British
Social Realism – From Documentary to Brit Grit by Samantha Lay
Social Realism in the British Context
Representation
What does Samantha Lay, say should be acknowledged about film?
Samantha Lay said
that, “it should be acknowledged that film is a commercial medium, rather than
an educational tool”. She also went on to say “social realist texts generally
focus on characters one would not generally find in mainstream films”.
What is Williams’ observation?
Williams’
observation was that representation of specific types of characters within
realist texts has included those who would give the greatest form of identify
to the realism.
What is meant by the phrase “social extension”?
The phrase “social
extension” means, to include a variety of individuals and groups that are not
always represented on the screens in mainstream cinema.
What is noted by Hallam and Marshment?
Hallam and
Marshment , noted that social realist texts entice characters who live in the
margins of society, that would otherwise be in the background as extras’ in,
huge Hollywood productions.
What point does Hill make about social extension and how does he develop his thinking?
Hill points out that realist texts’ containing the social extension h as massively involved the representation of the working classes at precise points in time to include economic and social change. With this in mind Hill believed that specific social perspectives are products of acknowledged moments in time and they are also specific to the social realities of that given time period.
What has the social extension urge led British filmmakers to do?
The social
extension urge has led British filmmakers to relook at and rethink social and
representational inequalities, relating 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 social realist directors construct versions of ‘working class way of life’ from specific political points of view and that representations of these will be subject to change over a period of time.
What do Dodd and Dodd argue about the representation of the working class in the documentaries of the 1930s?
Dodd and Dodd argued that the representation of the working class in the documentaries of the 1930’s gave them a hero status as many of the documentaries portrayed the working classes as heroes and victims of society; hence a counter- representation, extending the truth.
What was Lindsay Anderson’s opinion of cinema’s treatment of the working class and what did he strive to do?
Lindsay Anderson’s opinion of cinema’s treatment of the working classes was that it was severely under-represented. He strived to inform how film-makers could improve upon previous conceptions of genuine realism during film making.
What did the work of Anderson and his contemporaries signal a departure from?
Anderson and his
contemporaries work signalled a departure from what they believed to be 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 working class people in Anderson and his contemporaries’ films, were a lot more energetic and vibrant. The rationale behind this was that it was partly due to the film-makers’ fascination for newly emergent youth culture and the respect they initially had for the traditional working class.
Leaving their differences aside, what did both the 30s and 50s documentary movements share?
The 1930’s and 1950’s documentary movements both shared an engrossed obsession with working class males.
Describe the representation of women in the New Wave films of the 50s and 60s.
The representation
of women in the ‘New Wave’ films during the 1950’s and 60’s focused on their
spiteful nature attacking their working class heroes and causing a threat to
masculinity. This was often seen through the females’ obsession to settle down,
marry and have babies.
What were the exceptions to the way women were typically depicted during this period and what was different about their representation?
Television made exceptions to the way women were typically depicted as previous man hunters. This caused controversy as displayed by the airing of Coronation Street during the 1960’s. Female characters represented a variety of the working class in society from Ena Sharples nagging and moaning elderly character to Elsie Tanner’s good natured, but tart like appearance. These characters contrasting what would be perceived as a sweet old lady and a regular Church attender.
What changes occurred in the way women were represented in the 80s?
There was a gender
divide prior to the 1980’s, subsequently this needed to be addressed and women
were represented as working class females, generating the importance of women
in the workplace and in society as a whole.
How did the situation change again in the 90s?
The above
situation changed again in the 1990’s with women being portrayed in social
realism films as not supporting their husbands, victims of domestic violence,
drug and sexual abuse.
What has Hallam suggested about the shift in the way the working class has been represented in realist film texts?
Hallam suggests that there has been a shift from “representing working class characters as producers of labour to consumers of goods”
What significant change in narrative accompanies this shift?
The significant
change in narrative allows the film maker to visualise a wider scope of
opportunity, relating to the story within their social realist text.
What is Higson’s contention and how is it explained by Hill?
Higson ‘s contends
that a feature of British realism is tied up with forever changing definitions
of public and private space. Hill explained this by stating that there has been
a shift from political issues to private ones to make the realism focus on
personal and individual themes and issues.
What point does Samantha Lay make about ethnicity when drawing her initial conclusions about representation?
Samantha Lay points out that British social realist text usually focuses on representing white working class males.
What does this lead her to observe about new areas that representation could explore?
The above observation led Samantha Lay to observe that Britain is a multicultural and multi-faith extension within society and therefore new areas that representation could explore would be about refugees, asylum seekers, and illegal workers.
Summarise Lay’s conclusion in her final paragraph about representation in social realist film texts.
Lay’s conclusion in her final paragraph about representation in social realist film texts includes two contrasting points. The first one being that working class characters are within the framework of social extension, however they are mainly centred on the white working class male. The themes and issues associated with this type of character are typically about the problems they face battling against unemployment, violence and the addiction to alcohol or drugs.
Lay believes more diversity is essential to eliminate inequality and as the move from public to private and political to personal occurs, the wider picture is lost from the frame that will in turn affect all in society, as only a narrow glimpse.