British New wave research
What is British New wave
British New Wave, otherwise specified as kitchen sink dramas, weren't like the previous typical advertisements for the British way of life, they were unpolished and soon developed into gritty features called "angry young man films". These were typically set in Northern England during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The narratives of these films usually dealt with the problems of the working class, such as:
- Unhappy marriages
- alcoholism
- secret affairs
- unplanned pregnancies
- barroom brawls
- generation gaps
A large amount of British New Wave was inspired by 1940s work of american auteur and 1940s Italian realism. Many British New Wave filmmakers took influence from french new wave filmmakers who used specific techniques to convey realism, such as:
- Location shots to add documentary feel
- Real people (not actors) as extras
- Hand held cameras
- Black and white footage
- Reference to the camera men as well as photographers
- Long tracking shots used to give the illusion of real life and real space
- Breaking the fourth wall and breaking the 180 rule was commonly used, especially in black and white films
Kes (Directed by Ken Loach) 1969
Synopsis:
"Bullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy Casper (David Bradley), a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy, tames and trains his pet kestrel falcon whom he names Kes. Helped and encouraged by his English teacher Mr. Farthing (Colin Welland) and his fellow students, Billy finally finds a positive purpose to his unhappy existence, until tragedy strikes."-imdb
In this scene Casper is seen getting in a fight with Mcdowell. This scene links clearly to the context of British new wave as the scene opens in the playground of an English public school, showing problematic situations such as young school children smoking and eventually getting in a fight. It further links to the British New Wave by using editing techniques widely used throughout the new wave to convey realism such as; long tracking shots to further the illusion that it is real life. Hand held cameras are also used to give a more documentary feel.
In this scene Casper, his peers and his PE teacher are in the changing room. This scene really symbolises how Casper is treated by everyone around him throughout the movie; his peers stand there laughing whilst his PE teacher publicly tells him off for not having his PE kit, even though he has made it clear he can not afford one and has not been able to for four years. When Casper then makes that clear, he then goes on to question other things about him and further attempt to embarrass him whilst occasionally hitting his head with a ball. If all of this wasn't humiliating enough for the 15 year old boy, the teacher then goes on to get him shorts that are extremely big on him, causing his fellow students to ridicule him further. This is an accurate representation of working class schools in this time period because many teachers, whilst were supposed to be professional and supportive of the students, would often be the worst bullies themselves. The use of a long take relates back to widely used techniques for this time period, further linking this production to the British new wave.
A taste of honey (directed by Tony Richardson) 1961
synopsis: "Jo is an awkward, shy 17-year-old girl living with her promiscuous alcoholic mother, Helen. Desperately longing to simply be loved, when her mother's latest "romance" drives Jo out of their apartment, she spends the night with a black sailor on a brief shore leave. But when Jo's mother abandons her to move in with her latest lover, Jo finds a job and a room for herself, meets Geoffrey, a shy and lonely homosexual, and allows him to share her flat. When she discovers that she is pregnant with the sailor's child, Geoffrey, grateful for her friendship, looks after her, even offering marriage. Their brief taste of happiness is short-lived for Jo's fickle and domineering mother, her own romantic hopes dashed, appears on the scene, determined to drive the gentle Geoffrey from the flat and take over the care of her daughter, rearranging everything to suit herself." - imdb
In a taste of honey, the camera often focuses in on Jo's eyes, this emphasises her fears for herself and her unborn child because it links back to when Jo is told early in the film by her mother that her father was the "village idiot" and was often ridiculed by everyone around him before his death. After Helen informs her of this, she tells Jo that Jo has her fathers eyes; making Jo paranoid she or her unborn child will have inherited her fathers "madness".
This is a key scene for this movie, it is set overlooking the river in the same place Jo was saw earlier in the movie, watching the father of her unborn child leave. In this scene Geoffrey asks the question "who's happy" which relates to the contextual side of the british new wave, and unlike past british cinema, refusing to put up a facade and to pretend british life is perfect, this scene, along with the whole movie, accurately shows that life as a working class, british person presented many problems. Jo later goes on to call Geoffrey "unique". This was quite accurate for the time because he was presented as a homosexual character, which at the time was still frowned upon and would usually result in ridicule. To present this (along with other themes in the production such as mixed race relationships, alcoholism, dysfunctional families and unhappy marriages) in movie must have been scandalous to the viewer when it was released as they were used to a polished, unrealistic representation of british people. Long tracking shots are used in this scene to ensure the audiences focus stays on the conversation as its is a pivotal part of the production where Jo admits her love was just a fantasy. The use of tracking shots, long takes and black and white directly link to the British new wave because they were commonly used techniques throughout the time period by a variety of film makers.
Saturday night and sunday morning (directed by Karel Reisz) 1960
In the opening scene/establishing shot to saturday night and sunday morning, the scene is set in a factory where a long shot is used to eventually bring us to the main character Arthur, we then begin to hear his internal monologue beginning with him counting each item he finishes. This links to the context of the new wave because it realistically shows the mundane, repetitive life style of a working class factory worker. It further links to the new wave by using black and white footage and real location to give a documentary feel, adding to the realism. Allowing the audience to hear what he was thinking also links to the new wave as breaking the fourth wall was often used, especially in black and white footage. However, the use of modern music throughout the scene breaks away from the standard film of that time period.
This scene begins with Arthur getting dressed up and exiting his house. Upon exiting his house he bumps into mrs Bull and shows no remorse, even when it audibly distresses her. This links to Arthurs lack of respect for most people that he shows throughout the movie, often lashing out at them for little to no reason. Arthurs carelessness presented in this scene and throughout the whole of the production, puts emphasis on the fact that he has no time for social responsibility and he feels as though everyone wants something from him; therefore making him uncomfortable with his life. He is later shown in the scene drinking alcohol so fast it catches the attention of multiple people and is discovered to struggle with alcoholism, this is a coping mechanism he uses to escape his mundane job and the stress of having not one, but two secret relationships. This presents a link to the context of new wave films from that time period because it quite frankly shows the world how it is instead of presenting it as an issue. The use of a long tracking shot at the beginning of the scene and throughout the movie is a common technique used in the British new wave as well.
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