50s and 60s cinema
In the 50s and 60s the representation of British people was totally different from that in wartime movies. People were represented as not being proud of their country any more (this is shown in ‘Billy Liar’ when they dance and salute near a memorial for war heroes). All of the films are more focused on the younger generation which broke away from the normal conventions. Also in the 60s there was a revolutionary new way of life which gave women more sexual freedom because contraception was being invented and also there was a vast improvement in music. Towards the end of the 60s colour film was introduced this is shown in the last clip we watched called ‘Poor Cow’. Cinema in the 50s and 60s also became more realistic. This is because directors started to make more documentary style films rather than the normal unrealistic settings.
Recent cinema
Since the 60s technology has got a lot more advanced through time and this allows better, more complex movies such as ‘Lord of the Rings’ to be made. The film ‘Notting Hill’ represents British people as eccentric but polite middle class pushovers. This is shown by the way that the character of Will is very polite even to a man stealing from his shop. The film also portrays British people as celebrity obsessed and shows how our media blow celebrity stories out of proportion. The British are also represented as having a stiff upper lip and laughing about their troubles. This is shown when they are all gathered together round a table and are competing for the last brownie in ‘the brownie scene’.
The movie ‘Billy Elliot’ is a total contrast to ‘Notting Hill’ because it is a totally different situation. In this movie Billy and his dad and brother (and nana) struggle to survive during a mining strike in the 1980s. It represents the British as having a one sided opinion of what boys and girls should do. The working class are also portrayed as chain-smoking bad-tempered foul-mouthed stubborn people. This is shown by the way that the dance teacher is always smoking and the dad is aggressive with Billy and his brother and the way that swearing is just part of the everyday language. In both films we are also shown as having a fondness for tea.
The ‘brownie scene’
I am going to analyse ‘the brownie scene’ in ‘Notting Hill’. In this scene the group of friends are all sitting around the table after dinner and are going round the table telling all their problems competing to get the last brownie.
Camera angles: There are a wide variety of camera angles used in this scene. There are lots of close ups mainly used to emphasise the serious points of their conversation. There are reaction shots which are used to set the general tone for the audience. Also used are high angle shots which are used at key points and for establishing the scene further. The other type of shot is the eye level shot used to give viewers a realistic perspective of that character.
Lighting: The lighting used is used to make the place where they are sitting feel cosy and intimate this is done by the use of candles and lamps and one low hanging light which also reflect in the glass around the room. The general lighting is well lit but it still feels homely.
Sound and music: In this scene there is no music but there are sounds of laughter and there are very real sound effects such as glasses clinking. When there are silences they are real but they aren’t awkward because they are all comfortable with each other whereas the silence in ‘Billy Elliot’ when he gets in trouble is awkward.
Mise-en-scene: All of the people around the table are sitting quite close together around a big table. The large table emphasises that they do lots of entertaining because there are only two of them normally. The disabled woman and her husband have very eclectic possessions and feel comfortable with their friends so don’t feel they have to bring out all of their best china all of the time this reinforces the modern idea of ‘friends are the new family’. They also have a big fruit bowl which looks like it is full of fake fruit.
In conclusion I think that this scene portrays British people quite well because it shows that everyone can laugh at their problems even a disabled woman and that is how British people are typically portrayed. Also silences like the one that happens after the disabled woman speaks do happen but they don’t feel uncomfortable because you are with friends and I also think that silences awkward or not are something that the British do very well because we set ourselves up for those kinds of situation and then get dumb struck when an unexpected answer comes our way.
Over the years film has made a dramatic change and has massively developed due to modern technology. Although it is a good thing technology in films has advanced so much it also creates more unrealistic storylines like ‘Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy’ because of computer animated figures and effects rather than creating more simple and realistic stories.
