Question for Shane and others

[Big Al Fresco]

Hi all, sorry it's a long one (oo-er)...

Being a big fan of Shane's films, and Dead Man's Shoes in particular, I've chosen for my Photography: Film as Imagery module at university to write about DMS. That's Staffordshire university in Stoke, so I like the idea of using a Midlands-based film and filmmaker.

The essay is basically how the photography of the city (or town, in this case?) aids and reflects the narrative and what meanings come from it. Shane's films always have a strong sense of place, and DMS probably more so than the others.

At the moment, goin on reviews, interviews and my own judgement, the things I'm planning to write about:

- The setting basically being the forgotten places between the city and the countryside. Where things go on that don't make the papers, and things are left to deteriorate. The outside of Sonny's (or is it Gypo's?) club is a great shot for this, with the fucked doorway.

-A place where people have to (or find it most convenient to) turn a blind eye.

- The Western-style "high plains" especially with Richard walking at the beginning.

- The lack of hope, easy route into a life of drugs. There not being anything to do. Making your own fun, often involving drugs.

-Even though it's not exactly rural, there's still a lot of places and ways you can disappear.

I'm tired at the mo so the reason I'm posting this is to ask you guys for some insight or any further ideas you have about it. And if I could get a quote from Shane himself, I'd be ever so grateful. Thanks to anyone who responds.

[StrayGoat]

Hello.

I grew up in a small, rural, midlands town that was overrun with violence, drugs, and general despair. I think you've missed one of the main reasons that people get involved with drugs and gangs - yes, they do it out of boredom, but there's also much more pressure to 'fit in' in small communities. The peer pressure is great as there's no real alternative - if you don't join in, you are pretty much isolated. Sometimes that makes you a target for crime.

That was something touched upon in DMS - anthony had no real options once Richard had left for the army. Who else was there for him to turn to? With no big brother around anymore, where does his security come from?

When you think about it, had Richard stayed, would he have ended up in with the gang? From my experience in a similar environment, the brighter people leave town but the less confident and less intelligent seem to stay and try to fit in. But there's always the odd exception...people that come back from uni and end up deadbeats etc.

Another major issue is the lack of police in these sort of communities. That's what really gives the gangs so much influence. Where I used to live, there were only one or two specials on the beat on a friday night. In a town with over 20 pubs and regular weekend brawling, that was woefully inadequate.

Hope that gives you a few ideas.

[jtrodreigez]

that place sounds familiar goat, just like my village up north. i think thats why the film got to me so much cause ive seen it all first hand and it reminds you of your own life too much.

[Big Al Fresco]

Thanks Goat, that's some great stuff for me to go on. I'd never considered the whole isolation/fitting in aspect before.

I grew up in a poor white part of Birmingham (the type of area where they bemoan how it won't be a white area much longer, instead of trying to sort out the actual problems they have in their lives and communities) so there was a big "fitting in" culture - the chav culture, basically - but as I had friends in other areas I could avoid it. I can see how that can be difficult in the smaller, isolated towns.

[StrayGoat]

Well I grew up in a small town about 30 miles from the nearest city - Coventry. Right out in the sticks. The violence there was pretty grim...blokes being dragged across the street so their head was next to the kerb,then being booted in the head, double-footed head stamping, stabbings the lot. Better off out of it.

I could relate to a lot of the stuff in DMS too because of that, especially Richard's motivation...going back to put things right.

[fattaxiitismeforgottosignin]

Hey,

Fattaxi here, forgot to sign in and can't be arsed now! Where abouts you come from straygoat? Im from Nuneaton, same sort of aera yeah?

Si
fattaxi

[StrayGoat]

Yep, FatTaxi, that sort of area...just a bit further down the A5.

[ANaberrie]

I grew up in sutton-in-ashfield, and i can relate to the bordom issue. Here we have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe, and it's soon to be the home of Europes biggest Land-fill site. On the front of the news paper about a month ago was, DEAD BODY FOUND ON BRILEY FORREST PARK, and MAN BUSTED FOR £3 MILLION DRUG RING. I can safely say it's all because of boredom, what do you do if you're bored? go out, but there's no where to go, right from when you're a kid.

[fattaxi]

So Atherstone? Tamworth? lol im not stalking you Stray Goat just curious .... like george.

[StrayGoat]

You got it in one - Atherstone. Home of the ball game, a ludicrous amount of pubs, and that's about it. I left there a good few years ago now - never going back either.

[fattaxi]

Yeah my Dad has a shop there. Not the most interesting of places.

Nuneaton isn't that much better as im sure you know!

[johnny rodreigez]

So are you two going steady now then. Gay boys.

[StrayGoat]

Yeah, when I was younger I used to go out over Nuneaton and play football over there a lot. Bit more civilised and less violent, but still not the best place to go. When I used to be out on the town at the weekends, I always found it was the small towns and villages that were the most violent and dangerous...going up Broad Street and over to Cov was nowhere near as bad. That's what I liked about DMS - it showed that bad shit goes down in these towns that you would say are quaint if you just passed through in the afternoon or something.