Billy Elliot - Success, Unions and Ethics
Billy Elliot (2000)
Famous for...
- Billy Elliot, a schoolboy, who overcomes prejudice and poverty to go to ballet school
during the British miners’ strike
(1984-5) in the fictional mining town of Everington in County Durham, North East
England.
- Over 2,000 boys were auditioned for the part of Billy until Jamie
Bell got it.
- The stage musical with music by Elton
John (pictured right below).
Director
Stephen Daldry
Oscars
None - but nominated for:
- best actress (Julie Walters, pictured right in the film).
Key characters
Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell), schoolboy (pictured right).
Georgia Wilkinson (Julie Walters), his ballet teacher.
Jackie Elliot (Gary Lewis), his father and miner.
Tony Elliot (Jamie Draven), his brother and miner.
Grandma (Jean Heywood), his grandmother.
Michael Caffrey (Stuart Wells), his friend.
The story
Ten-year-old Billy Elliot lives with his:
- Grandma (his recently dead Mum’s mother, pictured right)
- father (Jackie) and brother,Tony (both miners on
strike in the mining town of Everington, County Durham in the North East of England).
Billy is taken to boxing by his father but he hates it. He is:
- more interested in the ballet class (that he secretly joins, pictured right below).
- encouraged by the ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson (whose unemployed husband is
strongly against the strike).
His father tells him to stop dancing but he continues because he loves it.
Billy misses an audition in Newcastle for the Royal Ballet School in London, because his
brother,Tony (prominent in the strike) is arrested in a fight between the police and the striking miners.
Mrs. Wilkinson (pictured right below dancing with Billy):
- argues with his father and brother, who think that ballet is only for girls and poofs
(homosexuals).
Billy’s family (like all the other striking miners) has a miserable Christmas, because they’re
short of money.
Billy’s father even has to smash up his dead wife’s piano for firewood, but then finally recognizes Billy's
dancing talent.
Billy discovers that his best friend, Michael Caffrey, is gay.
Billy’s Dad (pictured right):
- decides to go back to work (with a few other strike breakers) to raise some money to help
Billy get to ballet school (despite being a loyal union member).
- is persuaded by his son, Tony, not to work.
- raises the money by pawning his wife’s jewellery and local fund-raising.
- takes Billy to London for an audition at the Royal Ballet School
After an anxious few days, Billy is accepted.
Now aged eleven, Billy is put on the London coach by his sad father and brother.
Some years later they (with Michael nearby) proudly watch Billy perform Swan Lake in London as a ballet
star.
Lessons for success, unions and ethics
1. Passion is powerful
Billy and his teacher (Mrs. Wilkinson) love dancing. His father and brother are passionate about the strike and
protecting their jobs.
Their passion gives all of them:
2. Make your dreams come true
Billy is an unlikely ballet dancer, coming from a mining town, where dancing is considered too effeminate for
men.
But he becomes a ballet star through:
- support from Mrs. Wilkinson (and finally his Dad)
3. Community is crucial
Everington is a close knit community which helps Billy get to ballet school.
But it feels threatened by the government’s attack on the mining industry, led by the prime minister,
Margaret Thatcher (pictured right below in
1979).
One of the film’s songs, Town Called Malice (by the English rock
group, Jam), describes the anger caused by destroying a town’s community.
4. Unfair treatment leads to unions and strikes
The British mining industry has a long history of conflict between the:
- miners (represented by the National Union of Mineworkers ,NUM).
The miners'
strike in the film (that lasted a year between 1984 and 1985, pictured right in Yorkshire)
is about jobs.
Everington mine is threatened with closure, and Billy’s father and brother are fighting to save it.
5. Be true to yourself
Despite people’s hostility, Michael doesn’t deny his homosexuality and Billy doesn’t give up on his dancing
career.
6. Empathy is love
Billy’s father and brother become much closer to Billy, when they realize how important dancing is to
him.
Billy was close to his Mum and Grandma, because they:
Key quote on happiness
Just because I like ballet, doesn’t mean I’m a poof, Billy.
Two film websites to recommend
1. filmsite.org (run by Tim Dirks).
2. aveleyman.com (run by Tony Sullivan)
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