Module C: Into the World ??“ Billy Elliott Stephen Daldry
Textual Features, Language Techniques
Two pieces of Related Material: The Bread Winner ??“ Leslie Halward (Short Story), The Call of the Wild ??“ Jack London.
Things Explored in Billy Elliott
A need to adapt and a desire for Mastery arise and occurs in moving into a new world
Cost of moving into the world: Losing your family and friends, challenges and conflict,
The class divide in England, Coal miners and the Elite who do Ballet
Perceived Roles, ballet is not for boys
The world is harsh, change is difficult
Within our world are others, some have futures, others don??™t.
Need to adapt to the new world
Need for strength and courage and independence to move into the world
Conformity to social groups
Moving into the world is scary for Billy and involves loss
Comfort becomes a casualty
Implications of moving into the world: Challenges, Disappointments, Opportunities, obstacles, perceived roles, dignity and courage,
Billys main obstacles is prejudice he is going against perceived roles fighting against the institution
Quotes:
???lads do football or boxin??? ???[ballet is] not for lads???
Techniques
Film Techniques
Dialogue (Helps appreciate moving into the world, character conflict)
Flashback
Music (Acts as exploration of Billy??™s desire for freedom)
Setting (Shows the need for his freedom)
Narrative
Camera Shots and Angles
Aerial Shot
Close up/ Extreme close up (Of Billy??™s Feet)
Camera Angles (For the enormity of the Royal Ballet School)
Camera Focus (Generally on Billy??™s Feet, or on faces)
Panning Shot : Moving around a scene
POV Shot (From Billy when he is in the Royal Ballet School)
Facial Expressions (When father finds Billy doing Ballet)
Juxtaposition (Billy sitting next to and talk to the rich kid in the Ballet School, he is well dressed and well spoken Billy is in a singlet and is poorly spoken, shows class divide)
Metaphor
Visual Juxtaposition
Symbolism (Maybe the tutu, his shoes or feet)
Introduction
Transition from one world to another is often a chaotic thing, with many variables which cannot be predicted or anticipated, expectations are shattered, comfort becomes a casualty, challenges of conflict arise with authoritarian figures and in forms of perceived roles, a need to adapt arises, in addition a desire for mastery often does as well, and opportunities come about with positive and negative results.
The Call of the Wild
Punches the kid showing he is a product of his own environment/ Buck fights against his captor showing he is a product of his own environment, he has pride and dignity and will not be treated this way.
Billy goes into a new world, leaves Durham and the reality of the coal workers and goes into the royal ballet school/ buck goes into a new world leaves comfort of sun kissed Santa-Clara valley and is forced to survive in harsh new environment in Alaska.
Billy tries to master abilities so he can survive in this new world/
Buck fights for mastery over spitz so he can survive in this new world ???Buck stood and looked on, the successful champion, the dominant primordial beast who had made his kill and found it good.???
When Billy travels to the royal ballet school, from his home town of Durham, a small working class community of predominantly coal miners, through the use of Camera Angles the audience sees the sheer enormity of the building, the camera is positioned where Billy would be standing. Similarly Buck from ???The call of the Wild??™ is forced to reckon with the starkness of his home in the ???sun kissed Santa Clara Valley??? where he enjoys a comfortable lavish life, to when he is kidnapped and forced to reckon with the new environment of the cold and icy Alaska where he has no status or respect shown to him. Jack London uses visual imagery to convey this to the audience. Both Buck and Billy are forced to reckon with this new world, and find little comfort, however they both desire to adapt to this new world.
In ???The Call of the Wild??™ Buck hears ???the call,??™ echoing and underlying in the woods and the forests, ?????¦ the call sounded again. Even louder now.??? This is a metaphor for Bucks desire for freedom and a return to the primordial self. In Billy Elliot when Billy listens to music and dances he feels like he is free ???like I??™m flying.??™ The techniques used to convey this to the audience are Music and extreme close ups of Billy??™s feet. Both Buck and Billy feel trapped by their worlds and desire freedom.
David Suzuki Autobiography Extract
Although the Royal Ballet School is in the same country as Billy it is a totally foreign world to him, this is shown to the audience by the juxtaposition of settings, that of Durham, a poor community, against the Royal Ballet School, a building bountiful in wealthy materials. David Suzuki in the extract from David Suzuki??™s autobiography notes that ???each time I visit Japan I am reminded of how Canadian I am and how little the racial connection matters??? this is said using irony as he is Japanese in appearance but was raised in Canada. Both David and Billy are confronted with their assumptions being proved wrong, and this shows the conflict of going into the world.
The Breadwinner ??“ Leslie Halward ??“ Short Story
Billy comes into conflict with his father/ (Short story) Billy comes into conflict with his father,
(Bread winner)the boy defies his father, he breaks away and does what he feels is right/ Billy defies his father, he breaks away and does what makes him feel happy.
Billy feels out of place in the female ballet group at Durham, even he has apprehension about the perceived roles in society, ???I feel like a right sissy??? ??“ Billy, he knows that his role society does not give freedom to practice ballet, Dialogue is used to portray this point to the audience. Billy in ???The Breadwinner??™ by Leslie Halward shows that his character is not suited for the new world he is moving into either, ?????¦looked absurd in long trousers.??? Visual imagery is used to show this to the audience. Both Billy??™s find themselves feeling awkward in their new roles, and this is a common occurrence of moving into the world, comfort is stripped from people.
Billy dances in front of his father in the gymnasium, to prove himself to Jackie and beat him. The techniques used to show this is the facial expression of Jackie and close up of Billy dancing, particularly his feet. Billy from ???The Breadwinner??™ endures a thrashing from his father and comes out the victor in the end, ???He beat him unmercifully about the body and legs. The boy sank to the floor, but did not cry out.??? visual imagery is used to show this to the audience. Both Billy??™s come into conflict with their fathers whilst moving into the world, and both triumph over their fathers and attain their goals.
Buck triumphs over spitz visual imagery
???He stood and looked on, the successful champion, the dominant primordial beast???
Billy triumphs over the pirouette camera angles
The call metaphor
???The call sounded again. Even louder now.???
Music music close up of feet
Bucks new landscape visual imagery
Billy in the royal ballet school POV camera angle
David Suzuki extract from Autobiography ???I realised how little the racial connection mattered??? irony
Billy feeling out of place in the royal ballet school, juxtaposition of billy representing Durham in RBS
Lesliew Halward ???The Breadwinner??™ short story
Billy ???looked absurd in long trousers??? ??“visual imagery
Billy felt absurd doing ballet ???I feel like a right sissy??? ??“ dialogue
Billy confronting his father in the gym, facial expression
???He beat him unmercifully about the body and legs. The boy sank to the floor, but did not cry out.??? Emotive language and visual imagery, both billy??™s triumph over their fathers.
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