Billy Elliot Study Guide
FILM STUDY GUIDE: BILLY ELLIOT : As we go back over the film, scene by scene.
Summary.
The Miners Strike
Lee Hall, the writer of Billy Elliot, set his screenplay in a mining village in the north east of England, during the Miners Strike of 1984. He sees the strike as '…a class war where the state was mobilised against a small group of people. It left me with a sense of indignation which has fuelled much of my work.' Billy’s father and his brother Tony are both miners so the family are under tremendous pressure both financially and emotionally. They are spending their days on the picket line and trying to keep the family warm and fed over a long period of time with very few resources. The stress is heightened by the fact that Billy’s mother has recently died and Billy’s maternal grandmother who is living with them is losing her memory.
By chance, Billy meets the local ballet teacher at the community hall where he is unsuccessfully trying to learn to box. He becomes interested in dance and the teacher, realising his talent, encourages him to try for the Royal Ballet School in London. His father and brother do not understand; it is a world they do not know. The film is about how these conflicts are resolved and asks questions about how do we, as a society, deal with issues of culture and identity. 'Creative people are left dormant because we, as a society, have no idea or ambition how to tap into them and that we are poorer for it.'
Filming Dance
Task One: The opening of the film
The opening of the film shows Billy putting on a record.
Why do we focus on the record? Is this the process by which you listen to music? What does the vinyl record and the music itself tell you about the film?
Why do we not see Billy’s face in the opening few shots? When we do see Billy’s face it appears in slow motion from the bottom of the frame. How does he look? Were you surprised to see the face appear in the frame in that way? What is Billy doing?
Billy uses music
Summary.
The Miners Strike
Lee Hall, the writer of Billy Elliot, set his screenplay in a mining village in the north east of England, during the Miners Strike of 1984. He sees the strike as '…a class war where the state was mobilised against a small group of people. It left me with a sense of indignation which has fuelled much of my work.' Billy’s father and his brother Tony are both miners so the family are under tremendous pressure both financially and emotionally. They are spending their days on the picket line and trying to keep the family warm and fed over a long period of time with very few resources. The stress is heightened by the fact that Billy’s mother has recently died and Billy’s maternal grandmother who is living with them is losing her memory.
By chance, Billy meets the local ballet teacher at the community hall where he is unsuccessfully trying to learn to box. He becomes interested in dance and the teacher, realising his talent, encourages him to try for the Royal Ballet School in London. His father and brother do not understand; it is a world they do not know. The film is about how these conflicts are resolved and asks questions about how do we, as a society, deal with issues of culture and identity. 'Creative people are left dormant because we, as a society, have no idea or ambition how to tap into them and that we are poorer for it.'
Filming Dance
Task One: The opening of the film
The opening of the film shows Billy putting on a record.
Why do we focus on the record? Is this the process by which you listen to music? What does the vinyl record and the music itself tell you about the film?
Why do we not see Billy’s face in the opening few shots? When we do see Billy’s face it appears in slow motion from the bottom of the frame. How does he look? Were you surprised to see the face appear in the frame in that way? What is Billy doing?
Billy uses music