Billy Elliot is the story of a 12-year-old boy who is among the conflict of social classes in County Durham in Britain between the blue-collar miner workers and the white-collar. His mother died when he was little, and his father, a miner who is struggling to make ends meet while joining the riots of miners strike, pays him to study boxing, hoping him to be a boxer to help the family’s financial situation. At the same time Billy has adopted his love for ballet.
Under pressure, Billy secretly studies his ballet with the ballet teacher in the boxing gym, despite his father gave him pennies for boxing class. He discovered his talent and passion to be a ballet dancer. Later his father discovered the truth and forced him to only stay at home and take care of his grandmother.
Billy who is caught between his family that disapproves his ballet studying and his love of ballet, burst out with grittiness to dance in spite of all obstacles. In the middle part of the movie it shows Billy trying to dance in the chaotic conditions, which are violence between riots of miners and the police who try to suppress them. His brother got caught and prisoned, and he missed the audition for ballet school. The conflicts rose when his father saw him dancing with his friend who is a homosexual. But finally his father decides that his son really has a talent and sent him to audition in London. The movie ends with Billy as a grown-up and is successful as a professional ballet dancer.
In reality it is always difficult to follow our dreams, because of many factors, both from ourselves and the society. But in Billy’s case it is from the society, such as his father and older brother, who expect him to do a realistic and masculine job more than ballet, not to mention ballet’s education expenses, which mostly people from middle to high class can afford to pay.
Moreover, this film is also a good portrayal of social class conflicts in Britain. It portrays the background of the conflicts between working class and middle-class people in Britain, which happens in every society. However, the film does not discuss the idea of justice in the society or demolition of any social class. But it tends to bring out the individual feeling of the passion and aspiration they have inside, such as their true dream.
4 comments:
In Billy’s world, the most that he should expect for is to be mature and strong enough to make his place next to his father and his older brother in the coal mine cite. Not just Billy, his Dad, brother, and grandma are messed up to keep their lives together after the passing of Billy’s mother, but they are also in terrible financial channel because of the extended miners’ protest. However, for Billy, what is worse than the loss his mother, or even fear of having nothing to eat, is his decision to sell his boxing gloves for ballet shoes. Even if there were any future in ballet, most men are not often do it.
Nothing can send a child’s dream to its destination unless they get support from parents.
It is an interesting film. It reflects reality in life that we tend to take social judgment into our account. Gender is also another key factor as well. What parents expectations from their children to be are different depend on gender. “Ballet” that labels for girls however gender is no longer a barrier to be successful for Billy because he strongly believes in himself as well as his own talent. As long as children get full support to chase their dream the dream will come true one day. This film proves a fact that family is a fundamental of the successful for their own children.
Prejudice happens in every community, boxing is for male meanwhile ballet is for female. The prejudice has created the fort that limit the extraordinary idea of those young generations. Even so, it is the greatest chance for Billy that his father finally understands and supports him for reaching Billy’s dream.
The casting team is another fact that we should not disregard, Jimmy Bell was chosen to play in Billy role because he used to experience the teasing in his dancing class. This is the reason why the picture of Billy is impressed all the audience vividly.
From this moive,we should realized that parents' blocking dreams of thier children is a bad thing.On the countrary,they should inspire thier children to learn what they want to learn.They will be happy with that.In real life I see some parents don't obey thier children to study what they want becuase they think it cannot be useful for future career.In fact,parents
should realize that it's thier children's wanting,not thier wanting.They should inspire whatever they want to learn.
Potgarn
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