Thatcher, Ballet and Mines - in other words, Billy Elliot

[novin_ha]

Dear f-list.

Particularly the British part.

I am supposed to be prepared to discussing the social reality in which the action of "Billy Elliot" takes place. Is there any insight you could provide for me? Interesting data or an online essay on the subject you would recommend? I don't want to search blindly, and thought some of you might have a much better knowledge on the subject... I am particularly interested in the strikes, violence used by the government, some such.

Thank you from the mountain in advance,
Novinha

And as to my opinion on the film?

1. It's the second time I'm watching it and it still makes me go emo. That's what I call good.
2. I am completely insensitive to the beauty that ballet probably is, but the boy's performence made it somewhat more real for me.
3. The music - oh my, it was amazing. Especially the 'rebel' themes, rock songs.
4. My group are wimps because they did not want to stay half an hour to see the ending. Wimps. Wimps.
5. I could relate to both Billy and his father, and the actors' performance was outstanding.
6. The accent - um, at times I could hardly understand anything. Especially when Billy was angry and so on. But it sounded interesting. Seemed to me almost all those dyphthongs were reduced and some vowels were replaced by others... Is that the Northern England accent? *Adores*
7. Because of the geographical setting - in connection to ballet - I was of course thinking about junediamanti while watching it. What did you think about the film, June?
8. And you, the rest of my fabulous flist - what was your opinion? Favourite moment?

Mine was when Billy's father chopped the piano and was then sitting and crying on Christmas. Also when Billy asked if he can come back if he doesn't like it in London and father asked if the boy was joking, the room was already taken. And when father saw Billy dance for the first time.

Yes, I know. It's just that I loved the character. Not as in, would like to meet. As in, he was so realistic, believable and good while human and violent and just...

I love this film.

Comments

[atlantel.livejournal.com]

I think that Billy Elliot was based upon a children book written by Rumer Godden twenty years ago. It is Thursday's children, and the story is almost the same (except that it is in the 70's or 80's maybe.). This is the story of a five-year old boy who wants to dance (his sister is the one who dances in this family) so he begins to practice in secret, then he goes to the Royal academy (like Billy) and well, he will become principal dancer.
Maybe you can find this book in a library as it is unvailable at Amazon's. As a child, it was a favourite book of mine.

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I wil definitely look it up.
And how did you like the film?

[atlantel.livejournal.com]

since I prefered the book, I really disliked the film. Sorry, I am of no help.
Though, when I saw the film I automatically thought of Brassed Off, same poverty and sadness in this British working-class. It's one of my favourite movies (well, at least a movie I really like). A bittersweet movie.

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

No, contrary! What was it that particularly made the film not work for you?
If I may ask? Was it that the novel just told the story better and you were not interested in that version or was there something else?

[alienor77310.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the movie, but from what I've gathered, the big difference is in the setting. In the book, the family are greengrocers in a London suburb. Not a miner in sight. There are no actual allusions to political going-ons. The sociological allusions are very subtle, as the point of view is that of a young boy.

[atlantel.livejournal.com]

Well, the book and the film are very different. If I may say so, the film is like a fanfiction :) Sampe plot, but everything is different.
As for the book, it's more for children.
No, what I diskliked in the film was that everything was too quick. and it wasn't credible, I mean it takes years to become a dancer (in the book, you follow the dream (and also nightmare of Done (name of the boy)).

[selened.livejournal.com]

http://www.num.org.uk/?p=history&c=num&h=13

This address takes you to the National Union of Mineworker's website's overview of the strike.

http://www.strike84.co.uk/

This is a gallery of photographs.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/29/newsid_2494000/2494793.stm

This is the address for the BBCs archive of the most notorius conflict. On this page you will find other links to stories and video of the strike.

I was a child in a mining village in Nottinghamshire at the time and the strike had a big impact on all of us as many Nottinghamshire miners would not strike because the Union did not allow them to vote on the matter.

I do have personal recollections if you're interested.

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes! Personal would be great.

And thanks for the interesting links. I'll certainly check them out.

Part 1

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

Liked the film. loathed the trivialisation of the 1984-1985 Miners' Strike.

In 1974 industrial action by the National Union of Mineworkers brought down the Conservative Government led by Edward Heath. No bad thing, really. From where I sit in the North East of England, in my working class house, any removal of a Conservative Administration is ipso facto, a good thing. One person did not forget it though and intended revenge. She was Minister for Education back then, Margaret Thatcher. Yes, Thatcher intended to curb the overpowerful trade unions, who believed and boasted they could bring down governments.

Successive labour administrations had increasing trouble with strikes and therefore in 1979 when Thatcher stood on an electoral platform of restraining Union power, she was elected. Generally, a lot of people supported her views.

She was in her second term of office in 1984 when she brought in American industrial specialists to review the Coal Mining industry in the UK. Pits were threatened with closure all around the country, and the NUM (National Union of Mineworkers) took action. A strike started.

Thatcher was not going to cave in like her predecessors had. At first, the striking, and picketing (standing by strikers at the entrance to a workplace and trying to prevent people entering) was peacable - usually police attendance was local boys who sympathised with the striking men, who were, after all, neighbours. So instead, non-local police were used to enforce new rules about demonstrations and picketing. Police from, say, London, would be brought in to maintain order in say, Northumberland. The police were paid astronomical rates of overtime, and, having no local loyalty, were highly provocative towards local strikers - showing bundles of cash, was a common thing.

As the strikes went on, there were scenes of dreadful rioting, and such - usually between those who were striking and those who had not gone on strike. Strikers traditionally call such men "Scabs". To complicate matters, the Unions themselves became schismatic, with certain areas split 50-50 between striking miners and those who "scabbed". Against this was set some disgraceful police brutality in suppressing demonstrations.

Thatcher won. She got what she wanted, and the industry was largely finished in 1992. That's a very potted version, btw.

Part 2

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

As regards "Billy".

Well, it appears to be situated in Durham, at a rough guess, though it could equally be Northumberland. The scenics are pretty accurate - in short, what you see does look like a North Eastern mining village/small town.

The hardship faced by Billy's family is quite genuine. The miners really did have a terrible time of it, often living on charity from well wishers.

The accents in the film are pretty accurate.

What bugs me about the film is that the terrible decision Billy's dad makes - ie to go back to work does not ring true. There are ex-miners who still will not speak to those who "scabbed" - twenty two years later. There were families who scabbed and were so shunned by their communities they had to leave. There were actually acts of violence. The men who were on strike passionately believed that what they were doing was right - they were defending their industry and jobs. It's for that reason I have reservations about the film, because it makes a moral value judgement of one boy's dancing class, against a national cause and quite blandly implies that Billy's dancing is more important.

Now, I am not saying that it isn't important - individual things often are - but the miners' strike was a HUGE event. The movie subtly suggests that it was trivial. I don't care for that. It's an historical event that still divides communities and which effects are still being lived today. "Brassed Off" is a not bad movie, but also tends to play down the effects of the strike. The only first class depiction I ever saw was an Episode of the fantastic serial drama, "Our Friends in the North" which depicted hideously and accurately the police tactics during the time of the strike.

"Our Friends..." is largely about police and institutional corruption, and is still (IMHO) the finest political drama ever made. For Potter fen (do let me trivialise somewhat), David Bradley (Argus Filch) is an important second string character as a Newcastle Labour MP. For Doctor Who fen, Christopher Eccleston is the main protagonist as a young radical, who later reports the Miners' strike as a photographer - and gets badly beaten by the police.

Re: Part 2

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much, June. That's exactly what I wanted to know.

As to the social issues and trivialising the strike - I totally agree. We in Poland still have the division between those who were in the Communist Party and those who actively fought it, often quite unfair because many people were forced to join in or support the police. Although I must admit most of my group were very shocked about the violence that occured in a country they consider so civilised and western. The scenes with police forces were quite strong.

And a question - I've lost a bit of the film right after the father decided to go and work, after all - did he actually follow in on the decision and work or did he leave the mine after that first day? I did not get to see that.

Again, my gratitude.

Re: Part 2

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

As I recall, he returned to work. Shortly afterwards when the strike ended, the pit was closed down.

Re: Part 2

[novin-ha.livejournal.com]

Thanks.