These clashes are frequently demonstrated in the film, and they symbolise a broader conflict between democratic or populist wills and technocratic or authoritative forces. Members of the NUM – the National Union of Miners – conducted massive and widespread strikes, often resulting in violent clashes with police.
The miner’s strike came about as a response to fears that the Conservative Party policies would decimate the already-dwindling mining industry. Corporations and private interests were given greater freedoms, often at the expense of workers and the middle class.Īs a result of these reforms – seen by the political elite as ‘necessary’ for growth, but seen by the working classes as a cruel depravation of social safety nets – divisions between classes grew. Crises such as the Falklands war – a brief but intense conflict between Britain and Argentina over British islands – allowed the British government to use a ‘crisis mandate’ to impose strict and fundamental changes to the economic fabric of society. Britain was experiencing a dramatic shift in political, social and economic policy towards the ‘neoliberal’ framework engineered by Margaret Thatcher and her US contemporary, Ronald Reagan. The 80’s are widely recognised as a controversial and important period of British (and global) history. The film is set during the 1984-85 coal miner’s strike in Britain. Themes of the film are discussed in greater detail below, but you should remember to link them back to these rubric-centred ideas. Relationships between emotional experiences, political conflicts, artistic expression and even experiences of the human body itself can be discussed. Consider the experiences of the miners, who spend the entire film rioting – in both foreground and background – yet who ultimately gain nothing. Often these experiences have to do with change – many of the characters are in important periods of transition in their life – but experiences of consistency or even inertia are also relevant. With respect to Billy Elliot, you will need to examine the various experiences that each of the characters face, and how these speak to broader human experiences that the audience can connect with. Furthermore, your response must always consider how language and form (so in this case, the ‘language’ of cinema) is used to convey these notions or to manipulate the audience’s experience of the text. Note how the syllabus emphasises an analysis of the emotions attached to human experiences, the paradoxes of human behaviour and the role of storytelling. You can access the syllabus description here. You should always pay close attention to the rubric for any module, and this is no different.
This study guide is structured as follows: The key to Billy Elliot is understanding how challenging ideas about the human experience – new perspectives and arguments about how we should live our lives – are delivered in sympathetic and even comedic ways. The themes of the film may be more commonplace and well known in todays world, but in the context of the film’s creation they were cutting edge and, to some, provocative. 1.4.1 Experiences of resistance against authorityīilly Elliot is Stephen Daldry’s 2000 film about a boy becoming a ballet dancer, and gaining acclaim for its promotion of individual identity, its challenge to restrictive gender norms and its celebration of artistic pursuits.Ample teacher resources such as Teachers’ Notes and Activity Sheets are provided online. Keywords are picked out and explained using example sentences Each title includes a practical test at the end to further the reader's understanding of the story A comprehensive line-up of titles covering the classics, fairy tales, contemporary fiction, and original works Seven levels of difficulty with headwords ranging from 200 to 3,000 With a wide range of appealing genres and topics, Pearson's Graded Readers will always have a title for learners to enjoy, whether the learner is looking to read for pleasure or for fact-finding purposes. Learners of all levels are guaranteed to be able to enjoy reading in English. Pearson's Graded Readers are graded at seven levels of difficulty from Easystarts to Level 6. Pearson's Graded Readers are a carefully graded collection of adapted literature and original stories written for learners at every level. * This book may have different covers, but the ISBN and content remain the same.