How is Britain portrayed in Bend it like Beckham, Made in Dagenham and Fish tank?

 These three films all differ greatly in the way that Britain is portrayed through the different periods of time and class divisions in society. The representations show a range of views on British life, from showing Britain in its most positive light (The British women standing up for their rights in Made in Dagenham) to the negative and difficult life lead my council house and verbally abused Mia in Fish Tank. Bend it like Beckham clearly shows the contrasting views and idea of the different cultures as well how different generations of people behave to contrast to the last.

British youth is a topic that is touched on or strongly addressed in all three of these films. Bend it like Beckham, which is set in 2005 and is modern to the time it was made, shows the youth in mostly a good light as it follows Jess’ journey to follow her dreams despite her family being against her. Jess is a strong female protagonist and having grown up in a traditional Sikh family in Hounslow, she struggles between maintaining her roots and keeping up with the modern culture of British teenagers. Jess is strong minded and determined, and although the audience is always on her side throughout the film, she is also seen to lie to her parents and go behind their backs. Also, the other three Asian girls that where shorts skirts and crop tops portray a less positive few of British teenagers as they boast about having ‘slept with half of Hounslow. This portrayal is also seen in Fish Tank, although to a much bigger extreme. Mia, who grew up in a council estate is the protagonist in this film and although the teenage girl is out of control, the audience cannot help but feel that this is not her fault but the fault of the society she was born into and her careless mother. Therefore, Mia and her family seemed to be an under class of people, who were also looked down upon. She is assumed to be a ‘chav’ by the way she dresses, her haircut and the language and accent she has. She is rude and defensive, using swear words in everyday conversation, even to her younger sister. The portrayal of the lowest class of British youth is clearly negative, yet is true to real life and the film is meant to be an eye opener into the lives of these girls. This also strongly contradicts the positive and strong-minded middle class Jess, both films being set around the same time and in different parts of London.

Religion and culture is an important aspect of Bend it like Beckham as Jess is torn between her own Indian culture and British culture. She is often seen lying on her bed, talking to a poster of David Beckham and it is as though football is her religion. There is also a picture of Guru nanak, to which Jess’ mother prays and talks to. Their culture is important to Jess’ family, though Jess’ generation seems to rely less on religion as a result of the mixed culture she lives in Britain. Religion doesn’t seem to play a huge part in either Made in Dagenham or Fish Tank, which shows how some white families in Britian were not guided by any religion. In Made in Dagenham it is as though their work ethic is what keeps them going and in Fish Tank, the family seem to be off the rails with little sense of morals.  

Women in Britain are represented in very different ways in the three British films. Made in Dagenham and Bend it like Beckham both show working class and middle class women that are strong minded and have clear views on how women should behave and be treated. In Made in Dagenham, Rita and the machinists are fighting for equal pay to men as they believe that the current pay system was unfair and that they worked just as hard as men. She doesn’t let anyone stop her or get in the way, even her husband who doesn’t understand her campaign. In the time the film was set, women were thought of as second class and had traditional roles of looking after the house and the children, only Rita does all of this as well as working in the sewing factory. She is seen as the hero of the film based on real events and the message of the film is that the British woman could achieve anything if she really tried and bring about a huge change to the world. Similarly in Bend it like Beckham, Jess is the strong women who achieves her dreams against all odds. In both films, the women have people working against them, for example the bosses of Ford and Jess’ mom, who are more traditional in their views and want the heroines to obey by their original cultures and values. In the end, the women in both films succeed in their struggle, portraying British women in a positive light. This view of women in Britain strongly contradicts the portrayal of women in Fish Tank. This lower class of women appear to have little morals and instead of working hard at a job to gain respect, they live on benefits and in a council house, going out in short skirts and crop tops. Mias mother is more interested in her own life and relationships than she is about her own daughters. This shows british women in a negative way and starkly contrasts the respectable women in Made in Dagenham and Bend it like Beckham.

The strong work ethic among the women in Made in Dagenham makes women proud to be women and proud to be British. It is a feel good film based on real events and the audience feel proud of the women and everything they achieve for the generations to come. These women shaped the way women are perceived and treated in our world today, yet the very different images of women in Fish tank seem to be working against what the women at the Ford factory had achieved. The way the modern lower class of women behave and dress means that it is easier for men to disrespect them and their lack of education and knowledge brings the view of women back to how it had been before Made in Dagenham. Therefore, these very different portrayals are important ad they show a very positive and a very negative view on the work ethic of people in Britain. In make in Dagenham, the men in the factory were traumatised by the fact they couldn’t work and it was as though they didn’t know what to do with themselves, demonstrating how they had been working all their life. In Bend it like Beckham, Jess’ dad encourages her to be a doctor or a lawyer and has high hopes for his daughter career wise. She doesn’t share these hopes however as she longs to work hard at her football career, finally convincing her father to allow her to go to America. This feel good film also makes you proud to be British and the audience want Jess to succeed in her plans for making it big in football.

Another contrasting aspect of British life is the family relationships within the three films. Fish Tank seems to be the family with the worst relationship and it is debateable whether they could be considered a family at all. The mother is very young and doesn’t seem to be ready for children, still wanting to go out and not have the responsibilities. In this film, it is as though the roles are reversed and although Mia is very naïve, she seems to be more responsible that her mother and acts more like a parent to her younger sister, as it shows at the end. Mia and her sister seem unable to tell each other they love them, and cover it up by saying ‘I hate you’. This is a touching moment in the film and probably the only time in the film that is happy, even though they are indirectly saying ‘I love you.’ The reverse roles in the family also appears in Bend it like Beckham, where Jess seems to understand the modern world and is a lot more open than her parents are. They are strict and want her to conform to Indian traditions and although they love her, they are stopping her from achieving her dreams. Just like Jules’ mum, who doesn’t like her playing football. In both families, it is the mother who remains the same throughout and the fathers who understand their daughters the best. To Jess’ family, reputation is very important and this plays a huge role in their dismay that their daughter is more interested in playing football than learning to cook. Made in Dagenham shows tradition family dynamics, with the mother looking after the house and children and father out at work. This is very typical of the time the film is set. However, when the father is made to stay at home, he struggles and this is symbolic of the importance of women in the family. It is Rita that holds their family together. 

Low budget British film Made in Dagenham shows the journey Rita and the machinists go on in their fight for woman’s rights and increased pay in compared to the men doing the same job. The film represents 1960’s Britain and the women in the factory fight against the hypocritical and stereotypical way of life, showing bravery and determination. The British women in this film are portrayed as strong individuals that believe in fighting for their rights, just as the real women from Ford did before. However, the men in this male dominated society are shown as being traditional and down understand why the women are going on strike. This shows clearly the stereotypical views in Britain about women and the means attitudes to them. Rita’s husband Eddie is has certain expectations of his wife, and it is assumed that it is her job to look after the household and the children, as well as cooking and working herself. When Rita is striking, the roles in the house fall upon Eddie, who evidently is unable to cope with it and believes himself a ‘saint’ for trying, and for never raising a hand to Rita or the children. Rita grows in confidence as the film goes on and fights back, saying that that is how it ‘should be’. Even the wife of a ford manager is said to be treated as a ‘fool’, despite her Cambridge university degree in History. She too is treated as a housewife and is not expected to go on to anything bigger or more important because of the fact she is a woman. The dress of the characters in Made in Dagenham is typical of the period it is set as well as their rather large hairstyles. Overall the film Made in Dagenham, based on real events, portrays a good view of Britain in the 60’s, giving an idea of their family life, work and dress.

The Morgan Stanley Report Comparison!

After reading the Morgan Stanley report written by a 15 year old about how teenagers consume the media, I found that it is actually quite accurate. However, its not exactly right but this may be due to the shift in media and ways it is consumed from when the article was written in July 2009 to now in 2011.

In the report, the teenager addressed each way of consuming media and relates it to what he believes most teenagers do and don’t like. In the report, it talks about the radio and says that ‘most teenagers are not regular listeners’. He goes on to say that the most common reason a teenager would listen to the radio would be for the music, and usually when they are doing something else, for example travelling in a car. I believe that still today this is true as well as what he says about teens hating adverts. Whether its advert on the radio or the television, lots of teenagers find the frequent adverts annoying and I certainly do. Because of this, the report says that many teenagers chose to stream music free online instead. However, this isn’t true for me as I find that turning on the radio while I’m busy doing something else is a lot quicker and simpler than going online, finding a website and then playing it from there. Though I do know people my age who do prefer to stream music from the Internet as it allows them to choose what music is played. Therefore on this I think that whether teenagers choose to listen to music on the radio or online it is due to their personal preference.

Adverts are also a problem when watching television, and in the Morgan Stanley report, the teenagers says that this has resulted in the rising popularity of watching shows online on websites such as 4OD and BBC iPlayer since there is no/fewer adverts. Sky + and Virgin allow people to record shows and then watch them later, hence skipping the adverts. For me this is the preferred way of watching television, unless it is a show such as X Factor where I like to watch it live. Watching TV online is popular among some young people as the report suggests, however I prefer to watch programs on a bigger screen than my laptop and so rarely use this way of consuming media.

Morgan Stanley’s report also says that how much television teenager’s watch depends on the time of year, which is also true to me. I would watch a lot more television when shows such as Waterloo Road and Gossip Girl are on but as soon as the seasons ends then I watch less TV. This is linked to another idea that the teen could have included that teenagers know what they want to watch and tune in to the certain channel at the right time, rather than skipping through channels to see what’s on. Like what the report says, teenagers don’t have the time to do this.

The section on newspapers is defiantly true to me as I would only read an article if it was summarized on a website. Again not all teenagers are the same and some do read the morning paper while eating breakfast. Directories are again another thing that teenagers don’t use.

Another idea that comes across through the article is that teenagers what the media, they just don’t want to pay for it. I think that this is true as many teenagers download films and music free from the Internet or use YouTube, rather than buying them legally. However the article says that only teens from higher income families listen to music on an iPod, though I think that now, the iPod has become so popular that even less well of families have one. Also teenagers do like to download films on the Internet, this hasn’t caused the cinema to go into decline because as the report says, the cinema is about ‘the experience’ and being with your friends. This is very true and I often go to the cinema at least once a month.

In the report under the mobile phone section, the 15 year old said that Sony Ericsson phone are ‘superior’. Although this may have been the case at the time of the article, now iPhone are seen as the superior phone and along with BlackBerrys it seems that they are the most popular. A reason for this could be because using BBM and apps such as WhatsApp and Ping mean that teenagers can communicate for free, without the cost of texting. The report also says that most people are under Pay As You Go, and although I am also, many teens are now using contract, but this cold be dependent on the area they live and wealth.

In the gaming section it is stated that the most common console is the Wii, however now I think that the PlayStation or Xbox are more popular. But it is true that PC gaming is no longer used by teenagers as it used to be before the consoles were around. I personally do not play games on any of these consoles,  but many teenagers, particularly boy, play them frequently 

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