Title Sequence Analysis

THIS IS ENGLAND:
Opening Sequence:

The title sequence for This Is England uses archive footage from the 80's, including footage of Margaret Thatcher, ballet dancers and punks. These opening credits reflect the tumultuous times during the 80's, the birth of a social revolution and the uprise of Margaret Thatcher and the Tory party.

 However some of the archive movies show the fun side of the 80's, including Roland Rat, Space Invaders and music, to represent the contrasting side of the era















The titles themselves use a rough font to display the general rough feeling and struggle of the era. The titles when the actors names appear include numbers, with the font reflecting soldiers dog tags and the numbers reflecting the soldiers that had died (in the Falklands conflict). The rough font of 'This Is England' (also in capitals) in front of the working class estate represent the hardships of the times and the setting of the film.

Rough font in front of a working class estate

A close up of the numbers incorporated into the actors names.

However, there is a contrast in the archive movies between the low but revolutionary working class (holding protest marches and beating up policemen) and the high affluent class (Princess Diana's wedding and Ronald Reagan).

The first thing shown is a clip of Roland Rat saying "Testing testing 1,2,3!' before being followed by a song by Toots and the Maytals and a black screen with rough white font, 'Film Four and The Film Council Presents'. This immediately instils trust in the audience, as Film Four and the Film Council are both well known companies who have a reputation for producing and showcasing good films.