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From films and the media we are given stereotypes. The films Billy Elliot and Bend it Like Beckham challenge these stereotypes. The stereotypes that we see in the films include male ballet dancers being gay; women can't play football and should do feminine things. These are challenged by the two main characters Billy, a male ballet dancer and Jess, a female footballer. The two films also have strong cultural roots that are challenged, as Billy is from a working class northern background where ballet dancing is traditionally thought to be upper class and that male ballet dancers were gay or camp. Jess is from a traditional Indian family where women are meant to cook and stay in the home, not go and disgrace the family by playing football, traditionally a man's game.
In the film Billy Elliot, Billy's dad has very distinct Ideas about what boys should do for sports and hobbies. 'Manly' sports like boxing are what boys should do "not friggin' ballet" as his dad says. Billy's dad may object to his son going to ballet because he is going on the stereotypical view that all male ballet dancers are gay and he does not want his son to be gay. Billy reassures his dad when he says, "Just because I like ballet, doesn't mean I'm a poof you know!"
In the film Bend it like Beckham there are two pushing parents. Jess' dad and Jules' mother. Jess' parents would like for her to stay in school and get a good job like becoming a lawyer and become a big part in family life. Jess wants this too but she also wants to play football. Football in her parents' eyes is wrong for her to do. This is because they have a stereotypical view of women's football. They might think that other Indian families would judge their family if Jess is not traditional and does something new or out of the ordinary. I think that this is because in Indian culture conformity is a big thing.
Indian parents usually have very distinct ideas about what their children should do but this may be a stereotypical view from me!
Jules' Mother also has a stereotypical view of female sports too. She believes that female sports women are lesbians and do not have boyfriends. She says to Jules "Just remember there is a reason why sporty spice is the only one without a fellow"
This is indicating that men are not attracted to sporty women, which is not always true.
The view of Indian families being traditional and conformist is shown in Bend it like Beckham when Tony tells Jess that he is gay. Jess replies "But….but you're Indian!" This confirms that being Indian and being different is a bigger issue than being gay. Which is usually the issue in western community. Tony is the only sensitive male in the film and he is gay apart from Joe. This is another stereotype that young straight men are not sensitive.
Billy's dad is a very interesting character in the film as he, at first, has extremely stereotypical views on ballet and is strongly against Billy continuing to do ballet. So much so that he beats Billy and Billy has to secretly go to ballet without his dad's permission. Later on in the film we see Billy's dad supporting him in his ballet to the extreme that he goes back to work in the mine and betrays his work colleges by becoming a 'scab'. He does this so that he can pay for Billy to go to London to audition at the Ballet school. This huge U-turn made by Billy's dad happens when Billy stands up to his dad and dances in front of him in the gym hall. His dad storms off and on his way home he realises that the stereotypical view he had of ballet dancers 'prancing' around is wrong and that Billy really does have a lot of talent. He also realises that his older son Tony now has a poor job and is very violent. Maybe he discouraged Tony when he was young and he does not want to make the same mistake with Billy.
This same change in character happens to Jess' dad. He is completely against his daughter playing football and we learn at the end of the film why. When Jess' dad first came to England he was a great cricket player and when he played he was discriminated against because of his race and because he was different. Since then he had never played cricket again. He was worried that Jess may get the same treatment and suffer like this. He changed his view when he watched Jess play football and be a big part of the team.
Both the films are set within strong cultural or social backgrounds. In Bend it like Beckham Jess and Tony have problems being themselves because of the Indian culture of conformity and tradition. In Billy Elliot both Billy and his best friend Michael have problems expressing themselves because of the hard northern, working class society. Tony and Michael cannot show their true sexuality due to pressure from their social groups. Jess is unable to express herself by doing what she loves because in the Indian culture women are to conform to normal traditions. Jules also has problems in Bend it like Beckham because her mother wants her to be a 'proper' girl by wearing skirts and trying to get a boyfriend instead of wearing tracksuit bottoms and playing football.
Music is used a lot in both films. In Bend it like Beckham music is often used to show the contrast between the Indian and western cultures. This is shown when Jess is playing in the football final and it is the build up to the penalty while Binky's wedding is celebrated. The two pieces of music help show the mixed cultural and social backgrounds that Jess has.
In Billy Elliot the music is also very important. At the start of Billy Elliot, Billy is dancing on his brother's bed listening to a Marc Bolan record. Marc Bolan was a 'Glam' rock artist who wore make-up etc. I think that this music at the start is linked with the theme of sexuality and some men being different to hard, cold northern 'lads'. Also it is linked to right at the end of the film when Michael is dressed as a woman. While the riot between the miners and the police is going on the music is very hard punk music, which is stereotypically linked to violence. This emphasises the point of rage and anger shown by the striking miners.
When Billy is angry at his family for fighting with his ballet teacher we see him dancing very fast, showing his raw emotion of anger. This is accompanied by fast angry music that is the complete opposite of normal, soft ballet music. This contrast shows Billy's conflicting home and ballet environments. At the end of the film the dramatic music of Swan Lake builds up to a climax just before Billy leaps onto the stage as an adult. This builds up the tension and is showing how all of the stress that Billy has had to cope with are unleashed when he dances. The music in both films is used to convey feelings of the characters. For example when Billy is sad and talking to his dead mother the music has a soft and sad style.
Scene cutting is used in the films to great effect. The two main time that it is used is during the Indian wedding / football final and in Billy Elliot while the striking minors are picketing / Billy at ballet class.
The main effect that this fast scene cutting is it shows the great contrast between the characters at one certain time. In the case of Billy Elliot it also shows what the real world is compared to what Billy would like it to be, aggressive and distressed, to calm and peaceful.
In the case of Bend it like Beckham the scene cutting shows the emotions of Jess and Binky. They are both ecstatic at the same time but for completely different reasons. It all comes to a climax when Binky is lifted up being the new bride, while Jess is lifted up by her team-mates for scoring the winning goal in the cup final.
Camera angles and length of shot vary in the films to show different emotions or points of view. In Bend it like Beckham the long shots are mostly used when Jess is playing football so when she runs she stays in shot without the camera having to move a great deal. Close-up shots of the footballers running help show the speed that they are running at as the background blurs and moves really quickly. Close-up shots show the detail and skill the footballers are using when they are playing. Close-up shots also show emotion like when Jess is just about to take the penalty. We can see her nervousness and the fear in her face because of a close-up shot. In contrast, long shots can show mood or feelings in scenes. In Billy Elliot a long shot is used when Billy's ballet teacher is in the gym waiting for him. It shows that the teacher is alone and disappointed that Billy has not turned up. The room that she is in is dark and gloomy making it look very spiritual and meaningful. Close-up shots in Billy Elliot show the detail of his ballet dancing when it focuses on his feet. They also show the exertion and determination on Billy's face when he is dancing.
I think that both the films do help to challenge stereotypes and prejudices. I think it has made me more aware of the troubles stereotypes and prejudice can cause people. The scene I liked best in Billy Elliot was the one where Billy was dancing down the street on his way home. I liked this one as I thought it showed Billy's raw passion and desire to dance. In Bend it like Beckham the scene I liked most was the scene at the end when Jess' father and Joe were playing cricket. I thought that this showed that people can overcome their prejudices and that Jess' dad had mastered his boyhood rejection and was now doing what he loved to do. If I could change some points in the film I would change how the ending of Billy Elliot so that we got to see more of the adult Billy dancing. This would show the audience that Billy and his family had completely overcome their original prejudices.
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