THIS IS ENGLAND

"I've already been picked on four times today"

Shaun (Turgoose) didn't really fit in at school. It was 1983 and was still having to wear flares and had a hair cut that lived in the 70s. This made it hard of a twelve year-old boy to make friends and cope with the loss of his father in the Falklands War but when he met Woody (Gilgun) and his friends he finally found somewhere he belonged. Becoming a skinhead and finally happy again, Shaun found himself his first girlfriend and a group of friends that made him feel like family. That all changed when Combo (Graham) returned from prison.

Writer/director Shane Meadows takes us back to the 1980s to give you his own vision of England at that time but is it a place we want to visit?

Roland Rat, miners strikes, royal weddings, growing unemployment, the Falkland's war and Maggie Thatcher in Number 10, the 1980s were a time of turmoil and change for England. Disillusioned young people rebelled against social expectations by shaving off their hair and wearing Ben Sherman shirts, rolled up jeans, braces and Dr Martins boots. Hanging around in the underpasses of the countries council estates, gangs of skinheads became the scourge of working class England, well that was what the newspapers wanted you to believe.

Shane Meadows is quickly becoming one of Britain's best independent filmmakers. After making a real splash with '24/7', 'A Room for Romeo Brass' and the brilliant 'Dead Man's Shoes', the writer/director has shown a real gift for being able to create memorable character, write naturalistic dialogue and get some simply stunning performances from his actors, however experienced they are. In 'This is England' he does the same again and creates a version of 1983, which, for a part, is probably a more realistic vision of what it was like to be a skinhead at the time. This was a time when the young of the working class, felt lost and alone, finding solace with each other and discover a way of life that gave them a escape from the mundane trappings of normal life. This is what happens to Shaun, a twelve year-old boy who is being constantly picked on at school and has no friends, until he meets Woody and his fellow skinheads.

The writer/director's semi-autobiographical story is brought to life by some of the naturalistic performances you will see this year. Best known for his performances in 'Snatch' and numerous British TV roles, Stephen Graham plays the troubled and extremely dislikeable Combo. After returning from a stretch in prison, he completely changes the dynamic of the group, enforcing his own neo-Nazi point of view on everyone who will listen. This is a role that shows how good an actor Stephen Graham can be and one that will push him to greater heights. The rest of the cast is populated with unknowns but this brings more to the movie. With standout performances from Joseph Gilgun as Woody and Vicky McClure as Lol, the young and inexperienced cast are completely natural in the roles. The shining light of the film is the performance of Thomas Turgoose as Shaun. This is one of the best performances by a child actor or any other actor making a debut in a movie. He is completely natural in the role, providing a performance that makes Shaun a real character and one that you want to follow through the duration of the film.

With outstanding performances from the cast and a story that, for the most part doesn't fall into clichés, this is a hard-hitting movie that effortlessly mixing drama with some touching comedic moments. Thomas Turgoose is the real star and gives a performance that will mesmerise you and draw you into the film and the movie proves again that Shane Meadows is one of the best British filmmakers working today.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Disc 1

Commentary with director Shane Meadows, producer Mark Herbert and 'Shaun' Thomas Turgoose
The writer/director, producer and star provide a fun and informative commentary track for 'This is England'. Meadows reveals how the semi-autobiographical story came to the silver screen and how he approached his first period movie. The group talk about recreating the 80s, shooting in St Annes in Nottingham and reproducing the look and feel of the era. They also talk to Thomas about his first acting role, how he became involved and what it was like shooting in chronological order. This is a fantastic commentary, filled with laugher, mickey taking and a lot of fun.

Trailers
Previews of 'Dead Man's Shoes', 'Exiled' and 'Brick'

Disc 2

Interviews

Shane Meadows' Guardian Interview at BFI South Bank (48.37 mins)
The writer/director talks after a screening of the movie at the British Film Institute. This comprehensive interview is both funny and informative as the charismatic Meadows shares his thoughts on his career and his latest movie. He talks passionately about his cast and the story they are trying to tell, revealing how he continues to learn from each movie he makes and how the failure of 'Once Upon a Time in the Midlands' changed his approach to making movies. This is an excellent and fun interview that gives you an insight into how Shane Meadows works.

Shane Meadows Interview with Jason Wood (4.21 mins)
The filmmaker talks about how the film was based on his own experiences and the other influences that drew him to the story. He talks passionately about the Skinhead movement and the sense of belonging that he felt when he was one.

Mark Herbert (Producer) (11.19 mins)
The producer reveals the premise behind the story, casting and finding Shaun, recreating the style, look and fashions of the 1980s and Thomas Turgoose's journey. Behind the Scenes Take a look at how the scenes 'Combo's flat', 'Shaun's haircut', 'Party Scene' and 'Newsagent Raid' were filmed with behind the scenes, B-roll footage and introductions b the cast and crew

Deleted Scenes (10.31 mins)
Entitled ''Outside the chip shop', 'Shaun sees the headmaster', 'Meggy and Shaun at the arcade', 'Cynth meets Smell', 'Milky and Combo score some weed', 'Shaun and Combo at the docks' and 'Alternative ending', these deleted or extended scenes suffer from the lack of a commentary track or introduction to reveal why they were removed.

Production Departments

Hair, Make up and Costumes (33.16 mins)
Behind the scenes footage of girls and boys of the movie getting their 1980s hair cuts and costumes, as they become Lol, Danielle and Woody. This is extremely funny with Joe Gilgun cracking everyone up with his running commentary.

Production design (9.47 mins)
Production designer Mark Leese talks about recreating 1983 and a mix of 80s and 70s designs. He talks about the research into the period, sets and props that had to be made or found for the movie.

Casting and Rehearsals

Cast Interviews and Rehearsals (30.48 mins)
Shane Meadows talks about the Skinhead movement, Thomas Turgoose and Stephen Graham rehearse and the Space Project that found Thomas Turgoose.

Tommo's Audition Tape (6.06 mins)
Watch Thomas Turgoose audition for casting director Des Hamilton in Grimsby as he talks his way into the part. Skinhead and Falkland War Essays Read about the history of the Skinhead movement and the war in the Falklands and what they mean to the film.

Cast Biographies
Read text biographies for Thomas Turgoose (Shaun), Stephen Graham (Combo), Jo Hartley (Cynth), Joe Gilgun (Woody), Andrew Shim (Milky), Vicky McClure (Lol) and brief outlines of the rest of the young cast.

Trailer (1.59 mins)
Watch the trailer that previewed the film at cinemas and on the Internet.

OVERALL

The DVD package for 'This is England' is exceptionally good. The two disc set is filled with excellent content that covers every aspect of the film's production, mixing fun with informative facts about the release. This shows how good a DVD set can be when you put a little thought into it. Fans of the film will be very pleased.

DVD

Dead Man's Shoes

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2007