London to Brighton

In what way has Britain been represented in the film London to Brighton?

Overall, this film represented Britain very negatively through the extreme portrayal of gang violence, prostitution and the way in which these illegal activities are so readily accessible and available. However, there are some positive aspects to this representation, one example of this is the character 'Kelly' since she shows a great deal of kindness to a child she has just met despite the fact that she is a prostitute therefore challenging the negative stereotype. The antagonist character 'Stuart' also contributes to this positivity by deciding not to kill the two girls, (who are in the prostitute business) at the films conclusion, this again goes against the negative stereotype.

In terms of authenticity, the events in the film do occur in life today but not all in the same event/situation, as the film has presented them. So we believe that in everyday life, through media such as newspapers, and television news we do see and hear of events such as these seen in the film, yet they do not have as much of a personal impact as the film does.

Can you identify a specific 'collective group' which has been represented within the film?

The collective group we have identified is the prostitution culture in the streets of London. This is represented by Kelly and one other prostitute shown in the film. They have unified identity in terms of the job they do yet Kelly has a more unique identity when she goes against the conventions of this identity since she goes out of her way to help someone else by earning money for this charcter instead of for herself. Whereas the other prostitute does her job for selfish needs and for the good of her boss. 

This group doesn't necessarily represent today's society, since from our own experience we have had exposure to this identity via media types such as film and newspapers. We are now knowledgable that not all prositutes are 'sleazy' and are just working because they are unwilling to get another job. However, society has attempted to create this negative image of prostitutes because of the requirements of the job they do.

Research into into the theory 'Collective Consciousness' theorist: Emile Durkheim

Collective Consciousness is summarised as the shared beliefs and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force within society. In the film London to Brighton shared beliefs about collective groups and particular stereotypes are challenged when characters conform to them. One example of this is when the 'Pimp' Derek provides one of his older customers with a twelve year old girl, this went against his shared belief on paedophiles and child abuse. This is also seen in the audiences view on prostitutes at the end of the film and how they have been altered through the character Kelly.