This Is England (DVD)

I watched this powerful and poignant film last night and couldn't wait to write about it. It's a portrayal of Thatcher's Britain, the appeal (and the menace) of the gang, but most importantly, the very moving story of a young boy's grief over losing his father and his struggle to belong. ~~~Director/Context~~~ This is the most recent film (released in 2006) from the very talented, Nottingham based director, Shane Meadows, who stays very true to ...
...England', which ensures authenticity - this is not an approximation of a certain time and setting, these are memories set to a story. ~~~Plot~~~ The film opens with a series of news reel and clips from the early 80s, starting with Roland Rat and the Royal Wedding, but moving into the more disturbing images of the Falkland conflict, NF marches and race riots. There's no question of when and where we are and the backdrop for the film. The story ...

sonic0209 07.10.2007 · Read full review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

This Is England Released : 27 April 2007 Director : Shane Meadows Cast : Thomas Turgoose (Shaun), Stephen Graham (Combo), Jo Hartley (Cynthia Fields), Andrew Shimm (Milky), Vicky McClure (Lol), Josepth Gilgun (Woody). Runtime : 100 minutes Cert : 18 'This Is England' is based on the early life of director Shane Meadows (Once Upon a time in the Midlands/ Dead Man's Shoes). The setting is Eighties England, a time when the Falklands crisis was ...
...family which he craves. However this idyll isn't set to last. Combo, a militant skinhead arrives on the scene after being released from prison and immediately tries to convert the others onto his racist agenda. Most see through his rantings and resist but troubled, impressionable Shaun is persuaded and romanced by the clever, convincing orations of Combo. But what are the consequences for Shaun and his new friends ? This an another excellent piece ...

WormThatTurned 01.07.2007 · Read full review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

...was Shane Meadows' latest film This Is England (2006). Don't get me wrong I like Shane Meadows' films - there is something about them that makes them compelling watching but they're not the kind of film you put on for light entertainment. They are thought provoking, gritty and hard-hitting films with a wonderful grasp of human nature - you just have to be in the right kind of mood to watch it. Of course you never know when you will be in the right ...
...being my favourites and so This Is England was following in the footsteps of some quite wonderful films. You can't call them successes in the traditional sense as they have a limited audience really and are not supported by huge studios but to those who watch and appreciate them they have a special place in our hearts. But really anyone who is interested in films should watch them as a lesson in less is more. Often held up as the modern Ken Loach, ...

Suzela 02.11.2007 · Read full review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

THIS IS ENGLAND == Intro == It is surprising how few movies have been made on the subject of racism, especially seeing as how it's such a powerful topic. Before This Is England, the only films worth mentioning on racism are Mississippi Burning and American History X, two very noteworthy films, but ones that only really relate to the racism problems in the deep south of America and the Ku Klux Klan, none which were really relevant to the growing problem ...
...and UKIP, I think This Is England is particularly relevant, and a must see. == Plot == It's 1983, and 12 year old Shaun gets into a fight at school after someone made a comment about his dad, who had recently died in the Falklands. On his way home, in a pretty unhappy mood, Shaun runs into a group of (non-political) skinheads led by a friendly guy named Woody, who taking pity on Shaun, accepts him as a member of the group, despite him being many ...

midpikyrozziy 28.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

...the last 20 years. Earlier this year I had the pleasure of watching Dead Man’s Shoes; I was touched by a conversation he has about his past in the additional features, and thought that his story would make a great movie. A few months on and I find myself watching his movie version of those childhood events. For the first 40 minutes This Is England really feels your heart; Shaun is a twelve year old boy who is an outsider in his town. At school he ...
...older kids look out for this young troubled child I felt a feeling of real joy, I was watching the movie smiling like a Cheshire cat. These supposed thugs look after Shaun like he is a member of their own family; they buy him nice clothes and even set him up with a potential girlfriend. Even Shaun’s mother is touched by this fantastic thing that has happened to her usually troubled son. It appears that everything is just wonderful; there is a real ...

sghawken 30.05.2007 · Read full review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

...realistic take on things and this film is no different. Based on his own childhood experiences, it skilfully recreates the time and atmosphere of the early 1980s. All it takes is a single montage of all that was worst about the time to clue you up on the background of the film. So we see Roland Rat, Margaret Thatcher, "Knightrider", news footage of the miners' strikes, inner city rioting and the Falklands War. Meadows' decision to use hand-held cameras ...
...and chasing each other around. This is juxtaposed with Combo's bile-soaked racist rhetoric. You hope against hope that Shaun will gravitate towards the family aesthetic, all the while knowing he will be drawn into the National Front-inspired hatred of the tightly-wound, bovver-booted thug Combo. The tension is so acutely observed that at one point you even believe he's going to make the right choice. The dialogue works because it is well-observed ...

afy9mab 31.01.2008 · Read full review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

This Is England is the very successful British drama released 27th April 2007. It’s rated 18 as it contains extremely strong language, violence & racism. This Is England runs for approximately 101 minutes. It had a budget of £1,500,000 & grossed an estimated $8,069,240 at the box office. The film was extremely well received by the critics, infact around 93% of them gave the film a good review. The 18 rating became controversial as this film is mainly ...
...being overturned to a 15. This Is England won the award for Best British Film at the 2007 British Academy Film Awards & Best Film Category at the 2006 British Independent Film Awards. This Is England is directed by Shane Meadows who’s considered to be a rising stars & one to look out for on the British film scene. This Is England is his biggest film to date however he’s worked on a quite a few others such as the lesser known: A Room For Romeo Brass ...

Great_reviewer07 04.03.2009 · Read full review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

...Movie" it is inevitable that This is England gets compared to American History X. Whereas Shane Meadows' epic portrayal of 1980s Britain isn't as much a social commentary about racism and how to overcome it as American History X is, it does, however, provide the perfect mix of nostalgia, individual insecurity, and violent bigotry that makes This is England a personal and powerful experience best approached with your grandmother's old English hanky. ...
...with the film's opening montage. This sets the menacing air of the rest of the movie: at times it's incredibly unpleasant to watch, but never strays from the true grittiness that makes for wonderfully satisfying British cinema. The Northern council estate is the perfect setting for twelve year old Shaun (played by Thomas Turgoose, in an absolutely astonishing performance) who is adopted by a group of local skinheads. Shaun is bullied at school for ...

andycarrington 10.02.2009 · Read full review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

This truly was England of the late 70's and early 80's, having grown up at that time in the Midlands I can confirm that life was like this and people were like this too. This film follows a short period in the life of Shaun whose father had just been killed in the Falklands War. He is bullied at school and befriended by a local Skinhead who takes him under his wing and Shaun is gradually accepted into the Skinhead group, happy to become one of them ...
...the group. In sections this film is incredibly difficult to watch. And the reason for that is it's so accurate. The guy playing Combat must have known skinheads as a kid and he's right on the mark. All the actors in this are amazing. The costumes are spot on, everyone looks authentic eighties. Shaun is like so many boys I know and I can totally relate to him (though I was a 2-tone rude boy myself, not a skinhead) I do struggle to watch certain parts ...

atytyut2434 18.02.2009 · Read full review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

...during the summer of 1983, This Is England follows 13 year old tough kid Shaun, played by newcomer Thomas Turgoose. Disillusioned with life after the death of his Father in the Falklands war, Shaun becomes involved with a teenage skinhead gang and earns his number one haircut and Doc Martens alongside his first real friendship. Far from living happily ever after, the group is soon divided by the return of Combo (Steven Graham), a respected yet overtly ...
...National Front. Thankfully, This Is England lives up to the hype and proves an enjoyable and original coming-of-age story with a twist. Based on his own experiences growing up, Meadows delivers an honest and insightful view of Thatcher’s Britain without playing into the hands of stereotypes so commonly associated with the 80’s. Still, the ironically flawless screenplay only comes second to the chilling performances of the group of actors well known ...

ivoryandgold 03.03.2009 · Read full review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

This film in my opinion is absolutely fantastic! The acting is superb and this scenes are so realistic and sometimes very disturbing. This film is set in the 80's and features the notorius skinheads. The main character Shaun is 12 years old, an outcast who gets picked on and is unpopular at school. However one day he meets a gang of skinheads who make him feel welcome and he eventually joins their gang. Young Thomas Surgoose (Shaun) gives a brilliant ...
...actors were equally good and this really helps make it a gripping and very realistic film. I really enjoyed this film as it was extremely thought provoking and also touching, it really makes you think! I would really recommend it, however please beware that it does contain quite a bit of violence, racism and disturbing scenes which did upset me at some points in the film. Overall I would reccommend. ...

mrsR2b 01.10.2007 · Read full review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

Well-constructed social drama about England's skinhead scene being undermined by racist politics and violence during the time of the Falklands War. Brilliant acting by all, especially Thomas Turgoose in the leading role of Shaun, a young teenager who lost his dad to the war and is desperate to fit in, and Stephen Graham as Combo, a disturbed ex-convict with nationalist views & the criminal intent to run a violent street gang. The rift within the group is looked into as much as the troubles of Shaun, who is caught in the middle and has to find his way around a new scene after being bullied at school. Combo becomes his new father figure. First love & family violence (hinted at) also play a role. ...

knight_of_the_soundtable 18.09.2007
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

This is England opens with a series of images that represent the 1980s, Thatcher, Top of the Tops…all working together with 54/46 Was My Number by Toots & The Maytals to set the scene for the film the audience is about to see; the not so glamorous 1983 England. This is England, Shane Meadows' autobiographical follow-up to Dead Man's Shoes, did not fail to disappoint. The story revolves around the character of 12-year-old Shaun, one of the many victims ...
...people united by their differences, this image however is contested by the arrival of Combo, a friend of Woody's with questionable views. From this point on Shaun is taken into a world of crime, racism and violence. Meadow's does not sugar-coat the issues raised in the film and some viewers could argue that it is simply too real. The images of working class squalor are reminiscent of the films of Ken Loach but Meadows makes every aspect of this film ...

shister_not 14.01.2008 · Read full review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

this is england focuses on life in the 80's. the film follows a young boy called shaun(Thomas Turgoose) bored on his summer holidays finds woody(Joseph Gilgun) shaun then discovers the wonders of 1980's parties skinheads and ben sherman. introduce combo, skin head, racist and dangerous. just released from prison he converts shaun cleverly using his farther who died in the Falklands war. the film shows the harsh reality of racism in the 80's. shaun ...
...become involved. i enjoyed this film, the acting is good and shows the 1980 lifestyle very well. however this film can offend some people due to the amount of racism involved in the story line. this film is great to watch, or show to other people in say a school to educate them on life in the 1980's. great story-line and gripping throughout. ...

jimbobjimpants 13.06.2008 · Read full review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

This is an amazing film, it brings laughs, tears and shock, but it is one of those films you cannot take your eyes off! The acting by the young boy was brilliant - I think he'll go far in the acting world. Go see it, you won't be disappointed, but be prepared for some disturbing scenes too. Skinheads in the eighties is the focus of the film and the goings on in it left the cinema in complete silence, everyone in the audience seemed captivated by it. 10/10! ...

lil_miss_naughty 14.05.2007
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Review of This Is England (DVD)