semiotics- this is england

[vetzak]

just joined this site, and i'm glad i found it. i'm a film student, and happen to be a skinhead. i'm currently working on a term paper about This is England, and i'd like to pick your collective minds. specifically i'd like to hear some comments on some semiotics in the film. for example; what does it mean to you when Shaun heaves the English flag into the sea? what does it mean to you when Shaun is sitting in the rotting boat by himself? does the meaning change from the first time we see him there vs. the second time the end of the film? i know this might be some heady crap, but that what it takes to get that A. i don't want to have to work in construction for the rest of my life, so can you lads help me out?

cheers

[laurachan]

well im not so sure about the other questions but for the first one about him throwing the england flag into the sea, my interpretation of this was they he is now done with being a skinhead/in that kind of culture because he has seen the worst of it, it also a connection with the end of the film. like end of era end of film, if you know what i mean.

also somthing else for you to think about, have you ever thought about the connection with combo and either being a father figure or having the lack of a father?

hope this helped

[baz1701]

I think it's Shaun coming to terms with losing his dad and realising that everything Combo said was a load of nonsense, and now that he's come to terms with it all, he's throwing it all away. I have noticed that most of Shane's films end with a bit of symbolism. The blood on the hands of the guy at the end of DMS is a good example as well.

[Bill Edwards]

Tiny spoilers here...

Feb 26, 2009 23:17:03 GMT baz1701 said:

I have noticed that most of Shane's films end with a bit of symbolism. The blood on the hands of the guy at the end of DMS is a good example as well.

Yes! That's a very succinct way of putting it. Symbolism. I waffled at wanky length here:
(don't read if you've not seen Somers Town)shanemeadows.proboards39.com/index.cgi?board=somers&action=display&thread=2697&page=1#46362
about how Shane repeatedly alters the tone, or something, in nearly all of his work just before the credits roll. Sometimes it's quite subtle,the magic act at the end of ARFRB, or it's very marked, as in TIE or the end sequence of Somers Town. There's also the fantastic end credits in Small Time which I thought were magical.