Wednesday's Task

In preparation for the exam students must:

*Engage with a range of theoretical perspectives
*Demonstrate a personal position on the issues
*Exam answers must have a historical, contemporary and future perspective, focussing mostly on the contemporary.
*Emphasise the active audience i.e. how people 'give meaning' to cultural products (media texts).
*Have an understanding of two different areas of the media ie. film, television, internet, magazines, etc

In order to prove that you have a lot of this understanding already you will split into groups to work on answering these 4 prompt questions in detail.
You have 40 minutes to discuss and identify a clip/clips to back up your argument. You must also include reference to contemporary theory.

1. How do the contemporary media represent nations, regions and ethnic/social/collective groups of people in different ways?


2. How does contemporary representation compare to previous time periods?

3. What are the social implications of different media representations of groups of people?

4. To what extent is human identity increasingly mediated?
 
Write up a summary of your key arguments on the blog and be ready to present it to the class.

Misfits and Fish Tank.

Misfits:

Produced by -  Kate Crowe
Directed by - Howard Overman
Wrote by - Howard Overman
Critical Reception - Very Good; Times - 4/5 calling it "a new union — salty British street humour with whizz-bang special effects"
Does it prove or disprove Buckinghams theory? -We believe that Misfits does prove Buckinghams theory to some extent for instance he exaggerates stereotypes  and therefore portrays a slightly unrealistic view of teenagers in britain. However the views and humour that the characters have seem to be very true of real teenagers and therefore disproves Buckinghams theory.

Fish Tank:

Produced by - Nick Laws, Kees Kasander, Christine Langan, David Thompson
Directed by - Andrea Arnold
Wrote by - Andrea Arnold
Critical Reception -Rotten Tomatoes 90%,
Does it prove or disprove Buckingham's theory? - We believe that the story line of the film proves Buckingham's theory. The narrative towards the end of the film turns very strange and unrealistic. However, we do believe that the locations, characters, mise-en-scene and themes and more true too life.

misfits and fishtank

1. Who produced them?
Misfits: Clerkenwell Films.
Fishtank:BBC Films

2. Who directed them?
Misfits:Tom Green (First ep)
Fishtank: Andrea Arnold

3. Who wrote them?
Misfits:Howard Overman
Fishtank: Andrea Arnold

4. What was the critical reception for them?
Misfits: IMDB critic review: 9.1 & Best drama series
Fishtank:IMDB critic review: 7.8, Jury Prize & Best British film 2010

5. How far do they prove/disprove David Buckingham's theory?
Misfits: The representation of youth is all out to cause trouble, and have no respect for adults or authority
Fishtank:

Misfits & Fish Tank

1. Who produced them?

Misfits: Howard Overman, Petra Fried, Murray Ferguson, Kate Crowe 

Fish Tank: Nick Laws, Kees Kasander, Christine Langan, David M. Thomspon

• 
  

2. Who directed them?

Misfits:

Fish Tank: Andrea Arnold

3. Who wrote them?

Misfits: Howard Overman, a television writer who has written scripts for a number of other dramas such as Hotel Babylon, New Tricks, New Tricks, Hustle and Merlin. He created the BAFTA award winning Misfits. He also created the police-procedural comedy Vexed.

Fish Tank: Andrea Arnold

4. What was the critical reception for them?

5. How far do they prove/disprove David Buckingham's theory?

Monday Morning Tasks

Do some web research on Misfits and Fish Tank.

1. Who produced them?
fish tank- Nick Laws, Kees Kasander, Christine Langan, David M Thomspson

Misfits-  Petra fried, Murray ferguson, Kate Crowe 

2. Who directed them?
Fish tank- - Andrea Arnold     Misfits -
3. Who wrote them?
Fish Tank - Andrea Arnold
Misfits- Arthur Miller
4. What was the critical reception for them?

5. How far do they prove/disprove David Buckingham's theory?

1. Are there any cultural or fashion movements taking place in Britain now, that you think would be strong enough to form a 'collective identity'.
The main social groups of today seem to be 'chavs' and 'emos', like the 'mods' and 'rockers', these groups seem to have a great rivalry and don't tend to interact with one another.  We feel these are strong enough to form collective identities, because the stereotypical views of said apposing groups, differ so much from one another that they form very cut off groups or 'cliques', e.g. Fashion, music, attitudes, values and class.
     The characters from the film 'Fish Tank' are a good example of how sections of society- in this case lower class- act in a certain way and have similar interests. An example of 'acting in a certain way' in the film is when she has intercourse with her mothers boyfriend, she feels it is an okay thing to do as this is what she has been lead to believe by the people surrounding her. This is almost an exact opposite when looking at the film 'An Education' as they all are brought up to go to university and to
2. Argue ways that you could relate each theorists arguments to one of our case study texts

Blog task

1. Are there any cultural or fashion movements taking place in Britain right now, that you think would be strong enough to form a collective identity?
Cultural- Univercity fees rising, this has created a unity of students against the government. Who have as one collectively decided to protest the action of fees rising. This unity is devised of students of all backgrounds.
Fashion- Preppy, emo, chav etc seem to be the main social groups today.





2. Argue ways that you could relate each theorists argument to one of our case study texts.

Media and collective Identity

1. Is there a particular fashion or music movement at the moment that you think could be labelled a collective identity? If so then you must be able to justify it using some of the theories you have learnt.

we feel that stylistic and musical movements have been more prominent in the past for example, during the mid 1960's there were mods, rockers and hippies who all followed very particular fashion and music movements. these 'movements' do still exist but definitely not on the same scale that they did. we feel that modern day style and musical movements are less obvious and definitely don't have anywhere near the same mass following that they did have. However, having said this, there are still different styles that have emerged in the modern day for example chavs, emos and

2. Discuss the ways in which you could apply at least two of the theories to the film/tv examples  you have seen over the last few weeks. Include detailed reference to key examples from the films/programmes. 

'Ashes to Ashes' represents the theory of Ting Toomey, which is identity negotiation, they represent the police force as very brutish and manly, and most of them don't have their own identity, so to speak of. TBC

Media and Collective Identity.

1. Are there any cultural or fashion movements taking place in britain now, that you think would be strong enough to form a 'Collective Identity' 

Multiculturalism - everyone from every culture uniting against racism.


Students-  recent political actions have resulted in riots from students and they have acted as one big collective identity to try and influence the government.


Lady GaGa- dressing very radically she tries to bring in new trends in fashion that will eventually catch on.

2. Argue ways that you could relate each theorist to one of our case study texts..

Ting-Toomey - 'An Education' The main character girl conforms to the lifestyle of David and his friends as they influence her to do so.

Emile Durkheim - 'Passport to Pimlico' When they are classed as burgundians they stick together and work together to try an d make their community work because they have their shared beliefs.

Althusser - 'Fish Tank' the way that youths are represented in this film can influence the way that elder people think youths are and how they act now.

Marcuse -  'Ashes to Ashes' All the men in this tv show conform to a stereotypical idea of what a male police officer would be like. e.g driving the car fast and being discriminative and sexist towards Alex Drake.

Judith Butler - 'An Education' Her personality changes around her school mates, teachers and at home to when she is with David and his friends


David Gauntlett -  'Fish Tank'  people should be able to realise that whilst there are people like the ones represented in the films however not all youths are like that.

 cultural or fashion movements taking place in Britain today that could classify as forming a collective identity....

A movement in fashion has brought about a style in young people that resembles a Public school "preppy" image, with people wearing Jack Wills rugby tops and Abercrombie lumberjack style shirts, Barbour coats and leather boots.  Rather than sharing the same beliefs they share the same attitudes to fashion and clothing which is creating a collective identity.
Fashion movements are able to develop and change quicker than cultural movements. Over the last 20 years Mods and Skin heads have faded out and an Indie culture is developing. There is not so much of a stereotypical image of an Indie "kid" as there was a mod or skin head, because with in the culture, the idea is to be as individual as you can.  With the indie scene, there is an Indie style of music, deriving from rock/pop/electro and putting a unique stamp on it. The range in style is diverse and because of this has its independent name.

Thursday 27th Jan Task

Collective id theory and examples

View more presentations from Media Studies.

In groups discuss the theories presented in the first part of the lesson.

1. Is there a particular fashion or music movement at the moment that you think could be labelled a collective identity? If so then you must be able to justify it using some of the theories you have learnt.

2. Discuss the ways in which you could apply at least two of the theories to the film/tv examples  you have seen over the last few weeks. Include detailed reference to key examples from the films/programmes.

What is the Representation of Britain in the 1980s?

Britain in the 1980s is shown to be quite a sexist country at the time, this is shown in the show "Ashes to Ashes" where Gene Hunt not only treats the main character with the attitude that he is better than her and that she is just an object, as she wakes up in the 1980s dressed as a prostitute. The ountry also appears patriotic as in the beginning there is a picture of the queen in a frame and in the ending sequnce ti shows them celebrating prince Charles is marrying Diana.

How does Britishness compare with British youth

In the film "Fish Tank" Britishness is depicted as being a "council house" society wherein everyone lives very close together, however they do not interact with each other and keep to themselves. Mia is seen as being a stereotype of "Chav" which is a group of people who are against people of an older generation and can be quite violent, this is shown in a earlier seen where Mia head butts another girl just because they got in a fight with each other. This is different from the other film we watched which was "An Education" where teenagers are shown as being obediant to their parents and not being very rebellious, they are essentially smaller younger adults.  These contrast together very well as one shows complete obediance while the other shows rebellion and disregard for authority and the older generation. This could be down to different factors, one being that they could be from different time periods in history, however it could simply be the different areas that they are living in as one lives in a town and goes to school/college where the other one lives in a flat on the outskirts and isnt seen going to school throughout the film.

1. What kind of Britain is represented? How does it compare to the Britain represented in Passport to Pimlico?
The kind of Britain that is represented in "An Education" seems more sophisticated compared to the Britain in Passsport to Pimlico. In 'An Education' London seemed a lot more prosperous and wealthy, whereas london in PTP was rather more poverty stricken and wild. 
2. Describe the character of Jenny? How far do you think she is a typical British teenager? What might be different about her, if anything?
She's typical in the way that she's naive: similarly to the teenage girls of today. Although, she seems wise beyond her years in the way she talks and acts- she is a very mature and intelligent girl. She seems to think she is a lot older than she is, making her act irrationally and try to fit in with the older, upper class characters, this shows immaturity.   
3. What impression does the film give of Britain if you are a woman? Describe Helen, Jenny's Mother, Jenny's teacher and Jenny in terms of representations of women.
It seems all women other than Jenny feel they are below men (when they stay in the car and let the men take care of business: "you stay there"). It illustrates the genre inequality of the era- Jenny wishes to defy this standard in society.   
4. What representation of British women do they give and can you think of any contemporary examples of similar women in film?


5. Conduct some research into the film, who made it, how was it funded, who directed it?

Questions on 'An Education'

1. What kind of Britain is represented? How does it compare to the Britain represented in Passport to Pimlico?

The Britain that is represented in An Education is different to the one in Passport of Pimlico as all of the characters are upper or middle class, where as in Passport to Pimplico they are all working class. Also there is a difference in the area in which they live such as in 'An Education' they live in a simple middle class estate whereas in Pimlico it is lower class London settlement.

2. Describe the character of Jenny? How far do you think she is a typical British teenager? What might be different about her, if anything?

 Jenny does not know what she wants because she has been in her own world in her education, and the moment there is a change to her life she decides to go with it and forget her education. A way that she is similar to British is that she wants to go out and enjoy life before she doesn't have enough time too.

3. What impression does the film give of Britain if you are a woman? Describe Helen, Jenny's Mother, Jenny's teacher and Jenny in terms of representations of women.

We gain very different impressions of women within the film. Helen for instance is a friendly and slow person who is treated like an idiot. Jenny's mother is a house wife, who doesnt have much say. Jenny's teacher is an academic independent woman. Jenny is different stands up for herself which is different to Helen and her mother.

4. What representation of British women do they give and can you think of any contemporary examples of similar women in film?
 The women in the film are shown as smart women although they cannot become more successful than men in their lives. This is portrayed through Jennys mother and fathers relationship where although her mother is seen as just a housewife with no real ambitions to amount to anything she is easily able to persuade Jennys father, like when Jenny asks to go to France with David. Jennys teacher is clearly an intelligent person but is described as 'dead' by Jenny who is breaking boundaries and wanting a better life than women have in this time period.

1. What kind of Britain is represented? How does it compare to the Britain represented in Passport to Pimlico?


It is a more modern britain than the britain represented in Pimlico, As they are in different decades and the film wasnt in black and white so it was newer!
  
 2. Describe the character of Jenny? How far do you think she is a typical British teenager? What might be different about her, if anything?


Jenny was a very ambitious girl who was easily manipulated and persuaded by an older man. She starts off as a regular school girl by doing well in classes and playing the celo etc. She then meets a man who changes her and ruins her academic career. she is tempted by an older rich man as a re a lot of teenagers and was treated to an extravagant lifestyle.


3. What impression does the film give of Britain if you are a woman? Describe Helen, Jenny's Mother, Jenny's 
teacher and Jenny in terms of representations of women.


Helen is obviously uneducated and has lived the life jenny experienced off of danny. Jenny's mother  is a typical housewife of that time, she tries to support her daughter but eventually it is only jennys father that has a say in what jenny does. Jenny's teacher is very supportive, she tries to influence Jenny to apply to Oxford but it does not work but in the end she is the person Jenny repspects the most and goes too for help to achieve her Oxford dream
.

4. What representation of British women do they give and can you think of any contemporary examples of similar women in film?
They provide an example that even with a degree from a prestigious university like oxford they will still lead a boring and un-fulling life.




5. Conduct some research into the film, who made it, how was it funded, who directed it?

An Education

1. What kind of Britain is represented? How does it compare to the Britain represented in Passport to Pimlico?

• Upper class Britain, shows a better society, more sophisticated outlook on life. 
• Old fashioned England 1950's, where as Pimlico was more of a relaxed lifestyle.

2. Describe the character of Jenny? How far do you think she is a typical British teenager? What might be different about her, if anything?

• She is a typical middle class student, but has inspirations if upper class people, i.e wants to go to Oxford. She shows signs of a typical teenager as she tries to rebel against her parents.

3. What impression does the film give of Britain if you are a woman? Describe Helen, Jenny's Mother, Jenny's teacher and Jenny in terms of representations of women.

• Women are represented as inferior to men and the inequality between men and women.  

4. What representation of British women do they give and can you think of any contemporary examples of similar women in film?

• They represent women as being suppressed compared to men, for example in the mother and father's relationship he makes all the decisions and she will follow. Also when looking at the 

5. Conduct some research into the film, who made it, how was it funded, who directed it? 

• An Education is a 2009 British drama film based on British journalist Lynn Barbers memoir of the same name. It was directed by Lone Scherfig. The budget was $7.5 million.

1. What kind of Britain is represented? How does it compare to the Britain represented in Passport to Pimlico?

Family's are now as seperate communities, whereas in Pimlico everyone seemed to know everyone else and all worked together. In the scene where David enters the house for the first time there is a long awkward silence between all the characters, this is a very British and shows how if someone new enters there "community". Also they are all very polite to each other, but behind closed doors they complain about each other and insult them.

2. Describe the character of Jenny? How far do you think she is a typical British teenager? What might be different about her, if anything?

Posh, smart talking, smart, Jenny acts and thinks like she is older when in the film she is actually only 16, as this is pointed out when she says she feels older but not wiser, showing that she feels a bit stupid for the mistakes she has made.

3. What impression does the film give of Britain if you are a woman? Describe Helen, Jenny's Mother, Jenny's teacher and Jenny in terms of representations of women.

Women in that time were Loyal to men, subservient.
4. What representation of British women do they give and can you think of any contemporary examples of similar women in film?

Helen seems simple minded and is only really there for Danny for her looks, she seems to be ignored, and is ignorant to this.
Jenny's mum is smarter than the father, and even though she acts as a servent to him. She usually manages to persuade the father to her will like when they take him to dinner.
Jenny's Teacher seems to be of high intelligence but due to the standing of women at that time period she has become stuck and cannot progress further with her career.
Jenny believes she is older than she is and should be treated like an adult even though for most of the film she is only 16 years old, this shows that they were made to grow up and conform from early in their lives.

5. Conduct some research into the film, who made it, how was it funded, who directed it?

Lone Scherfig directed the film. based on British journalist Lynn Barber's memoir the Budget was $7.5 million

An Education

1. What kind of Britain is represented? How does it compare to the Britain represented in Passport to Pimlico?


Even though the two films are set 20 years apart, the views of both differ in several ways. Passport to Pimlico is a very classical and stereotypical view of Britain and a British way of life. However, the views on Britain within An Education i feel are still very stereotypical outside views of Britain. i think the main difference between the two films are the period in which they are set and how the views within the film have changed. Passport to Pimlico shows a much more 'stiff upper lip' feel through out the film with a real feeling of coming together to defeat something which seems very fitting to the time which is was made and set being just after the war. this is something that is not so much shown in An Eduction as it shows a slightly more corrupt British attitude. having said this, i do believe that both films share a similar view on women in Britain and the hierarchy of men within British culture.



2. Describe the character of Jenny? How far do you think she is a typical British teenager? What might be different about her, if anything?

Jenny is shown in many different lights throughout the film which change as the story progresses. She is a typical teenage girl of that time in the beginning of the film as it is quite clearly established very early on that she is very much governed by her father, much to her despair. however, as the story progresses, she begins to become much more rebellious and begins to constantly question and poke holes in her fathers judgment and way of thinking. the audience also gets a strong feeling that she begins to resent her father and wants to do the opposite of what he is making her do. i feel that this feeling, being shown so early on gives the audience a glance at what's to come as equally wants her to rebel. So i believe that Jenny's character in the film is stereotypical of a typical british teenager of her time but then goes against this by rebeling against her father.




3. What impression does the film give of Britain if you are a woman? Describe Helen, Jenny's Mother, Jenny's teacher and Jenny in terms of representations of women.

throughout the whole film, there is a clear differential between men and women which shows a definate highrachy in the men of the film. Firstly this is shown in the relationship between Jenny, her Mother and her father. it is quite clearly established very early on that Jenny's father, Alfred has a very strong control on both the female characters within his household which was very much the case at this time. Equally, both David and Danny are shown to have alot of control over Jenny and Helen. even though Jenny has rebeled against her fathers views of this obvious highrachy between men and women, she completely gives her self to David which i feel reinforces the view greatly. this differential in power is most obviously seen in the scene where David and Danny steal the map. The way that Danny tells Jenny to stay in the car and says that he "willl not tell her again" shows the power that he has over her. It also reminds the audience of how old Jenny is as this is what an adult would say to a misbehaving child. as well as this, the fact that she then does it shows the power in what her says and the power that he has. on top of this, Helen who is still in the car, already knows the 'rules' of this and knows not to get involved.
Infact i feel that the only woman who is established with any power is Jennys head teacher who shows a clear power over Jenny.




4. What representation of British women do they give and can you think of any contemporary examples of similar women in film?




5. Conduct some research into the film, who made it, how was it funded, who directed it?

 The film was based on the memoirs of a british journalist named Lynn Barber and was directed by Lone Scherfig who is a danish film director. the film cost $7.5 million to make and grossed $24,406,761. the film was initialy premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival where is gained critical acclaim. it was then shown at the Toronto Internation Film Festival, the Telluride by the Sea Film Festival and the Mill Valley Film Festival. it was released in October 2009.

T1-35 answers

Discuss these questions in groups, refer to your notes from last lesson and respond in a new post, as a group. Don't forget to label your blog with the names of the people in your discussion group.

1. What kind of Britain is represented? How does it compare to the Britain represented in Passport to Pimlico? 

Depiction of Britain in the 60's, Jenny's family are quite middle class and hold strong traditional values. They want their daughter to be well educated and have clearly invested alot of money their only child's future.  I didn't see Passport to Pimlico so i cant compare the two.

2. Describe the character of Jenny? How far do you think she is a typical British teenager? What might be different about her, if anything?

Jenny is a hard working 16 year old school girl, she seems to be successful in all her classes and only behind in Latin. She has a hard working school ethic and this is the only thing that would make her noticeably different from what is seen as the typical British school girl/boy. These days it is perceived kids will do anything to avoid school work. She seems more mature than her friends and has a need to expand her experiences and life while others seem to be sticking to the day to day.

3. What impression does the film give of Britain if you are a woman? Describe Helen, Jenny's Mother, Jenny's teacher and Jenny in terms of representations of women.

Women in the British 1960's were still fighting for equal opportunity. Jenny's mum appears to have the stereotypical role of a mother and house wife while the man of the house works. It is mentioned in the film that women with a degree go on to be teachers or work for a civil service and have little other option, and clearly Jenny opposes this outlook making her a bit of a feminist. Britain if you are a woman seems limiting and oppressing.
The scene at 1:10 shows Jenny confronting her head mistress about the fact that her degree will only lead her to being a "boring...dead..teacher"
4. What representation of British women do they give and can you think of any contemporary examples of similar women in film?

5. Conduct some research into the film, who made it, how was it funded, who directed it?

Directed by - Lone Scherfig
Written by - Lynn Barber (memoir), Nick Hornby (screenplay)
The film is based on Lynn Barber's real life events,

"Observer writer and interviewer Lynn Barber was an innocent 16-year-old schoolgirl when she met an older man and began a relationship that lasted two years. By day she was a diligent student; by night 'Simon' charmed her with dazzling stories, expensive restaurants and foreign films. And then came a rude awakening. In this exclusive extract from her memoir - now made into a film starring Carey Mulligan and Rosamund Pike - she describes her introduction to an adult world of sexuality and betrayal and how she was damaged by her suitor's lessons in life."

1. In groups discuss what your understanding of the term 'collective identity' is.

Collective Identity is the sense of belonging to a group. The bond between the group of people is so strong that they would risk their own lives for what they believe in.  

2. Then discuss what you understand 'Britishness' to mean? What does being British mean to you?

A stereotypical understanding of Britishness is when you show strong characteristics and patriotism to the British culture. This could be having the Union Jack inside or outside your house, but influences such as class, here you come from in Britain and foreign influences, within Britain have caused a change to what Britishness means to individuals. To some people Britishness could simply mean the bad weather, or good British food. 

Speaking the language. Bad weather.

3. Blog a summary of how the clips from Passport to Pimlico construct a representation of Britishness.

This creates a representation of Britishness because people in Britain believe that it is important where you originally come from.
The film shows British are stubborn and fight for what they believe in. This shows Britishness because
British people helping each other out.
It rained a lot - the weather.

Questions on 'An Education'

Discuss these questions in groups, refer to your notes from last lesson and respond in a new post, as a group. Don't forget to label your blog with the names of the people in your discussion group.

1. What kind of Britain is represented? How does it compare to the Britain represented in Passport to Pimlico?

2. Describe the character of Jenny? How far do you think she is a typical British teenager? What might be different about her, if anything?

3. What impression does the film give of Britain if you are a woman? Describe Helen, Jenny's Mother, Jenny's teacher and Jenny in terms of representations of women.

4. What representation of British women do they give and can you think of any contemporary examples of similar women in film?

5. Conduct some research into the film, who made it, how was it funded, who directed it?

collective identity - The identity of a larger group.  For example the cliques like 'Jocks' and 'Goths" who all wear similar clothing a behave in certain ways which they believe defines them as a group.  It refers to an individuals sense of belonging to a group.

britishness - the state or quality of being british or of embodying british characteristics
eg. Fish and chips, policemen, London, red double decker buses, phone boxes, big ben and her majesty the Queen. and the awesome Beatles!

clip 1 - being shocked that the land and treasure didn't belong to "the crown". They reacted as a group with cheering and laughter but still reacting as a group as no-one speaks out that they own the treasure.
clip 2 - woman that says "im english im staying here". It suggests that that she is proud to be what she is and where she is whether its in England or Burgundy.
clip 3- people throwing food over the fence. shows the support given by the London community towards the small community as they do not like to see other Londoners suffer.
clip 4 - someone declaring that they are now in england again and them all cheering showing just how proud they are to be british

1. In groups discuss what your understanding of the term 'collective identity' is. Blog a summary of your discussions.
- Collective identity is when a group is perceived as all behaving in the same way, and each individual takes on the same identity.

2. Then discuss what you understand 'Britishness' to mean? What does being British mean to you? Blog a summary of your discussion.
We discussed how we felt how the role of the monarchy has changed since the 1940s; in the past it played a big role in governing the country whereas today it is relatively unimportant. 
- We also discussed the class divide in England and how it plays a huge role in different the cultures we have. There is the middle to higher class half, who stereotypically go fox hunting, have country mansions and play polo. Then there is the middle to lower class half who are classically seen as lager drinkers who spend their time reading tabloid papers, drinking at pubs, watching reality television and eating take-away food. 


3. Blog a summary of how the clips from Passport to Pimlico construct a representation of Britishness.


Talking about rights to stay in Burgundy. As Britain is a democracy,  


old lady giving speech




food throwing


The last scene shows the country Burgundy being welcomed back into England, as soon as this happens torrential rain starts and the temperature plummets from a tropical heat to near freezing. This is a stereotypical view of the British weather.

Collective Identitiy

1. Collective Identity is where a group takes on the same values.

2.  Britishness be defined as 'patriotism and nationalism', Stereotypical Britishness appeals to us by values, food, community, humanity and morals.

3. Britishness is represented in these three clips. For example in the first scene where by everyone in the court seems in chaos and confusion due to finding out who they actually were. They feel they have to treat the Burgandy people different after finding out they are not the same as them.
In the second clip, britishness is represented by the women shouting out of the window, shows her will power and self esteem to being British.
In third clip we see the children throwing the Burgandy people food which represents our Britishness to help out people and to stand in what they believe in. in the final clip we see how as soon as they go back to being British, it starts to rain representing the general expected weather from Britian.

1. In groups discuss what your understanding of the term 'collective identity' is. Blog a summary of your discussions.

This is what a group of people would determine themselves and their believes, and how they represent themselves to others. It is almost like the opposite of a stereotype as this is what others would label you, but this is more what the person would label themselves.

2. Then discuss what you understand 'Britishness' to mean? What does being British mean to you? Blog a summary of your discussion.

To be British is to be patriotic which is very obvious in this film. The view of Britishness from modern day British people is very different from in 1947. The role of the monarch now is very different as how it was in say medieval times, where the king/queen was the highest authority and had an immense amount of power, the British would worship them and to be British was to support them. Nowadays the Queen may still be powerful but politics seems to show as the main principle of Britishness. Along with this has gone the old idealism of patriotism.Propaganda during the war used our identity to rally us into battle and to protect ourselve. However now the war we are in now is not trying to force us to war.

3. Blog a summary of how the clips from Passport to Pimlico construct a representation of Britishness.

The people in the film are all a community, they work together and everyone seems to know everyone else. So when they find out that they are actually Burgundian they are all outraged to almost be exiled from the country they have been so patriotic too.The policemens response was very British as he sort of shrugged it off as a minor setback. And the word Blimey in general is a very British phrase.
The second clip shows that as British people we don't like to be pushed around or told what we can and can't do. So when the woman shouts out the window about fighting to be Burgundian as we are british. It shows that the only real reason they want to be Burgundian is because it's British to fight for what we believe in and for our own rights.
The scene with the british throwing the "French" food is showing that we care for our own, as the British are overthrowing the police jst to give to the people they support and love.
The moment that Pimlico is technically back on British soil it rains, after an intense drought, the rain is a typical joke of the British and Foreigners that we are renowned for rain.

Tasks for lesson

1. In groups discuss what your understanding of the term 'collective identity' is. Blog a summary of your discussions.

2. Then discuss what you understand 'Britishness' to mean? What does being British mean to you? Blog a summary of your discussion.

3. Blog a summary of how the clips from Passport to Pimlico construct a representation of Britishness.