24th September Homework

British Social Realism – From Documentary to Brit Grit by Samantha Lay

1 Social Realism in the British Context [cont’d]

Representation

What does Samantha Lay say should be acknowledged about film?

 Lay says that it should be recognised that film is a large advertisement medium rather than an educational device. 

What is Williams’ observation?

Williams’ observation was that the representation of a certain character types in realist texts was depended towards social extension.

What is meant by the phrase “social extension”?

The phrase social extension is the extension of a range of characters to take in some groups.

What is noted by Hallam and Marshment?

Hallam and Marshment note how social realist texts draw in characters who live in the borders of society and who might show in the backgrounds of Hollywood productions.

What point does Hill make about social extension and how does he develop his thinking?

Hill said that in British social realism the social extension has massively involved the representation of the working class in the moments of social and economic change and specific to social reality at that time.

What has the social extension urge led British filmmakers to do?

It has pushed film makers to redress representational and social inequalities in relation to class.

In addition to depicting the ‘working class way of life’ what does Lay argue is also constructed by social realist directors?

Lay argues that visions from particular political moments are produced from certain sets of statements about what realist is and the issues and characters believed to be within the remit of social realism.

What do Dodd and Dodd argue about the representation of the working class in the documentaries of the 1930s?

Dodd and Dodd argue that in terms of representation the documentaries in the 1930s worked to make a fetish of the working class male body engaged in hard, honest labour and being the dominant up to a certain point.

What was Lindsay Anderson’s opinion of cinema’s treatment of the working class and what did he strive to do?

British cinema had harshly under-represented the working class and he aspired to provide an example of the way social realist film makers aspire to improve past conceptions of realism.

What did the work of Anderson and his contemporaries signal a departure from?

From what they made out to be the stuffy and sterile documentary realism.

Describe the representation of working class people in their films and explain the rationale provided for this.

The representation of the working class people in their films were bubbly and energetic, this is because of the film makers interest for the newly developing youth culture and a respect for the modest traditional working class.

Leaving their differences aside, what did both the 30s and 50s documentary movements share?

Documentaries in the 30’s and 50’s both have in common an overwhelming preoccupation with the working class male.

Describe the representation of women in the New Wave films of the 50s and 60s.

In the New Wave film in the 50’s and 60’s women were usually the victim of spiteful attacks of there working class heroes they were portrayed as materialistic way for the working class and dragged men down in films.  

What were the exceptions to the way women were typically depicted during this period and what was different about their representation?

They were often thought to be a threat to masculinity because they were obsessed with marriage, children and settling down.

What changes occurred in the way women were represented in the 80s?

The gender gap was resolved in the 1980’s which showed the growing importance of women in the work force and in the society.

How did the situation change again in the 90s?

In the 90’s it could be argued that the way women were shown in social realist films in Britain had taken a traditional step with women being shown as adept consumers and unsupportive of their husbands.

What has Hallam suggested about the shift in the way the working class has been represented in realist film texts?

It has been argued that there has been a shift from representing the working class as the producers of labour to representing them as the consumer of goods.

What significant change in narrative accompanies this shift?

It is accompanied by a move from portraying working class characters in communities and in the workplace where they are more capable of collective bargaining and action and are shown in more domestic and leisure way.

What is Higson’s contention and how is it explained by Hill?

Higsons contention is that a feature of British realism is stuck with the changing definitions of public and private space, for Hill the films of the British New Wave demonstrated a shift from political to private because their focus on cultural aspects was likely to prevent work focusing on the discontented male.

What point does Samantha Lay make about ethnicity when drawing her initial conclusions about representation?

She says that British social realist films benefit white male working class characters but haven,t focused on ethnic minority.

What does this lead her to observe about new areas that representation could explore?

A film could be about refugees and asylum seekers and there is an invisible truth that isn't really explored but dosen't show people who should really be there.

Summarise Lay’s conclusion in her final paragraph about representation in social realist film texts.
political and personal difference is social realism we lose the social context