How British Social Realism themes are used

How British Social Realism themes are used

 Let Him Have It

Corruption of Youth

The main theme of this move is the corruption of youth. The main character Derek Bentley has mental disabilities that give him the mentality of a 13 year old. Throughout the text, Derek is constantly manipulated and mislead by his peers who take advantage of Derek's disability. However it is not only disabled people who have a corrupted youth, but also the other children. In the first few minutes the audience can see the other character climb into a un-authorised building without permission which connotes to the rebellious youth who don't conform to the rules and laws of society. The text shows the audience how cynical the world really is, and how nobody is really you're friend but rather people with their own goals in mind, that shapes the youth.

Mental Illness

As mentioned earlier, the main character, Derek Bentley has a mental illness. Near the end of the scene you can see from his facial expression that he is under a lot of pressure and is very nervous due to the gunfire and death that occurs around him. Around 1:45 of the clip the audience can see that Derek is easily peer pressured into committing a crime that he never wanted to do, connoting to how people manipulate and pressure people with mental illnesses to meet their own goals. Some members of the audience with mental illness may be able to relate if they have ever been put into a uncomfortable situation because of peer pressure, giving that person personal identification with the character, making that person want to watch the text even more.

Rebellion

Throughout the entire clip there is a constant amount of rebellion. The two characters break into a building, carrying weapons and then one of them kills/wounds 2 police officers which is the ultimate form of rebellion - attacking the authority. The two characters are quite young and emotional, which is shown when Derek starts crying and shouting when gunshots start so sound and the other character starts to scream and emotionally fire into the sky, feeling more and more dominant with every round that he releases. Some members of the audience who have never broken the law may use the text for escapism into what it feels like to break the law, fight in the streets and actually kill people, which for members of the audience that have never broken the law can give surges of adrenaline and action, making them pay more and more attention to the text.

Aspiration and Escape

Although this theme may not be very obvious, the text reeks of aspiration and escape as the dull and boring, goody two-shoes Derek Bentley  is transformed into a gang member who carries weapons and breaks the law with his colleagues. Derek was bored with his dull life and wanted a taste of what was seen as "cool" back in the era that the text was set in. Derek wanted to escape into a life that he had never experienced before, only seen. Certain members of the audience who can relate to Derek would enjoy this movie the best because the text is set through Derek's eyes and his emotions are clear, he is actually an innocent and kind young man, not the gangster who he has set himself up to be.

Isolation and Exclusion

The theme of isolation and exclusion becomes very clear as Derek freaks out when the gunshots start to fly all around him, he runs to be on his own, away from the other character with the gun. This connotes to how Derek is excluded by the gun which has connotations of danger and death. Derek is excluded from the life of danger and death in the text. Derek being the only character in the entire text who has a mental illness is definitely isolated as he has nobody who he can relate to so he chooses his friends poorly which results in the dangerous gunfight on the rooftop.