FILM UNFINISHED SCRIPT

The three film, the films I will be looking at “A Taste of Honey” (1961, Tony Richardson), “Cherrybomb” (2010, Lisa Barros and Glen Leyburn) and “Submarine” (2006, Richard Ayoade). I chose these films, as all three display three different representations of the British Teenager. A Taste of Honey shows the start of the new age for British teenager, Cherrybomb, displays a stereotypical view of rebellious teenage behaviour and Submarine showcases a gentle, more conventional teenage image.

Before the fifties, the term 'teenager' did not exist. The process from child to adult was the everyday route that every young person took, as the influence of the older generation on tradition was strong. Men, would get a job, and bring a steady income for the hose, where as women, would become great housewives, as the stress of motherhood and marriage was their main priority.

Youth culture started in the late 1950s, but became more radical and revolutionary in the 1960s, hence the name 'Swinging Sixties'. Throughout the sixties, the image of the 'teenager' was heavily stereotyped around subcultures. Familiar subcultures like Mods and Rockers, Hippies, Skinheads etc, are all an outcome of 'Generation Gap', that allowed young people to create an image and break away from the traditional generation. With rising youth culture came new fashions, music, behaviour as well as new representation of the British teenager.

A TASTE OF HONEY (1961) AND THE NEW AND CHANGING BRITAIN

Presenter: A Taste of Honey , directed by Tony Richardson, 

A Taste of Honey, showcases the 'New and Changing Britain' where Miss Shelagh Delaney's wrote the play when she was 18 years old. The New York Times quotes; “The result is a fittingly unadorned, sometimes drab, vehicle freighted with meaning and compassion that is universal despite its seemingly restrictive locale.” [1] this describes the films, lack of glamour and materialism, as well as reward its meaningful and compassionate essence, that all audiences could appreciate even if they do not understand the dialect of the characters. This film was a huge success and audiences felt that the ''sensitive cast have cleaved to the original story and to Miss Delaney's style.” [2]

The film, includes many aspects of the “New and Changing Britain” as the rising independence of women, marriage and divorce, interracial relationships, homosexuality and teen pregnancy, all show the radical and revolutionary extent of youth culture. The next few clips will display this more clearly for you.

Clip 1 – “A Taste of Honey” Their First Kiss (0:00 – 0:34)

Clip 2 - Their Engagement (2:25 – 3:55) – Youtube

Cherrybomb (2009): "Two boys. One. Girl. Game On."

Cherrybomb, teen drama and almost thriller, directed by Lisa Barros D'sa and Glen Leyburn, is described on IMDb as, "Teenagers Luke (played by Robert Sheehan), Malachy (played by Rupert Grint), and Michelle (played by Kimberley Nixon) embark on a wild weekend of drink, drugs, shop-lifting and stealing cars, that quickly begin to spin beyond their control." [4] This small synopsis gives us a glimpse of what style of youth culture is within the film. Cherrybomb relates to A Taste of Honey as..........

My reason for choosing this film, was the several different categories of radical behaviour that this film includes such as; Sex and Nudity, Violence and Gore, Profanity and Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking. These types of categories inform us that the style of youth culture is stereotypical, rebellious and radical. 


From 'One-Line Reviews', Iain Stott gave a negative review by saying 'this well crafted but generally unpleasant film, feels like a pair of below average Skins episodes.' take in mind that Iain Scott is an objective critic who's favourite films are from the 1960s. This alone shows shows this modern, rebellious and stereotypical coming of age film, was written for more younger audiences. On the other hand, through research, i have found that this film is very relatable to many teenagers now-a-days, for example many reviews rated the film, 7 stars and up, commenting, "Cherrybomb is a stylish, yet realistic portrayal of contemporary teenagers."[6] and "Cherrybomb is a great film for anyone who likes, drama, comedy, a bit of romance, and a burst of reality" [7]. 

The adolescent years are hugely important for establishing a persons individuality. The number of smokers from the ages 16-19, throughout the years 1974 - 2010 were at one of the highest rates, behind 20 to 25 years olds. 

I will now show you whom clips from the film, that will sum up all my points. the first is a scene from the end of the film, showing some average and other not average teen rebellion acts such as, smoking, drugs, alcohol, parties and fireworks.

Clip 3 - "The Party Scene" - Youtube 

CONTRAST - NIGHT IN, NIGHT OUT.

The next clip, strongly shows a contrast, between the older generations idea of a nice night in, and teenagers idea of night out.

Clip 4 - "Night In vs Night Out" - Youtube

This scene is one of the strongest scenes, as is displays the difference between the old generation and the newer generation. The Directors Lisa Barros D'sa and Gley Leyburn present dinner with family as boring, annoying and dull , so the audience feel quite sorry for Malachy. Where as they present the ''car park crowd' as lively, wildly enjoyable, when in actual fact they have nothing better to do then get high and drunk on the street. The strongest part of this scene is when both Luke and Malachy chose to go join the 'car park crowd', they chose friends over family.

This scene relates to Submarine's

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Reviews:

[1 & 2] - A Taste of Honey (1961), Screen: 'A Taste of Honey' Arrives: British Drama Stars. Rita Tushingham. By A. H. WEILER, Published: May 1, 1962

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B00E6DA1E31E63ABC4953DFB3668389679EDE

This review was very helpful, as it explored the audiences

[3] - 
[4] -Cherrybomb - IMDb article and reviews
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1248971/
[5] - One-Line Review - Cherrybomb http://1linereview.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/cherrybomb-2009.html
[6 & 7] IMDb reviews
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1248971/reviews

Clips:

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Books: