Pride is a biographical comedy drama which about two groups in an era of raging homophobia and strident union bashing who made a common cause in a Welsh mining community, the events which unfolded said a lot about what it means to be empathetic and to face common enemies including Thatcher, the tabloids and the police. (video of thatcher, tabloids and police brutality in 1984.) (1)
Representation:
The film explores and presents many different groups, topics and themes which are very rarely depicted in film form, for instance: gay rights, police brutality, the effects of socialism, politics and the positive and strong roles of women. (2) (march in beginning). For instance, Sian James who first appears as a typical young housewife in South Wales later became an MP and the first woman to represent Swansea East.(3) Women are also represented as strong-minded and compassionate individuals throughout the movie, one of which is Hefina, who had a huge influence on her communities acceptance and eventual willingness to change their traditional, prejudiced views of LGSM.(4) (Imelda interview). An important source of support for the miners came from the women of mining communities who organised soup kitchens and distributed food parcels as well as other courageous and selfless acts, this too was displayed in the film which accurately represented the women’s efforts.(5) (clip of Sian collecting food at the beginning). The main group represented in the film is are the gay right activists and LGBTQ community, of which the majority of the characters in this film belong to. The film must be praised for its subtle yet powerful handling of the HIV/aids story which was hugely signifiant at the time but remains mostly in the background, it was a disease that led to the devastating death of Mark Ashton, the man who founded LGSM.(6) (video of Mark and Tim in club) The film also highlights the depressing injustices that very much impacted the lives of the gay community at the time, for example the age of consent was 21, where it was 16 for heterosexuals, another problem which Joe faces. (7) (video of joe at house party talking about age of consent). As well as this, Pride explores Joes struggle with his own sexuality as he gradually gains confidence when he joins LGSM. (8) (video of joe in club kissing) , Bill also faces the struggle of ‘coming out’ in a very vulnerable but comedic scene with Hefina.(9) (buttering bread scene). Gethin too faced problems within his family, in a scene where he goes back to see his mother who he thought has disowned him, the audience see his pain and discomfort that is not visible when he is with LGSM, I think it shows that an individuals family doesn’t have to be by blood, but instead based on love and happiness. (10) (video of Gethin returning home). Furthermore, the representation of the Welsh mining community was far different from the Londoners, they were a lot more conservative and were seen as less susceptible to change, they were less accepting of the LGSM group, this was evident in the dialogue as well as the character expression and movement where they were physically more closed-off and private, however there was gradual change in attitudes and were a huge part of the lesbian and gay right march at the end of the film. (11) (end of film:march). The film also illustrates the brutality of the police force and how they reacted very harshly with force against the protestors, this wasn’t however a central part of the story line because they I think it would have distracted from the positives that came from all of their efforts. All of these representations are essential and should be known by everyone, I think it is a story that needed to be told for many different reasons, it has explored multiple areas which I have rarely seen before, and doubt will be shown again.
Audience:
The film allows audiences to empathise with characters, we laugh at points and are depressed at others, it is an incredibly uplifting film despite all of the prejudices and homophobic behaviours and attitudes which surrounded the LGBTQ+ community at the time. It depicts their successes and triumphs, (12) (Jonathon dancing, having fun etc.) but also the devastating impacts of the mining strike and teaches the audience compassion through proving that union and togetherness can eventually lead to change, even where it seems impossible (13) (singing roses in hall). The film, however, is reluctant to outrightly blame right wing political groups and refrains from using words such as ‘socialism’, some critics have argued that this was done to try not to alienate any viewers who would label the film as left-wing propaganda, They also never mentioned that the newspaper headline ‘perverts support the pits’ was printed by The Sun, again avoiding such criticisms. (14)(pits and perverts newspaper). Despite these criticisms, pride went on to win 10 awards, including a BAFTA, which reiterates the films impact, as well as the importance and necessity of the moving storyline. Pride brought in only £75,000 on its opening weekend, but has since grossed nearly £6 million worldwide, this is a huge difference which could be explained by many different reasons, for instance the film may not have been advertised due to its smaller budget, or it may have been seen as too political for some audiences and so dissuaded some from watching. However, some people may have watched the film in the cinema because of the well known actors: Bill Nighy, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton and Andrew Scott, and a great ensemble cast. (15) (get small videos of different characters).
It is definitely a story that needed to be told, because for so many years was ignored by the media, but has had some great impacts on the lives of thousands, (16) (footage of gay marches etc). For instance, the alliances which the campaign forged between the LGBT community and British labour groups proved to be an important turning point in the progression of LGBT issues in the UK. Miners’ labour groups began to support, endorse and participate in various gay pride events throughout the UK, including leading London's Lesbian and Gay Pride parade in 1985. Additionally, at the 1985 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, a resolution committing the party to the support of LGBT rights passed, due to block voting support from the National Union of Mineworkers. The miners' groups were also among the most outspoken allies of the LGBT community in the 1988 campaign against Section 28.
Comments
Post a Comment