The Scorsese of the Midlands

August 22, 2010 9:25 AM

This is England '86, the television series sequel to the film This Is England by director Shane Meadows will broadcast in the UK next week. Meadows started his career with a number of ultra-cheap short films on borrowed equipment, a couple of which have found there way onto the internet.

King Of The Gypsies (Meadows hopes to eventually make a drama feature on this subject)

The Stairwell

Le Donks Break-dancing Master-class extravaganza

Le Donk's 10 Favourite Films

Le Donk is a character who Meadows created in collaboration with Paddy Constantine who later appeared in the short feature Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee

Advertisements directed by Shane Meadows

Shane Meadows talking to a film studies class (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Filmmakers on film: Shane Meadows on Mean Streets

posted by fearfulsymmetry (22 comments total)

Thanks so much for sharing! This Is England is one of my favorite films. It's really amazing and moving. All of the characters have so much humanity. I can't wait for the series!
posted by bloody_bonnie at 10:01 AM on August 22, 2010

Good to hear that Meadows has cast Thomas Turgoose again – he's a great young actor and it's a pity that he wasn't in Le Donk... because I think he really brings out the best in Meadows's style of humour. It will be good to see Andrew Shim again too, and I really like Vicky McClure (to the extent that I'm actually quite tempted to watch that crap film by Madonna because she's in it).
posted by mattn at 10:18 AM on August 22, 2010

This Is England was a WONDERFUL film. So excited to hear about this series! Thank you - buffering those shorts now.
posted by Marquis at 10:46 AM on August 22, 2010

I hope it makes it to Netflix. I liked the film a lot, and would love to see this.
posted by Forktine at 10:51 AM on August 22, 2010

I pretty much always find Meadows' films flawed in some way or other, but treasure them anyway for the sublime dialogue he manages to get up on screen. I'll look forward too this.
It's Paddy Considine y'know. Get a mod on the case!
posted by Abiezer at 10:58 AM on August 22, 2010

I knew this was going to be about Meadows when I saw it on the RSS feed. I love how he brings the small stuff to the big screen. I loved Small Time and This is England! Not sure why you find his stuff flawed.

Also the boxing one with Bob Hoskins is pretty good.

*Favourited*
posted by marienbad at 12:01 PM on August 22, 2010

It's Paddy Considine y'know. Get a mod on the case!

Damn... obviously my subconscious was thinking Hellblazer, should have doubled checked.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:16 PM on August 22, 2010

Loved the movie! Thanks for the heads up on the series.
posted by ericthegardener at 12:46 PM on August 22, 2010

RE: mentions of flaws by various people.

Yes, I also agree with this. One thing that has disappointed me is that several of his films have ended with violent and melodramatic endings, which seems like a bit of a cop out given the quality of some of the plotting and dialogue in the rest of the film. (In addition to this, Somers Town is too short and lacks a conclusive ending.) The last film of his (Le Donk...) was also not particularly good due to it being done in a rushed way.

That's why I'm so pleased about the return of Thomas Turgoose. He really takes well to Meadows's thoughtful, funny social observation – which is what Meadows should focus on rather than the melodramatic stuff.
posted by mattn at 1:56 PM on August 22, 2010

The thing that impressed me about This is England is how it dramatized racism that has evolved to become situational, rather than institutional. It showed racism as a gut reaction persisting in a tamed and rationalized state, caused more by our tribal instincts than by ignorance.
posted by bendybendy at 4:57 PM on August 22, 2010

As someone born and bought up in Nottingham, I remember seeing A Room For Rome Brass (the short) and Where's The Money Ronnie when I was at university and being hit by several bolts of revelation at someone putting my area, my slang, my town on the screen. They rang true in a way that Ken Loach/Mike Leigh films never could (especially Mike Leigh films which I find obscurely annoying and unwatchable) and really expanded, for me, the possibilities of film.

If I was the sort of person who could be inspired to do things, rather than a lazy get, I'd have got together some friends, blagged a film camera, shot my own short movies and be a respected film director, thus redeeming this comment. I suspect instead went down the college bar and bored a load of people about how true it was while playing pool shots squashed up against a wall.
posted by Hartster at 4:05 AM on August 23, 2010 [2 favorites]

Oh, I keep meaning to see Somers Town. That's got Thomas Turgoose in too/
posted by mippy at 4:36 AM on August 23, 2010

It's interesting that in the interview Meadows slags off Leigh's films as being caricatures, which I agree with. I grew up in a couple of shabby East Midlands market towns and Meadows films are about the only time I've seen that realistically depicted on the screen.

I remember his introduction to the book that's got the scripts for TwentyFour:Seven and a couple of his shorts as being one of the best 'get off your arse' manifestos I've read.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 6:17 AM on August 23, 2010

I have still yet to see This Is England.

/hangs head in shame.
posted by Artw at 10:47 AM on August 23, 2010

And perhaps this one will have even MORE Maytals choons.
posted by The Giant Squid at 8:24 PM on August 23, 2010

England rebooted: Shane Meadows is revisiting This Is England on the small screen
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:41 AM on September 2, 2010

Shane Meadows On Shane Meadows - The director of This Is England '86 takes us through his filmography

"When I started on This Is England ‘86 the main worry was TV spin-offs that had happened before. I couldn't think of one that’s worked...."

Just had a flashback to the horrific Lock Stock television series...
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 11:44 AM on September 3, 2010

I liked how every episode would have the exact same plot with a slightly different MacGuffin and opposing gangs to play against each other.

Actually that's Snatch as well.
posted by Artw at 12:10 PM on September 3, 2010

Shane Meadows's This Is England gang will give Channel 4 a kick up the 80s
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:10 AM on September 4, 2010

"Scorsese has made some of the most important films of the 20th century, I have just made a Vesta Beef Curry for my breakfast"

Interesting that he's making a horror film next.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 5:24 AM on September 5, 2010

Video highlights from the BFI This is England '86 Q&A
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:09 PM on September 6, 2010

And, at last, the first episode is on in a few ours (10pm UK time) ... I don't know if it'll be on 4od after but no doubt it'll turn up in all the usual places.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:26 AM on September 7, 2010