Following on from my research into skinheads I thought a really good film to watch would be Billy Elliot. It is based within the same time span as the skinhead era and it reflected the rebellion that's currently featuring within my work. I had seen the film before but had forgotten just how brilliant it was. Not only does the film have all the elements I have been studying (rebellion and conflict, dance and movement, aggression and frustration) it is the sort of film which you can relate too, the burning ambition to achieve your dreams, family conflict or poverty and grief. Its the story of an 11-year-old boy living within a small coal mining town in the north of England who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. Billy's family are still grieving a lost mother as well as fighting hard to stay afloat during a grueling mining strike. His father discovers Billy's passion for dance, he's furious and embarrassed, this forces Billy to instead train in secret with a tough, kindly local dance teacher named Mrs. Wilkinson. Mrs. Wilkinson pushes him to audition for a place in the Royal Ballet School, so Billy can express himself and escape his oppressive surroundings. The soundtrack al features one of my favourite musician's , T.Rex, featuring "Cosmic Dancer" in the opening scene and "I love to boogie" after the heartbreaking letter from Billy's dead mother. Due to the time it's set in, the police lurk around the edges of the movie, and the desperation of the strikers shows on the faces of Billy's father and his brother, Tony. Although the two of them initially ridicule, and even violently oppose, Billy's dancing, they are never made into monsters or scapegoats, and the movie never pretends that the brutal contradictions of the British class system can be healed by ballet.
I found this film highly motivational, my project was starting to wane and my inspiration was running dry, but after watching this I found myself more motovated and ready to finish my project.
