How Rural Britain Is Represented Within Films English Literature Essay

There are several contrasting definitions of The Rural, the ODPM estimation there to be over 30 definitions of rural countries used by the UK authorities organic structures, many of which are “ negative ” ( those countries that are non covered by the definition of Urban ) . For illustration, the UK nose count defines Urban as those countries with more than twenty uninterrupted hectares of “ urban land utilizations ” and the Rural to be everyplace else that does non suit the urban definition. As a consequence of this trouble, to specify a precise boundary of rural countries, Woods ( 2005 ) states that geographers are now proposing the rural be defined as a “ societal concept ” utilizing topographic points, traditions, objects, patterns and people to place ruralism and the impacts on peoples mundane lives. The rural idyll is the term used to specify the representation of the rural as being “ idyllic ” , peaceable, green, community, agribusiness, leisure. These idyllic representations come through to the general population through a manor of ways normally through the media ( Television, Radio, Posters, Advertisements, Films, Books ) . This paper will analyze the ways in which Rural Britain is represented through the medium of phantasy movies and how the rural is contrasted in different state of affairss. The four movies were all produced in the 2000s but based upon rural Britain between the old ages of 1902 to 1945, utilizing present twenty-four hours word pictures of past rural epoch.

Miss Potter ( 2006 ) , a biopic movie of Beatrix Potter the bestselling kids ‘s writer and illustrator, represents rural Britain in a instead Idyllic manner. Although the chief organic structure of the movie is set in 1902 London, the household spent the summers in the small town of Sawrey, Lake District, England. Miss Potter expressed the sentiment of “ I felt like an animate being realised from its coop, I fell under its enchantment ” this statement gives the feeling that the ruralism of the country produces the feelings of freedom, creativeness and escapade. The representation of the District is one of a picturesque topographic point and introduces the feeling of the “ rural idyll ” . This is shown with shootings of mountains, lakes, trees and forests, in add-on to the usage of tranquil music. However the movie besides shows that rural Britain is under menace by metropolis developers. “ If you wait excessively long it wo n’t be here to paint, the big farms are being broken up into little secret plans and sold off. ” In the movie a meeting is shown by Support the lands trust, where developers were paying off husbandmans to construct on the land “ if we allow the metropolis developers to develop on the land there will be no more agrarian, all we will be left with is a destroyed landscape and a ruined community ” . This shows that the rural is seen in different ways by urban developers and rural communities. The community are inexorable that they want to maintain the land for farming and rural activities and non allow it be “ ruined ” by developers. It is considered to be premier land where a batch of net income can be made from edifice houses but has more value to the community as a on the job farm. “ This topographic point, this community is an inspiration it should be conserved for future coevalss and non destruct it deserves protection ” . Beatrix Potter brought a sum of 4,000 estates of farming area which she left to the British people through a preservation trust “ beauty is deserving continuing ” .

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In Nanny Mcphee and the large knock ( 2009 ) , Nanny Mcphee finds herself at a household farm where mayhem has broken out between some rambunctious state kids and their spoiled metropolis cousins. In this movie rural Britain is represented in different ways depending on the position point of the characters. The state kids view the rural “ beautiful farm ” as a topographic point of work, a household working farm, and all the kids must assist with the jobs in order to maintain the farm ticking over. The farm is situated outside a little small town with thatched bungalows. A topographic point where everyone knows everyone. The movie gives the rural a sense of a tranquil, peaceable beautiful “ idyllic ” universe and this is shown through a shooting of a immature male child in a aureate maize field, the air current blowing through his hair, with the turn overing hills of the English countryside in the background accompanied with placid music. In contrast to this and to Miss Potter ( 2011 ) this representation of rural Britain is changed when the metropolis cousins come to remain. When they arrive, the perceptual experience of the state is one of beauty when they pass a state manor “ how sweetly reasonably ” . However, their perceptual experiences change as they move closer to the farm where they arrive to “ the land of poo, where poo is everyplace every bit far as the oculus can see ” and the state kids are “ barbarians ” . Visions of soil, clay and manure are portrayed throughout the movie. They do non desire to remain in this “ atrocious cesspool ” . The sentiments of the kids of each other ‘s manner of life suggests that interaction between metropolis and state common people is rare as they are either seen as “ dirty, smelly, populating like animate beings ” ( state ) or as “ rude and spoilt ” ( metropolis ) .

Another contrast in rural representations within movies comes from War Equus caballus ( 2011 ) . A movie version of the British writer Michael Morpurgo ‘s 1982 kids ‘s novel. Set in Devon in 1912 ( before and during World War I ) , the movie Centres on the narrative of a immature Devon husbandmans boy who witnesses the birth of a foal. He watches with esteem the growing of the immature Equus caballus, galloping through the Fieldss at his female parent ‘s side. The opening scene of the movie shows the turn overing hills of the British countryside with the Sun lifting. This scene creates a picturesque sense of topographic point. As the camera pans over the countryside images of little distant small towns surrounded by estates of Fieldss. This represents the traditional images of the countryside. The movie represents the adversity of poorness and how rural households will seek anything to get the better of times of adversity. The bravery and finding of a immature husbandman ‘s male child is shown when he helps his male parent to turn out the locals incorrect and that the Equus caballus and his household are non useless and worthless. This is shown in the scene where the Equus caballus ( brought at a local husbandmans market ) is non a suited animate being to plow a field but the finding of the male child to develop the Equus caballus shows that rural Britain is a tough environment but can be overcome.

The concluding movie to be considered in this paper is Glorious 39 ( 2009 ) . Although the movie is chiefly set in present twenty-four hours London the movie shows flashbacks to the summer of 1939 at the Keyes estate in Norfolk. The estate is an old state sign of the zodiac set outside of a small town surrounded by green Fieldss and trees. The house and garden are described as “ beautiful ” and there were “ so many topographic points to play ” . Opening scenes show 3 adolescents running through the English countryside towards old ruins moving out a blade battle. The laughter and attention free attitude of the teens suggests that the countryside is a topographic point to hold a relaxed and adventuresome childhood. A scene that illustrates the household picnicking in a aureate field surrounded by Fieldss represents the “ rural idyll ” to be a topographic point where beauty and nature are present. The idyllic perceptual experience of the countryside is ruined when the kids stumble across four functionary looking work forces delving a grave and burying a organic structure. This demonstrates that the rural can be a surprising, unexpected and secret topographic point. This is reinforced when one adolescent breaks the regulations and enters the “ out ” shed to which she discovers contains authorities paperss. When the slaying ( suicide ) of an of import MP is discovered and a babe goes losing in the forests the movie represents the rural as a unsafe and inexcusable topographic point. The movie shows that household and rural communities are strong in times of adversity, proposing a traditional feel to the rural. This is shown by the statement “ it ‘s good to see that at this difficult clip the household comes together and is still respected by the community ” .

In decision, the present twenty-four hours word pictures of past rural Britain epochs can alter within movies every bit good as across movies. This can be from the hidebound position of the “ rural idyll ” as shown in Miss Potter with the picturesque positions of mountains and lakes, to the menace of urbanization and urban conurbation initiated by metropolis developers. In contrast the tranquility and aureate Fieldss of that shown in Nanny Mcphee are accordingly over thrown by the positions of urban metropolis inhabitants who view the rural in a different more “ ugly ” visible radiation. War Horse besides contradicts its sense of rural Britain from being a picturesque, ideal topographic point to a topographic point where adversity and poorness is frequently suffered by rural households. A concluding point to pull on, is the manner in which Glorious 39 represents the rural as being a “ beautiful ” topographic point but besides where secrets and danger can show themselves in an unexpected manor.

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