How is Britishness represented in the Notting Hill and The Holiday?

Introduction
Notting Hill (directed by Roger Michell, starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts) is
about a middle-class British man who meets a prolific American actress to then fall in
love, whereas The Holiday, (directed by Nancy Meyers, starring Cameron Diaz,
Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black) is about two emotionally scarred women
who perform a holiday house-swap to get away from their lives to meet other
people. They are both films falling under the Romantic Comedy genre, released in
1999 and 2000 respectively. They are stereotypically British because they feature
British settings, actors, ideologies and values. Both films boast a lot of stereotypes
about British and American Culture and indeed go on to combat and make the
comparison between both in the film. Notting Hill, about William, an awkward and
fumbling man working in a travel book shop goes on to meet and become the
boyfriend of a Hollywood movie star Anna Scott who comes into town. In Nancy
Meyers The Holiday, two women who are living in Surrey and Los Angeles go
through with a house-swap, and each take in the hugely different weather, people,
and society around them, both meeting each others male counterparts, and going on
to build a relationship with them. The media are able to present certain groups in
certain ways to create a prejudged idea of different groups of people, stereotyping to
narrow down their characteristics for an easier assumption or thought about a
specific person possibly belonging to a race, religion, sexual preference, social group
or class. These stereotypes are at many times incorrect and judge people before
actually getting to know them, an example could be British people drink tea and talk
in a posh accent, with this trait not belonging to most people in the UK. The definition
of a stereotype is: a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a
particular type of person or thing. This means people belonging to different
organizations, countries, groups; ethnicities can be overlooked and perceived to be
something that they may not be. The media use these stereotypes to simplify stories
and create an image in peoples heads of certain types of people, sometimes
malicious, sometimes harmless. These stereotypes are often assigned to many
different cultures and are represented in the media to sometimes discriminate or
create a general awareness in a learning aspect of different cultures. One example of
a current stereotype, which has been broadened in films and newspapers, is that
followers of the Islamic faith are associated with terrorism. Another example of a
culture that is widely stereotyped is American life, where in America it is known for
the bright lights and the big city and the whole thought of The American Dream
where people go to America to become famous and work their way up to the top, this
may encourage people to go to America, or see it as the most influential and powerful
country in the world. British Culture is stereotyped to give readers/viewers a basic
insight as to what British life may be like or a generalised impression the people in
Britain may give someone from another country/area. It is stereotyped to broaden a
simplified version of what Britain may be like and the atmosphere around it, British
culture is usually stereotyped to be very posh and upper to middle class, in films they
are normally very polite people, and tend to drink tea or eat crumpets. British culture
in movies can be seen as very historic, with Notting Hill illustrating the self-titled
village of Notting Hill as very old, with the mise-en-scene tailoring the area to its
needs. Everything seems to be very respectful in terms of the people and traditions;
everyone dresses well and has good manners, with British humour also creating the
quaint and quirky nature of the people and surroundings. American and British
reactions to these stereotypes will of course be different, with stereotypes in general,
they are bound to be wrong with most people so they would be disputed against.
Because of the nature of American stereotypes (bright lights and the big cities as
mentioned before) American people would surely have no problem with the

Media Essay How is Britishness represented in Notting Hill and

The Holiday? By Luke Debono

stereotyping, as it is mainly beneficial stereotyping, promoting the sunshine, the

modern areas and high-profile jobs in LA or New York, however because of the more
publicity and celebrity lifestyle some Americans live, the area may be seen as a place
for sell-outs, and snobby people with millions of dollars to blow. Again, this is most of
the time incorrect. British stereotyping presents both positive and negative ideas.
Positives being that British people can be seen as polite with a good history about
them, with nice accents. Negative can again be seen as snobby rich people or rudemannered people who do not like foreign people and in general very aggressive, this
also does not apply to everyone in fact only a very small about of people, which is the
incredibly ironic fact of prejudice. In Notting Hill and The Holiday, the characters from
America and Britain juxtapose each other. This is evident in area by the comparison
of rags to riches, and cottages to cities (Santa Monica to Surrey) However with the
characters you can tell from their personalities how they juxtapose, in turn
highlighting their stereotypes.
The genre Romantic Comedy involves a lot of generic conventions, for example,
characters seeing one another from afar, public declarations of love, meet-cutes etc.
The films both have generic conventions to display the genre and make that genre
evident to the viewer. These generic conventions are key features in the film to aid
the prospect of it fitting into its specific category. In Notting Hill, an example of a
generic convention could be where William and Anna bump into each other, being the
meet-cute, in turn sparking the whole story. A generic convention from The Holiday
may be the moment in the film where Amanda realises that Graham has kids, then
provoking an awkward moment, changing the face of the storyline. Nowadays, films
are becoming more cross-generic and more hybrid films are being produced to make
films more engaging towards a specific audience who may not watch the film if it only
belonged to one genre. For example, male audiences might not watch Romance
films stereotypically; however, if there are comedy aspects, (then creating the
Romantic Comedy genre) male audiences may be more enticed to see that film. This
essay will analyse and depict how The Holiday and Notting Hill consequently both
imitate and impersonate British Culture to the audience.
Main Body: Conventions
Generic conventions appear within both films to portray which genre the film falls
under. An example of a generic convention used in Notting Hill and The Holiday is a
meet-cute. The meet-cute is utilised within Notting Hill when Anna walks into Wills
travel bookshop and purchases a book. The couple do not show any chemistry at this
point until later on when Will bumps into Anna again in the street, where he clumsily
spills a drink all over her. The meet-cute in The Holiday occurs for each couple, being
that for Amanda and Graham, where Graham knocks on the door of the home in
Surrey only to find her there. Similarly, Iris meets Miles when Miles comes over to
collect his colleagues laptop. Another generic convention shown in both films is a
problem/conflict, usually shaping the outcome of the film, denting the characters
relationships. In Notting Hill, this is conveyed when Anna spends the night in Wills
apartment, only to soon find out Spike had released information of where Anna was
staying. Subsequently, journalists and paparazzi crowd outside the door of Wills
apartment, capturing inappropriately dressed photos of Anna and Will. This destroys
the relationship as Anna can then not be seen accompanying Will, causing her to
becoming extremely outraged, leaving his house. In separate circumstances for The
Holiday, the problem that occurs between Iris and Miles is that Miles midway through
the film already has a girlfriend, meaning he does not share Iriss feelings. The
problem that occurs on the other half with Amanda and Graham is the distance of the
relationship. Near the end of the film, where the pair declare their feelings for each
other, it is then too late as Amanda has to fly back to America. A final generic

Media Essay How is Britishness represented in Notting Hill and

The Holiday? By Luke Debono

convention shared within both films is a confession of love. In Notting Hill, Will
publicly announces his love for Anna during her last press conference in the UK, this
then results in her staying, whilst in The Holiday, Graham also announces his love for
Amanda the night before she leaves to back to America, the plot ending with her
staying. Traditional conventions in both films include all of the above, with mentions
to trading compliments, romantic settings, heartbreak, pathetic fallacy, (mood based
on the weather) friendship, family, trust and also awkward moments. These
conventions take a toll on the audience by releasing the romantic comedy aspects
into the film, often trying to retain full attention to the films. These appeal to the
audiences as comical features can get the whole audience in-synchronisation,
quixotic scenes such as Notting Hill when Anna is stood before Will, quoting: Im just
a girl standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her. (trying to make sense of her
ordinariness) or in The Holiday where Amanda returns to the house shortly after
leaving can often inject emotion and kickstart or provoke feelings of what is
happening, getting the audience behind the film.
Characters
William from Notting Hill is typically visualised as being British because of his posh
and proper accent, smarter, sophisticated nature and manner. He is seemingly and
undoubtedly nervous and often awkward, however polite. This is identified in Notting
Hill when Anna walks into the travel bookshop. He immediately notices Anna is in his
shop and begins to fumble his words (whoopsidaisies a common expression), in an
attempt to show off and impress her. Instead he falls under what may be seen to
people as the British stereotype; he begins to mumble and look down, hiding under
the awkwardness and amazement of the situation. He is generally a very nice
person, and he dresses well with a middle-class job, in comparison to Spike however
where he doesnt dress particularly fondly, and is seen as quite dirty or rude, a
possible stereotype of the Welsh counterpart, which highlights and boosts Wills
characteristics. Graham, from The Holiday, is another example of a typically British
character. He is charming and handsome, and uses awkwardness to promote a
comical nature of his. An example of his characteristics is when he hastily has to
introduce Amanda to his children, however, he handles the almost what seems
impossible situation and manages it well to make Amanda happy, including the family
attitude of the film. A final typically British character is Iris from The Holiday, she
completes the trio of British headlining characters in the two films. Iris is classified as
a hopeless and pathetic romantic who cannot obtain a partner, she always tries in a
relationship more than everybody else, ironically assisting the comedy that she writes
the Wedding column in the Daily Telegraph. An example of her being typically British
is her accent. It is plain obvious that she is British because of her accent however it is
emphasised as she is surrounded by American people. She uses British slang, words
such as blimmin and the contrast between her home in Surrey to the reaction she
has when she enters Amandas home in LA makes her seem old-fashioned, as her
house is filled with wooden ornaments and books, unlike the modern colossus
standing over her. Graham and Will are much alike, sharing the same quirky and silly
personality to enhance an adorable effect on the audience, or people watching the
films from other countries. Typical Romantic Comedy actors can include comical
characters, characters who are unlucky in love and characters who are the opposite,
who attract the opposite sex with ease with no trouble whatsoever, in a perspective of
male characters, for a love triangle there are sometimes bad guys who do not treat
the woman well, and good guys who do things right but never win.
Class
Class is represented differently in both films. In Britain, the industry is more based on
books, and there is less money to go around. People do not have as high-paid jobs,

Media Essay How is Britishness represented in Notting Hill and

The Holiday? By Luke Debono

currency making everything more expensive, and people work for hours a day
earning little pay. Graham and Iris from The Holiday are both involved with
newspapers (book industry), whilst Will in Notting Hill has his own business which is
going downhill, a reference to a stage in the film where he and his colleague make a
loss. The mise-en-scene (clothing-wise) makes British people look to be quite
ragged, as not everybody is dressed in eccentric suits and dresses, An example of
this is Honey Thacker, Wills sister, who has quite scruffy hair and not-so-nice clothes
on. She also does not have a particularly good job to be proud of, a quote from Max
detailed: While Honey here, she earns nothing flogging her guts out at London's
seediest record store. The Middle-Class in Notting Hill can be represented through
Spike, as him and Will do not live anywhere too fancy, known as only the house with
the blue door, he doesnt dress particularly well either and is always leaving the
house in a state. He indeed can also fall under the British stereotype, being that
sometimes he can be quite coarse and obscene. Voice contributes a lot to the British
characters as they match the stereotype that they all sound posh and polite, the
friends do not have many important, topical discussions either including the fact that
they arent so happy with work. Another quote to feature this is when Bernie says Im
in a job I know nothing about.
Taking this quote in comparison to how America seems in both films, most notably
The Holiday, which inherits a seismic shift on the stereotype of both nations.
Amandas house in The Holiday for example is enormous, is home to a swimming
pool and automatic tools, expensive technology, floors and gigantic pillars. The
contrast is developed from Iriss reaction to Amandas home, being shes never been
in a place like it before. The industry is much bigger in cities such as LA and New
York, which owns the Stock Exchange. (Money) America is the capital of movies and
Hollywood, so people are more rich and famous, it shows that America are always
moving on with the times and latest trends, relating to the quote that Everything is
bigger in America. You can walk into celebrities, such as in The Holiday, Miles and
Iris meet Dustin Hoffman. Amanda from The Holiday is seen taking a first class flight
to London, whereas Iris takes a Economy class ticket, providing the point that Britain
is middle/working-class. These values are inferring and commentating on the fact
Americans may be taking a dig at British Culture, saying that Britain is inferior, a step
behind, and America financially have more authority and dominance.

Setting
The Setting of the two films plays a big role in presenting Britishness and the whole
concept of Britain Vs America. In both Notting Hill and The Holiday, the British
settings are more old-fashioned and historic, Iris living in a cottage (Rosehill Cottage,
typically British name) isolated from everybody else in Surrey and Will who lives in a
small apartment next to a market, another typically British location. In both films there
are more British settings, such as a pub and Big Ben. These are typically British
settings because they belong to Britain, Britain being the origin of such
areas/landmarks, only unique to Britain. In comparison to The Holiday, America is
seen as a lot more modern and cash-fuelled, with the weather always being nice, in a
great big city with lots of opportunities, the area (Sunset Boulevard) even sounding
more dreamy than what youd find in Britain.
Sound
In Notting Hill, sound is used through music to generate and relate to moods of the
characters and bring emotion to life. An example of this is when Anna leaves Will,
and Will is walking through the Notting Hill market to indicate a passing of time. The
famous song Aint No Sunshine When Shes Gone is played in the background (an

Media Essay How is Britishness represented in Notting Hill and

The Holiday? By Luke Debono

example of non-diegetic sound) to relate with what has just happened. Fast-paced
music is used when Will and his friends are racing to Annas press conference, which
builds up tension and a hope that Will can get there in time, heightening the intensity.
Slow, meaningful tracks are used in passionate love scenes, or collective montages
to fast forward the story, making a strong replacement for dialogue. Diegetic sound,
is sound that is actually happening there and then, not added in afterwards. This can
include a character talking, or possibly them performing an action like in Notting Hill
William checks the till/cash register, or knives and forks dropping at dinner. Narration
is used in The Holiday from Iris to explain some of her background at the start of the
film; her accent makes it typically British. Sound can also include accents, linking
back to the assessment question. Upbeat music is also used in Iriss house after
Amanda arrives following her break up with Ethan. Mr.Brightside by The Killers is
played, drawing lines to the song being about cheating, to match the situation at
hand, the song beginning to see Amanda happier, and the audience can join in with
that moment, or can be somewhat relatable, sound then making a connection with
the audience. Christmas music is also featured in The Holiday, to again link up with
the film.
Ideologies
There are several key ideologies and values in both Notting Hill and The Holiday,
these being family, friendship, community, desperational and aspirational values.
Firstly, family values are seen in Notting Hill where Will always looks after his sister.
Again paying reference to the Aint No Sunshine scene, Will is seen hugging his
sister and talking to her when she goes through a few boyfriends (being
stereotypically sweet). Max and Bella, husband and wife, are also a honourable
mention to family values, as Max is seen carrying Bella, who is disabled, up to their
bedroom to allow her to sleep. In The Holiday, this is represented through Grahams
heart-warming father role to his two children, being stereotypically British as he is
always nice and polite to his children. As Amanda finds out he is widowed, there are
many nice moments where Grahams daughters fall in love with Amanda, with the
scene of the four in the daughters bedroom, everybody getting along and laughing.
When Iris sees Graham towards the end, they share remarks and hugs to embrace
the family values. Secondly, friendship values are represented in Notting Hill as
William introduces Anna to his friends at dinner. They all share stories about how
who has the saddest life. Emotions and trust is swapped as Bella tells the group
that she cannot have children, and everyone is accepting of her. Their discussion
leads into the point that British people are more desperational, that they make fun of
each other despite how depressing things may be. They do not look up for
opportunities; instead they look down on everything and discuss what they find wrong
with themselves, in order to win the last brownie. In The Holiday, friendship and also
desperational values for The Brits is seen through Iris, when she is at her work party,
and is discussing to her workmate about her on-off relationship and one-sided love
for Jaspar. Iris is miserable about the situation, and does not pride herself in anything
she does correctly, only looking at the bad side of what is going on, and turning into a
nervous wreck, matching to the British stereotype of being quirky, awkward and
fumbling. However, for The Holiday and Notting Hill, the Americans have incredible,
top of the hierarchy jobs. They set goals for themselves and set out also to achieve
those in order to be very successful. The American characters earn millions,
examples being Anna, Amanda and Arthur Abbott. They are always concerned about
work, and are non-stop with what they are doing, as Amanda is extremely stressed
from the beginning, thinks/dreams in movie trailers, Anna is mostly caught by Will at
work, in press conferences or interviews, even on-set. Arthur Abbott, a former
Hollywood screenwriter, has a memorial night to him for his tremendous work in the
film industry. Iris builds a friendly relationship with Arthur, eventually persuading him

Media Essay How is Britishness represented in Notting Hill and

The Holiday? By Luke Debono

to go to the memorial dinner, and watching movies with him, even practising the
Jewish faith at a dinner with his friends. Community values are identified in both films
as everyone is Notting Hill is getting along, again in the Aint No Sunshine clip.
People are seen having friendly conversation and there are no disputes whatsoever,
contributing to the polite stereotype. Community comes together again when Iris
holds a Hanukkah party for Arthur and his friends in which they share a nice and
enjoyable evening together. Pathetic Fallacy, not necessarily one of the key values,
is a value itself which holds the Aint No Sunshine clip together. To repeat, William
is seen walking through the market in a montage to pass time. From the start of this
montage, Anna had left him, leaving him a great deal of pain and sorrow. The
weather showed this as it began to rain as he became more depressed with the
situation, seeming annoyed as people got on happily with their lives right beside him.
The weather over time shows the seasons coming and passing, telling the audience
the film has fast forwarded a few months, and as the weather worsens, Wills mood
becomes increasingly more negative. However, when the weather starts to pick up
and light is cast down above him during the summer, he seems a better person,
learning from his previous mistake/experience, as he continues to get on with
everybody once again.
Conclusion
The media have a gigantic effect on what people think, as newspapers, magazines,
videos and websites are seen billions of times every day. The media have a great
deal of power, being that many people watch the news or read about whats going on
when they wake up or when they go to sleep. The media use this power often in
negative ways but still contribute positively. They distort general ideas so they can
write stories. A negative stereotype is that all teenagers are violent, and are seen as
thugs. This isnt correct for most teenagers, however the story is still publicised as
teenagers dont have a way to speak out against it in a professional manner, so are
helpless/defenceless to the stereotype. Moreover, this is a widely-known problem
known as prejudice, being to prejudge someone (judging a book by its cover). A
positive discussed in this essay can benefit living people, being that others think of
British citizens as nice and polite with good manners.
By Luke Debono

Media Essay How is Britishness represented in Notting Hill and

The Holiday? By Luke Debono