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Introduction

Britishness essay In my opinion Britishness is having a stiff upper lip and being able to laugh about your problems and to carry on no matter what. British people are usually very warm, welcoming and a very forgiving country but we are fast becoming known and represented as a thuggish unkind country. In cinema representation as a concept is how a particular director shows certain types of people even if it is not an accurate portrayal. For example: in modern films teenagers are represented as hoodie-wearing, chain-smoking granny-beating young thugs but this is unfair because most teenagers today are much different and find it difficult to prove otherwise because of the stereotyped image people have in their minds. There are lots of stereotypes linked to British people and everyone fits into at least one group. Stereotyping helps directors because they don't need to create smaller characters they can just stereotype them leaving them more time to focus on the major characters. The setting and social period of a movie may also affect how people are stereotyped Wartime cinema Around the time 'In Which We Serve' and 'Brief Encounter' were made there was a second world war in 50 years going on so movies of that period were made to boost spirits and to promote the war effort. ...read more.

Middle

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. ...read more.

Conclusion

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. ?? ?? ?? ?? British representation in films 1 Jade Vincent - Hall 11BW Mrs Broomhall ...read more.

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