Juan Velasco

Sociology 1
4/12/2014
Video/DVD Analysis: Billy Elliot
The film that !"e chosen fo# my "ideo/DVD analysis is Billy Elliot. The sto#y ta$es
%lace in no#th&easte#n England in 1'()* At the time+ the main cha#acte#!s family is
suffe#ing du#ing some financially difficult times* The community they li"e in is filled ,ith
-lue colla# ,o#$e#s* Almost all the adult men a#e coal mine#s and the union has decided
to go on st#i$e* This lea"es them ,ith no income fo# se"e#al months* Billy has to ,atch
as his fathe# and -#othe# %ic$et in f#ont of the facto#y e"e#y day and still go th#ough life
as a student in school* n o#de# fo# him to feel li$e he has a no#mal life+ his fathe#
sc#a%es togethe# ,hate"e# money he has to sign him u% fo# -o.ing classes* At this
%oint+ Billy comes to the #eali/ation that he doesn!t en0oy -o.ing and that he!s also
te##i-le at it*
1hile continuing -o.ing+ he notices a -allet #ehea#sal ta$ing %lace and chooses
to ,atch them %#actice* As the days go on+ he stays longe# and longe# ,atching them
until one of the students in"ites him to 0oin* So f#om that %oint fo#,a#d+ he sta#ts ta$ing
-allet lessons* 2e!s not the g#eatest dance# in the ,o#ld* 3ot e"en close* 2o,e"e#+ the
inst#ucto# sees that he has talent and so she ta$es him unde# he# ,ing* 4nfo#tunately+
Billy!s fathe# finds out that he!s -een using the money meant fo# -o.ing lessons fo#
-allet* 2e!s fu#ious and tells him that -allet isn!t fo# -oys* 2e should -e en0oying
,#estling and -o.ing* 2e!s ,o##ied that if anyone sees his son doing -allet+ they!ll
,onde# a-out the -oy* t!s ne"e# said out#ight+ -ut the im%lication is that he!s ,o##ied
%eo%le ,ill thin$ that his son is gay* Billy!s 0ustifia-ly u%set -ut has to listen to his fathe#*
5ate# on+ Billy snea$s into the #ehea#sal a#ea ,ith his -est f#iend and sho,s him ,hat
he!s lea#ned* 2e ne"e# sus%ected that his fathe# ,ould -e ,al$ing -y at the same time
and catches him dancing his hea#t out* 2e sees that his son has talent and comes to
te#ms that he needs to let him continue -allet in o#de# fo# him to -e ha%%y* The
inst#ucto# info#ms Billy that she!s signed him u% fo# auditions to the 6oyal Ballet School*
2e continues to t#ain and the film ends ,ith him -eing acce%ted into the school and
going on to -ecome a highly successful dance#* 2is family is e.t#emely %#oud*
The film has a hea#t,a#ming sto#y a-out a young -oy disco"e#ing something he
lo"es and %u#suing it ,ith e"e#y fi-e# of his -eing* 2o,e"e#+ in the -ac$g#ound ,e can
also see the diffe#ing sociological %e#s%ecti"es ta$e %lace in the society the li"e in and
the home he inha-its*
7a#. and his 8onflict 9e#s%ecti"e ,ould a%%#eciate the la-o# fo#ce st#i$ing against the
manage#s* Billy!s fathe# and -#othe# #efused to %ass the %ic$et line* :no,ing that
-ecoming a sca- ,ould ensu#e them of a %aychec$+ they continued thei# solida#ity ,ith
the othe# ,o#$e#s at all costs* The#e!s a st#uggle fo# %o,e# he#e* The manage#s $no,
they can!t %#oduce anything ,ithout the ,o#$e#s and the ,o#$e#s and su#"i"e ,ithout a
%aychec$ f#om the manage#s* t!s a -attle of ,ho ,ill out,ait ,ho*
Th#ough the ;unctionalist 9e#s%ecti"e+ ,e can ta$e a loo$ at the community that
the cha#acte#s a#e li"ing in* A society of mostly -lue colla# ,o#$e#s ,ho $no, that a ha#d
day!s ,o#$ is its o,n #e,a#d+ they ,o#$ e"e#y day and ne"e# ha"e any fu#the# goals fo#
achie"ing anything else* They $no, that the society has to maintain a la-o# fo#ce in
o#de# fo# the facto#y to continue #unning* The facto#y continues to #un and -#ings in
money to su%%o#t the la-o# fo#ce* t!s cyclical* E"e#y-ody has a #ole to %lay* 1e can also
see the #oles that gende# %lay on this community* Bo.ing is fo# -oys and -allet is fo#
gi#ls* 1hen someone ma$es an attem%t at -#ea$ing out of one of thei# social #oles and
%u#sue anothe# one+ they can suffe# th#ough a #ole conflict* Billy $no,s that his fathe#
,ouldn!t a%%#o"e him doing -allet* This is ,hy he hides it in the fi#st %lace* 1hen his
fathe# finds out+ the#e!s a clash* <ende# #oles+ es%ecially in a small community+ can -e
"e#y confining* Billy!s fathe# thin$s he might -e gay and he has some inte#nal st#uggles
,ith acce%ting that as a %ossi-ility* Billy info#ms him that 0ust -ecause he li$es -allet+ it
doesn!t ma$e him gay*
1hile touching on the su-0ect of gende# #oles+ ,e can loo$ into the nte#actionist
9e#s%ecti"e* Seeing Billy!s fathe# #eact the ,ay he did ,hen he found his son dancing+
sho,ed us ho, the community at la#ge ,ould ta$e on the idea of a -oy dancing -allet*
Billy is standing outside of thei# social no#ms and -eing %e#cei"ed as an outcast*
The %a#adigm that is most #e%#esented in this film ,ould ha"e to -e the ;unctionalist
9e#s%ecti"e* The %#emise of the film is -asically a -oy -#ea$ing out of society!s
e.%ectations and doing ,hat ma$es him feel good* 2e!s not su%%osed to li$e -allet* The
cultu#e a#ound him tells him that -o.ing should -e ,hat he ,ants*