classes. The lighting in this film is natural, only the lights in the launderette are artificial.

1990s:

"Trainspotting"

This film looks at petty crime and drug addiction between a circle of friends. The main storyline seems to be trying to quit but failing too, and then the main character Renton finally removing himself from the situation and his old friends in the end of the film.

The film was set in Edinburgh as the first scene you see Renton and his friend Spud running down Princes Street being pursued by security guards. However the majority of the scenes in this film were filmed in Glasgow despite being set in Edinburgh. 

The use of a voiceover is used so Renton acts a narrator in this clip. The shot is frozen as he tells you what is happening. Renton's voiceover is also used as a sound bridge from the still shot of Tommy and then to a shot of him lifting weights. Then again to take us back to the shot that's been frozen of Begbie. 

There are shots of Begbie and Tommy as they tell the different versions of the story in the clip and then cross-cuts of them actually playing snooker in the past. There are a variety of different shots used, close ups and high and low angles. 

The clothes of the characters again are just normal clothes you'd see ordinary people wearing at the time this film is set. The lighting in this film is natural, which makes the audience think it's more realistic. 

2000s:

"This is England" 

This film covers topics of racism and youth sub-cultures such as 'skinheads' that were around in 1983. Shaun a 12 year old boy is welcomed into a group of skinheads and the film shows what living a working-class life was like in the early eighties in England. 

The film was set in the Midlands and the majority of shots are filmed on location in Nottingham. However some of the accents of the characters come from a wider geographical area.

In this clip, Combo invites Milky to tell him more about himself, and as Milky starts describing his big family, non-diegetic music starts to play and a close up shot of Combo is used and the music helps us understand the jealousy that Combo feels starting to increase more and more. When Milky invites Combo round to meet his family and have dinner, the piano in the music plays more often and speeds up and you can see that Combo is envious of Milky's life and that his response to Milky isn't genuine, it is blunt. He then brings Milky's race into the conversation, to which Milky doesn't respond, only angering Combo more as the music continues to create the tension between the two characters, which escalates to Combo beating Milky into a coma. While Combo is beating Milky, the music is played fully and the shouting of Shaun is used in the background, making the audience feel sorry for him to have witness such a sight. 

In this clip mainly close ups are used as it escalated into a very tense and heated argument so that kind of shot would allow you to see the character's full emotion.

The characters in this clip are wearing basic clothing, but some of them are wearing braces which helps the audience identify them as a group. The only light used is the one coming from the corner of the room which makes the shots quite dark and creates an atmosphere.

2010s:

"Ill Manors"

This film looks at topics of drug dealing and drug addiction. It also covers the corruption of youth as Chris is brought up around drug dealing and as he grows up it is the career he has chosen. The film was written and directed by Plan B, who is a British rapper. The film includes original songs by Plan B, and each song tells the story of a character. 

The film was set in Forest Gate, London. The main scene in this clip is this basement which looks dark, dull and dirty is where the drugs are made and stored. 

The main sound used in this clip, is the song by Plan B, 'Drug Dealer' which tells us what is happening in the scenes we are watching. The tempo of the song suits the shots we see and rapping suits the theme of the film as the audience would be able to associate rap with gangs and youths, as the song is about the kid growing up with a hard childhood. Not much dialogue is used in the clip until 2:30 when Kirby loses his temper and the music is stopped to hear what he has to say, and then the music is started up again. 

There are a variety of different shots used to show what is being said in the rap, some shots fade into another to keep up with the rap. The beginning of this clip shows Kirby walking it out of jail and then the events before he got put in jail are shown. This is effective as it acts as a flashback and then brings us back to present time.

The beginning of this clip shows Kirby leaving jail with nice clothes on suggesting he has earned a lot of money from drug dealing and can afford some nicer things. But in the shots before he got put in jail, he is seen in jogging bottoms suggesting that when he's out he dresses for show, to live up to a reputation perhaps. Chris is wearing normal clothes, which would what would be in fashion of the time the film was set, showing he is an ordinary kid, but living in unfair circumstances. The only artificial lighting used was the light bulbs in the basement, so it does not take anything away from the film being believable or realistic.

How has British Social Realism evolved?

Genres are not static and they move with the society, as the audience taste changes, genres adapt to suit and satisfy this change. If film genres did not do this they would fail to engage and interest viewers. The first social realism films were seen as explicit and morally corrupting as they conveyed themes such as drug use, sex, prostitution, abortion and many more, some themes which were frowned upon at the times these films were released, some which still are. Topical issues now covered in British Social Realism films are not as shocking as we as people have become more exposed to such themes and are more aware of them. Social Realism can still be brushed aside, as some may view it as an exaggeration, but the stereotypes are key in identifying the faults in society to the audience and creating a voice for a particular group of people.