This Is England Contextualised
Specific context in which This Is England was made:
Danny Boyle was part of a new generation of young British filmmakers during a resurgence of cool, British independent cinema. These directors got courted by Hollywood and left to make American films, leaving a gap in the market for British directors. The new generation, the group Shane Meadows belonged to, filled this void. Meadows made gritty dramas with a low budget aesthetic in the style of famous directors of British social realism like Ken Loach and Mike Lee. This Is England was made for a British audience.
Wider context in which This Is England was made:
Radio broadcasts are used throughout the film to create a parallel between the war England was engaged in in the Falklands at the time and the conflict Shaun is facing between Woody’s apolitical group and Combo’s nationalism.
There was an economic recession in 1981 which saw a rise in discrimination against ethnic minorities, particularly in lower class, lesser educated areas. This is demonstrated in the film through Gadget’s graffiti, where he spells ‘National’ as ‘Nashnil.’ In 1981, the Brixton area saw a series of riots against the new stop and search policy police officers carried out with racist prejudice.
The victory in the Falklands War saw the Conservative government get reelected in the 1983 general election. Conservative policies in this period had led to significant unemployment, deindustrialisation, and a deepening north/south divide in England