...
~~~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 his personal roots and to the tradition of excellent British film making followed by the likes of Ken Loach (Kes, My Name is Joe, ... Read review
This Is England tells the story of Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), an 11 year old kid growing up ... more
in the North of England. Set during the summer holidays of 1983, it follows his journey from a shaggy haired ruffian grieving the loss of his father into a shaven...
THIS IS ENGLAND tells the story of Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), an 11 year old kid growing up ... more
in the North of England. Set during the summer holidays of 1983, it followshis journey from a shaggy haired ruffian grieving the loss of his father into a shaven ...
This Is England tells the story of Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), an 11 year old kid growing up ... more
in the North of England. Set during the summer holidays of 1983, it follows his journey from a shaggy haired ruffian grieving the loss of his father into a shaven headed thug whose anger and pain are embraced by the local skinhead fraternity.Largely based on Meadows' own personal experience, This Is England not only captures a specific point in British history, but also beautifully articulates the allure of being part of a gang. Brilliantly charting a course from the joyous early passages to darker territory. Meadows also skilfully and with great sensitivity deals with the complexities of rage, race and masculinity.Featuring astounding performances from Stephen Graham and newcomer Thomas Turgoose, This Is England is a riveting and deeply moving portrait of an often-overlooked moment in cultural history and is arguably Meadows' masterpiece.
THIS IS ENGLAND tells the story of Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), an 11 year old kid growing up ... more
in the North of England. Set during the summer holidays of 1983, it followshis journey from a shaggy haired ruffian grieving the loss of his father into a shaven headed thug whose anger and pain are embraced by the local skinhead fraternity.Largely based on Meadows' own personal experience, THIS IS ENGLAND not only captures a specific point in British History, but also beautifully articulates the allure of being part of a gang. Brilliantly charting a course from thejoyous early passages to darker territory, Meadows also skillfully and with great sensitivity deals with the complexities of rage, race and masculinity.Featuring astonishing performances from Stephen Graham (Gangs of New York) and newcomer Thomas Turgoose, THIS IS ENGLAND is a riveting and deeply moving portrait of an often-overlooked moment in cultral history and is arguably Meadows' masterpiece.
54-46 Was My Number - Toots & The Maytals Come On Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners ... more
Tainted Love - Soft Cell Underpass/Flares - Movie Dialogue Nicole Gravenhurst - Instrumental Cynth / Dad - Movie Dialogue Morning Sun - Al Barry & The Cimarons Shoe Shop - Movie Dialogue Louie Louie - Toots & The Maytals Pressure Drop - Toots & The Maytals Hair In Cafe - Movie Dialogue Do The Dog - The Specials Ritornare - Ludovico Einaudi This Is England - Movie Dialogue Return Of DJango - The Upsetters Warhead - UK Subs Fuori Dal Mondo - Ludovico Einaudi Since Yesterday - Strawberry Switchblade Tits - Movie Dialogue The Dark End Of The Street - Percy Sledge Oltremare - Ludovico Einaudi Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want - Clayhill Dietro Casa - Ludovico Einaudi Never Seen The Sea - Gavin Clark
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:3-5 working days
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
Advantages: Poignant, powerful, great performances, great setting Disadvantages: Not for you if you like beautiful film stars or if you don't like swearing
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 ... ...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 ... more
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 his personal roots and to the tradition of excellent British film making followed by the likes of Ken Loach (Kes, My Name is Joe, Raining Stones) and Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies, Life is Sweet). The cast are largely unknowns, the setting is always 'gritty' (council estates in the Midlands, the unemployed, the struggles and the triumphs of ordinary lives) and the soundtrack is usually excellent. Shane's insistence on avoiding the money, celebrity and publicity of the London-centric film industry (with the exception of Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, which was critically acclaimed, but with which Shane was wholly dissatisfied) has kept his films unpolished and totally believable. Shane drew heavily on his own childhood experiences for 'This is 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 starts on the last day at school before the summer holidays in 1983. In the playground groups of Mods, New Romantics and Skinheads are hanging around, making the most of non-uniform day to flaunt their identity - 12-year-old Shaun is wearing flares, which attracts some remarks. Shaun's a plucky thing and fights back, but a joke about his father, who died in the Falklands, results in fists flying. On his way home from school, feeling dejected and sorry for himself, Shaun encounters a gang of skinheads. You're expecting another round of bullying, but surprisingly they take him under their wing, showing concern and sympathy and inviting him to join them.
What follows is a really warm part of the film. Despite the menacing outward appearance, the gang of skinheads, all of whom are quite a few years older than Shaun, are friendly and welcoming. Woody, the gang leader, is much like an older brother, making sure the others accept Shaun into the gang, and as Shaun slowly makes the transformation to skinhead, Woody's girlfriend shaves his head and Woody buys him his first Ben Sherman to complete the look. His initiation is complete - now he really belongs.
The camaraderie is broken up, though, when Combo returns from prison. An older skinhead, Combo is disturbed (and disturbing), racist and militant. The group is split into those who will follow Combo into his right wing fight and those who will remain with Woody. Shaun is taken in by Combo's strong words on the subject of the Falklands, believing that he has a battle to fight to make his father's death have meaning and value, to make his father proud. He follows Combo into an altogether more menacing place.
~~~My view~~~ I spent half of the film with that tight feeling in your throat that you get when you're watching a moving film! Shaun's grief at losing his father is palpable in several of the scenes and is played out in both quiet moments in the film between him and his mother and in angry outbursts. Combo invites all the skinhead gang around to give them the speech on his cause and invite them to sign up with him. As he is ranting about the Falklands and the poor b*****ds that are dying over there for no good reason, Shaun flies at him angrily and then dissolves into tears (I nearly did too!).
Combo is quite taken with Shaun and by the guts that he shows. No one takes a swing at him and here is this little tike, so much smaller than him, standing up for himself. Combo empathises with him, alluding to having been let down and deserted by people that he loves and promising Shaun that he will always be there for him. And so, this relationship is set up as one of trust, with Combo a very unlikely father figure, and your sense of unease grows.
The cast is very strong, but the performances by Thomas Turgoose (Shaun) and Stephen Graham (Combo) deserve particular mention.
By all accounts, it took Meadows a long time to find some one to play Shaun, but Thomas, just 13 when he landed a role and a complete new comer to the world of acting, is stunning in the role. His performance is honest, plucky and heartbreaking.
Stephen Graham is a more accomplished actor, but on the screen he is simply Combo and his performance is powerful and menacing. He portrays Combo's hatred with passion, but you still retain some sympathy for the character as he is clearly suffering his own unspoken pain, making the performance raw.
Please don't think the film is all grief, anger and menace. There are some really warm scenes between Shaun and the other skinheads and there are some moments of real comedy, too. One of these is a scene where Shaun takes his mum into a shoe shop to buy a pair of Doc Martens. She doesn't like them as they look like thugs boots and the shop assistant tries to palm him off with some Monkey Boots which are 'from London' and therefore 'very special' indeed, so 'special' in fact that they don't have the words 'Doc Marten' in them!
The film is an education in all things skinhead. The image is so closely associated with right wing politics and violence, but Meadows makes a clear distinction between that image and the skinhead culture of his own experiences. There is real friendship between the gang members and contrary to the racist image, they have a love of West Indian music. Indeed, Combo himself says to Milky, an African-Caribbean member of the gang, that he is an old school skinhead and they are like brothers, sharing in a love of the same music.
~~~Soundtrack~~~ The soundtrack, as you might imagine, plays an important part in the success of this film.
It captures the varying and different sounds of the time, mixing classic ska and two tone tracks with pop hits by the likes of Soft Cell, Dexy's Midnight Runners and Strawberry Switchblade.
The closing scene is played out to a version of the Smiths' 'Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want' by Clayhill, which is really, really moving!
You can buy the soundtrack. I notice that scenes from film are interspersed with the tracks to really put you back in the film when you're listening!
~~~Conclusion~~~ It is no surprise to me that this is England won two awards at the British Independent Film Awards (Best Film and Most Promising Newcomer).
I was completely moved by the film and would probably enjoy watching it again just as much as I enjoyed the first viewing. This is not bland, simpering, good looking Hollywood entertainment, this is raw, honest, powerful cinema - This is England.
~~~Other Stuff~~~ The DVD comes with some excellent extras, particularly if you have interest in youth culture of the early eighties or skinheads in particular. It includes interviews with Meadows, the producer Mark Herbert, and some members of the cast, including Thomas Turgoose along with deleted scenes and behind the scenes footage. There's also some stuff on the make up and costume department, which I haven't watched yet, but am looking forward to, and there's another section on skinheads and the Falklands.
The 2-disk DVD retails for 11.99 online at HMV and 11.98 on Amazon, but you can get it for less on E-Bay. The soundtrack is available for £8.98 on Amazon.
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
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of This Is England (DVD)
Advantages: A thought provoking well crafted film Disadvantages: None except it doesn't deal with nice subjects so be warned!
...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
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful 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
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of This Is England (DVD)
Advantages: A destinctive buzz of emotions Disadvantages: The sour ending
...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
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of This Is England (DVD)
Advantages: Acutely written, sharply directed and wonderfully acted. Disadvantages: A few little tiny continuity errors.
...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
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of This Is England (DVD)
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Twelve-year-old Shaun is a tough kid who is street-smart beyond his years despite being short for his age. He falls in with a group of older boys, led by Woody, who hang out at a local cafe, like to commit minor acts of anarchy, and adopt Shaun as one of their own. But when skinhead Combo gets out of jail, he returns to the gang, eager to take over the reins and lead them on a nationalistic battle to get rid of the immigrants who are stealing their jobs and is prepared to defend England to the death.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD, Blu-ray
Studio(s)
OPTIMUM HOME ENTERTAINMENT; ELEVATION SALES; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES, OPTIMUM RELEASING
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Director's commentary, Behind-the-scenes, Deleted scenes, Tommo's Audition Tapes, Casting and Rehearsals, Trailers, BFI Interview With Shane Meadows, Interviews with Shane Meadows, Mark Herbert, Cast and Crew.
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital
Professional reviews
Review
Deeply impressive (Empire, 26/04/2007)
One of the most valuable and important British films of the year (The Observer, 26/04/2007)
An electric, stunning and powerful movie (Total Film, 26/04/2007)
Vivid and vital. The issues THIS IS ENGLAND addresses have a contemporary urgency (Uncut, 26/04/2007)
, Deeply impressive (Empire, 11/06/2007)
DVD Description
Set during the summer of 1983, THIS IS ENGLAND is the poignant story of Shaun (Thomas Turgoos) an unpopular kid who discovers a sense of belonging among a group of peaceful skinheads. Having lost his father during the Falklands Conflict, Shaun sees something of a father figure in Woody (Joseph Gilgun), the gang's leader. However, the warmth and affection is short-lived, as Combo (Stephen Graham) – a former member of the group, and radical right-wing racist is released from prison and divides the friends with his deeply disturbed outlook. Whereas Woody had strived to bring everyone together through their love of music, Combo seeks to mobilise a force, with his sights set on spreading chaos and hatred. At only 12 years of age, and of volatile frame of mind, Shaun is susceptible to Combo's charismatic, yet gravely dangerous philosophising. As adulthood beckons and with Combo's rage manifesting into stark violence, Shaun will have to decide which side of the line he's going to stand. The sixth feature from writer/Director Shane Meadows (A ROOM FOR ROMEO BRASS, DEAD MAN’S SHOES), THIS IS ENGLAND is a bitter-sweet rites of passage tale that is destined to be remembered for years to come.
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