billy elliot essay pdf

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2x Essays on Billy Elliot

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Stephen Daldry’s film Billy Elliot is a film that highlights the struggles and opportunities that arise in an individual’s everyday life. Billy is living in a society where ‘football, boxing or wrestling’ are the typical masculine activities a boy could participate in. Although Billy finds himself interested in ballet, but is faced with many obstacles including the society he lives in, his family’s lack of support and his family’s financial situation. Throughout the film Daldry uses music to support the meaning and mood of each scene.

The non-diegetic music played in the scenes with the police and strikers was ‘London Calling’ by The Clash as it represents anger and discontent. The fact that Billy’s father and brother were miners on a strike adds to the difficulty of gaining their support to attend the London Royal Ballet School. The music emphasizes the tension and aggravation of the situation and identifies how serious Billy’s family is struggling financially. This is a major obstacle for Billy as even with the struggle to gain his family support, it is not enough to make his dream come true.

Before Billy gained his father and brothers support he was faced with many confronting experiences. His father was paying 50 pence for him to attend boxing classes although he didn’t particularly thrive in boxing. Billy found himself being knocked to the ground by an opponent and as he lay on the ring floor, non-diegetic music played over the scene capturing his intriguing stare towards the ballet dancers. The sounds exaggerate the scene and cause the audience to stop and be captured, feeling the same experience as Billy did.

Although he was facing many adversities, especially in boxing class being called ‘a disgrace to them gloves, your father and the traditions of this boxing hall’, he was on the verge of a transformation. It was at this moment that Billy knew there was something special about the ballet and that he was intrigued by it. This is reinforced in the following scene where George gives him the keys to hand to Mrs Wilkinson and orders him to stay back and practice hitting the bag. As Billy was doing this he was once again attracted to the diegetic music of the dancers at practice and began to move in sync with the swinging boxing bag and the music. Although Billy was faced with an obstacle and a negative experience in boxing class, an opportunity flourished from his after class punishment and he began to join ballet classes instead of attending boxing with the 50 pence his father would give him.

As Billy begins to attend the ballet lessons the audience begin to see a transformation in his spirit and everyday mood. Billy begins to feel satisfaction, excitement and rebelliousness. The song ‘Get It On (Bang a Gong)’ by the T Rex begins to play and continues throughout the next few scenes of Billy at school, looking in the mirror with a new sense of self respect, and on the cross country run taking a detour into a tunnel under the bridge. The music and the scene reflect the rebelliousness and this transformational nature that Billy has experienced since joining the ballet lessons. This sense of rebelliousness and transformation is reinforced in the scene where Billy visits the Durham Country Library Bus. He steals a book about ballet by putting it down his pants as the librarian is distracted. This scene reinforces the change in Billy’s attitude as the thrill and rebelliousness he feels is highlighted in the background music.

It is then in the next scene that the audience notice that the song begins to fade out as Billy makes his way up the staircase to the practice hall. This warns the audience that his thrilling nature will not last long and that he will soon face an obstacle. The following scenes show Billy doubting his abilities and turning his positive and exhilarating attitude into a weak and negative one. Mrs Wilkinson pushes him to learn a difficult pirouette and he is doubtful as he is struggling to make the turn. It is here that the audience appreciate and understand the role that diegetic and non-diegetic music plays in complementing the themes of the film.

As in Billy Elliot, the text Midnight Train to Georgia identifies that there are obstacles and opportunities in every individual’s life. Everyone’s journey may be unique, but it is a universal thing to experience obstacles and transformations due to the experiences in your life. The song composed by Jim Weatherly has a voice of a woman whose partner experiences a negative transition. The composer has used symbolism through the title and main aspect of the song. The simple use of ‘midnight’ train itself expresses a sense of obstacle or adversity. The slouching time of midnight highlights that the transition or journey to Georgia is going to be a long and difficult one. It also shows that the transition may not be welcomed as it is being delayed to midnight. This also fits in well with the mood of the music as it has a smooth tempo and rhythm. The song does not have a rock or pop genre, it is quite calm which emphasises the unknown journey of what may come ahead.

The man that is being sung about was originally from Georgia and travelled to Los Angeles with a dream to become a ‘superstar’.  He finds himself looking grip of his dreams and facing reality where he is heading back home to a ‘simpler place and time’. His transition to Los Angeles was not a positive experience for him as things did not go to plan, although he met a devoted women ‘who’s gonna be right by his side”. Although this transition has been a negative one for the musician, it has transformed him. He met a woman who supports his dream and would ‘rather live in his world than live without him’. Although it has been a challenging transition for the two of them a positive opportunity has occurred. Now they are both on a journey to transition back to Georgia where she will stay by his side and they can build a life together in a place he knew not so long ago.

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Billy Elliot

By stephen daldry, billy elliot quotes and analysis.

"Just because I like ballet don't mean I'm a poof, you know." Billy Elliot

Billy is well aware of the stereotype that people see when they see male ballet dancers. Men like his father and the kids he is at school with believe that his love of ballet is symbolic of his sexuality. In this instance, his friend Michael (who is gay) also seems to believe there's a correlation between his interest in ballet and his sexuality, but with this quote, Billy insists that there is not.

Sandra: This'll sound strange, Billy, but for some time now I've been thinkin' of the Royal Ballet School. Billy: Aren't you a bit old, Miss? Sandra: No, not me... you! I'm the bloody teacher. Sandra and Billy

Mrs. Wilkinson introduces Billy to dancing in general and ballet in particular, and she realizes very quickly that he is her most talented student. She knows that he is talented enough to at least audition for the Royal Ballet School, but knows that it will sound strange to Billy, and to anyone else, that a boy from a mining family should pursue a calling to dance at the highest level. This comic exchange marks the first suggestion that Billy take his craft more seriously and pursue dance with passion and focus. It also shows the wry irreverent tone of both Billy and Sandra.

Grandma: I used to go to ballet. Billy: See? Jackie: All right for your Nana. For girls. No, not for lads, Billy. Lads do football...or boxing...or wrestling. Not friggin' ballet. Billy, Jackie, Grandma

Billy is triumphant when his grandmother tells his father that she used to take ballet classes. He feels that it validates his interest, but Jackie sees Grandma's dancing aspirations as proof that ballet is for girls and not for boys. This exchange marks the fact that Billy and others believe in his talent, while Jackie does not.

"Sorta feels good. Sorta stiff and that, but once I get going... then I like, forget everything. And... sorta disappear. Sorta disappear. Like I feel a change in my whole body. And I've got this fire in my body. I'm just there. Flyin' like a bird. Like electricity. Yeah, like electricity." Billy

At the end of his audition, when it seems like things have not gone very well for Billy, a judge asks him what it feels like when he dances. Billy says this as his response. It is an unformed, un-pre-meditated, and raw account of his emotional experience of dance. The descriptors he uses show the judges (and the viewer) that Billy has a deeply felt passion for his discipline, that it is something intrinsic to his very being.

Billy: I think I'm scared, Dad. Jackie: That's okay, son. We're all scared. Billy: Well... if I don't like it, can I still come back? Jackie: Are you kidding? We've let out your room. Billy and Jackie

Just before Billy goes to ballet school, he and his father visit his mother's grave, and Billy expresses his reservations about going away to school. While he is very passionate about dance, he knows that going to a fancy dance school in London will be a huge culture shock and will change the course of his life. Affectionately, his father jokes that he has no choice but to stay at the school, since he's going to be renting his room.

Billy: So what about your mother? Does she have sex? Debbie: No, she's unfulfilled. That's why she dances. Billy: She dances instead of sex? Your family's weird! Billy & Debbie

Debbie, Sandra's daughter, tells Billy that her mother is unfulfilled in her marriage to her father, which is why she is so passionate about dance. In this moment we learn more about Sandra, and the fact that she is such a good teacher in part because she is making up for other parts of her life that are not so good.

"You're a ballet dancer, then let's be havin' it!" Tony

When Sandra goes to the Elliots' house to confront them about the fact that Billy missed his audition, Tony is indignant about his brother's interest, bullying his brother for his secret girly passion. He tells Billy to get on the table and dance to prove to them that he's a dancer. This moment epitomizes the aggressive and bullying disposition of Billy's older brother, Tony.

Sandra : She must've been a very special woman, your mother. Billy : No she was just me mam. Sandra and Billy

In this exchange, Sandra tries to sentimentalize her sympathy for Billy's loss of his mother. She tries to soften the fact of the loss by suggesting that his mother was special, but Billy takes a more straightforward approach, insisting that she wasn't special, she was just his mother. His candor suggests that his mother doesn't need to have been special for him to miss her.

"I'm going to let Mrs. Wilkinson use the bottom end of the boxing hall for her ballet lessons. So no hanky-panky, understood?" George, the boxing instructor

As George tells the boxers that Sandra is going to be using the gym for ballet, this marks the first point at which Billy sees the ballet class. This simple shared use of space, remarked upon casually by George, marks the beginning of a major shift in Billy's life.

Billy: Tony, do you ever think about death? Tony: Fuck off. Billy and Tony

Early on in the film, Billy tries to connect with his brother about the loss of their mother, but Tony has no interest, telling his younger brother to "fuck off." This shows that Tony has a bullying temperament, and that Billy is lonely in his own family.

Billy Elliot Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Billy Elliot is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

“Lads do football…or boxing…or wrestling. Not friggin’ ballet.” How does the film challenge the traditional notions of masculinity and femininity?

This movie takes place a long time before Harry Styles donned a dress and looked "way cool".

Gender is at the center of Billy's problems, even though he sees no issue with his interest in ballet. In the town where he is from, boxing is for boys...

Does Mrs. Wilkinson want Billy to come to boxing class next week?

Chapter please?

How does Billy Elliot portray the theme of being masculine?

Gender and masulinity is are at the center of Billy's problems, even though he sees no issue with his interest in ballet. In the town where he is from, boxing is for boys and ballet for girls, yet Billy's deep love for dance draws him towards...

Study Guide for Billy Elliot

Billy Elliot study guide contains a biography of director Stephen Daldry, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Billy Elliot
• Billy Elliot Summary
• Character List
• Director's Influence

Essays for Billy Elliot

Billy Elliot essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Billy Elliot, directed by Stephen Daldry.

• Young Men and Their Chosen Paths: Stephen Daldry's film Billy Elliot and Seamus Heaney's poem 'Follower'
• Making History Personal in 'Billy Elliot': Social and Cultural Upward Mobility under Thatcher’s Government
• Human Experiences Can Be Difficult but Transformative: Comparing 'Billy Elliot" and ‘Deng Adut University of Western Sydney Advertisement’

Wikipedia Entries for Billy Elliot

• Introduction