This Is England (2006)
Crime, Drama |.
This Is England is a British drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. The story centres on young skinheads in England in 1983. The film illustrates how their subculture, which has its roots in 1960s West Indies culture, especially ska, soul, and reggae music, became adopted by the far-right, especially white nationalists and white supremacists, which led to divisions within the skinhead scene. The film’s title is a direct reference to a scene where the character Combo explains his nationalist views using the phrase “this is England” during his speech.
In July 1983, Shaun is a troubled 12-year-old boy who lives with his widowed mother and is frequently antagonised in school and around town. On the last day of the school year, Shaun gets into a fight at school with a boy named Harvey after the latter makes an offensive joke about his father, who was killed in the Falklands War.
On his way home, Shaun comes across a gang of young skinheads led by Woody, who feels sympathy for Shaun and invites him to join the group. He introduces Shaun to Milky, the only black skinhead of the gang; Pukey, Kes, and the overweight, dim-witted Gadget. Despite some initial hostilities between Shaun and Gadget, the gang accepts Shaun as a member. Shaun bonds closely with Woody, viewing him a big brother figure, and his girlfriend Lol, who takes a motherly role towards him. Shaun also develops a romantic relationship with Michelle, also known as Smell, an older girl who dresses in a new wave, new romantic style.
Director: Shane Meadows
Writer: Shane Meadows
Stars: Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham, Jo Hartley, Andrew Shim, Vicky McClure, Joseph Gilgun, Rosamund Hanson
Cast:
| Thomas Turgoose | … | Shaun |
| Stephen Graham | … | Combo |
| Jo Hartley | … | Cynth |
| Andrew Shim | … | Milky |
| Vicky McClure | … | Lol |
| Joseph Gilgun | … | Woody (as Joe Gilgun) |
| Rosamund Hanson | … | Smell |
| Andrew Ellis | … | Gadget |
| Perry Benson | … | Meggy |
| George Newton | … | Banjo |
| Frank Harper | … | Lenny |
| Jack O’Connell | … | Pukey Nicholls |
| Kriss Dosanjh | … | Mr. Sandhu |
| Kieran Hardcastle | … | Kes |
| Chanel Cresswell | … | Kelly |
| Danielle Watson | … | Trev |
| Sophie Ellerby | … | Pob |
| Hannah Walters | … | Shoe Shop Assistant |
| Dave Laws | … | Mr. Dudley |
| Michael Socha | … | Bully |
| Ian Smith | … | Teacher |
| Dave Blant | … | Teacher |
| Matthew Blamires | … | Teasing kid |
| James Burrows | … | Teasing kid |
| Harpal Hayer | … | Football kid |
| Terry Haywood | … | Football kid |
| Nimesh Jani | … | Football kid |
| David Claridge | … | Roland Rat (voice) (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| Duran Duran | … | Themselves (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| Simon Le Bon | … | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| Prince Charles | … | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| Princess Diana | … | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| Ronald Reagan | … | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| Robert Stone | … | Man (uncredited) |
| Margaret Thatcher | … | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia