This Is England (2006)

Director:

Shane Meadows

Writer:

Shane Meadows (written by)

Release Date:

27 April 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Run with the crowd, stand alone, you decide.

Plot:

A story about a troubled boy growing up in England, set in 1983. He comes across a few skinheads on his way home from school, after a fight. They become his new best friends even like family. Based on experiences of director Shane Meadows.

Plot Keywords:

Skinhead | Violence | Racism | Murder | Stoned

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 7 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Thomas Turgoose	...	Shaun
Stephen Graham	...	Combo
Jo Hartley	...	Cynth
Andrew Shim	...	Milky
Vicky McClure	...	Lol
Joseph Gilgun	...	Woody (as Joe Gilgun)
Rosamund Hanson	...	Smell
Andrew Ellis	...	Gadget
Perry Benson	...	Meggy
George Newton	...	Banjo
Frank Harper	...	Lenny
Jack O'Connell	...	Pukey Nicholls
Kriss Dosanjh	...	Mr. Sandhu
Kieran Hardcastle	...	Kes
Chanel Cresswell	...	Kelly

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:18 | Australia:MA | Ireland:18 | USA:Unrated | Sweden:11 | Finland:K-15 | France:U (with warning) | Germany:12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R16 | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England, UK

Company:

Big Arty Productions

Trivia:

The poster on the wall (in the room in which Shaun has his hair-cut and puts on his new shirt) features six classic bands of the British Ska and 2Tone movement, and is from 1981's live vinyl album Dance Craze: The Best of British Ska...Live! The bands on the poster are Bad Manners, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, Madness, The Selecter and The Specials.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The takeaway that Shaun passes, early on in the film, has a telephone number starting with area code 0115 - this area code did not come into effect until the early 1990's, 10 years after the film is set.

Quotes:

Smell: I loved when you gave me that cake, that was sweet. Did you make it yourself?
Shaun: [bashfully] Ya
Smell: You didn't make it yourself, did you?
Shaun: [laughing] No

Movie Connections:

References Combat (1978) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Warhead

Make the effort to go and see this!

I wouldn't normally bother inflicting my opinion on others via this database. However, I felt compelled to re-iterate all the positive reviews and comments I've seen here and elsewhere for this truly wonderful film.

I was lucky enough to be given a free ticket for the BFI Festival viewing last Tuesday. A wonderful woman (now known as Lily) collared me in the queue for tickets and generously offered me a spare.

We sat down and I knew things were looking good when the cast were introduced but eschewed the usual Q&A session by quickly introducing themselves and asking us to simply enjoy the film adding that if anyone had any questions at the end they'd be milling around for a chat.

Anyway, enough of the preamble, to the film - it's an exemplary piece of work beautifully encapsulating the feelings of the eighties. The avarice of that time (both political and economic) juxtaposed against the heightened sense of revolt against a Thatcherite government that truly didn't seem to give a toss about anyone who wasn't on the gravy train.

The script is razor sharp and the acting excellent! I'm not going to waste your time reviewing it but I will say, please go and see it for yourself (especially if you were growing up during the eighties)...

You'll be rewarded with a superb soundtrack, laughter, sadness and at times real, palpable, tension.

Love & Rockets, Lord E.