Depiction of Unemployment, Urban Crimes and Poverty in British Teen Films and Television

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW2

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY5

Methodology5

Sample5

Data Analysis Procedures6

Reliability/Dependability7

Validity7

Ethical Considerations8

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION9

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION11

REFERENCES13

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Although the British film industry has an illustrious past, including melodramas that rival the '40s British teen film noirs, it is the field of social realism that has provided the most prolonged form of cinematic entertainment. History demonstrates that genre fads come and go. The British teen films popularized by Hammer studios in the late 50s and 60s, for example, and the costume dramas which go in and out of fashion. But social realism is more than just a genre, it is the dominant form of cinema in British film. Just as the classic Hollywood narrative dominates the British film industry regardless of genre, so social realism and political awareness permeate British cinema. This is as true today as it was half a century ago, with social realism evident in popular British films such as Trainspotting, Brassed Off, Nil By Mouth, My Name Is Joe, This Is England, Human Traffic and 24 Hour Party People.

At the meta-level directors in Western Europe was part of the cultural moves towards creating fully modern societies in Western Europe. By the 1950s this process was generally gathering pace at this time. Both France and Britain were overcoming post-war shortages and whilst there was a new optimism being generated in Britain after the 1950 Festival of Britain and its espousal of new technologies the mid-1950s saw the post-Suez recognition within both Britain and France that the political world had shifted entirely to a mainspring centred upon the USA in tension with the USSR. The older empires were finally having to readjust to a new world order.

The growing postwar mood was not just restricted  to the countries of Western Europe. Polish cinema was making its own mark as the Free Cinema programme which featured several Polish directors makes clear.

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

Hallam and Marhsment (2000) define social realism as “a discursive term used to describe British teen films that aim to show the effects of environmental factors on the development of character through depictions that emphasize the relationship between location and identity”. Nevertheless, it is difficult to give an absolute definition of social realism as the term is interrelated with political and societal changes over time. According to Samantha Lay (2002, p. 8), social realist films differ from the mainstream films in that they are “independent, low budget, directed towards either the art house circuit and/or the video and television ...