essay on billy elliot

2x Essays on Billy Elliot

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Stephen Daldry’s film Billy Elliot is a film that highlights the struggles and opportunities that arise in an individual’s everyday life. Billy is living in a society where ‘football, boxing or wrestling’ are the typical masculine activities a boy could participate in. Although Billy finds himself interested in ballet, but is faced with many obstacles including the society he lives in, his family’s lack of support and his family’s financial situation. Throughout the film Daldry uses music to support the meaning and mood of each scene.

The non-diegetic music played in the scenes with the police and strikers was ‘London Calling’ by The Clash as it represents anger and discontent. The fact that Billy’s father and brother were miners on a strike adds to the difficulty of gaining their support to attend the London Royal Ballet School. The music emphasizes the tension and aggravation of the situation and identifies how serious Billy’s family is struggling financially. This is a major obstacle for Billy as even with the struggle to gain his family support, it is not enough to make his dream come true.

Before Billy gained his father and brothers support he was faced with many confronting experiences. His father was paying 50 pence for him to attend boxing classes although he didn’t particularly thrive in boxing. Billy found himself being knocked to the ground by an opponent and as he lay on the ring floor, non-diegetic music played over the scene capturing his intriguing stare towards the ballet dancers. The sounds exaggerate the scene and cause the audience to stop and be captured, feeling the same experience as Billy did.

Although he was facing many adversities, especially in boxing class being called ‘a disgrace to them gloves, your father and the traditions of this boxing hall’, he was on the verge of a transformation. It was at this moment that Billy knew there was something special about the ballet and that he was intrigued by it. This is reinforced in the following scene where George gives him the keys to hand to Mrs Wilkinson and orders him to stay back and practice hitting the bag. As Billy was doing this he was once again attracted to the diegetic music of the dancers at practice and began to move in sync with the swinging boxing bag and the music. Although Billy was faced with an obstacle and a negative experience in boxing class, an opportunity flourished from his after class punishment and he began to join ballet classes instead of attending boxing with the 50 pence his father would give him.

As Billy begins to attend the ballet lessons the audience begin to see a transformation in his spirit and everyday mood. Billy begins to feel satisfaction, excitement and rebelliousness. The song ‘Get It On (Bang a Gong)’ by the T Rex begins to play and continues throughout the next few scenes of Billy at school, looking in the mirror with a new sense of self respect, and on the cross country run taking a detour into a tunnel under the bridge. The music and the scene reflect the rebelliousness and this transformational nature that Billy has experienced since joining the ballet lessons. This sense of rebelliousness and transformation is reinforced in the scene where Billy visits the Durham Country Library Bus. He steals a book about ballet by putting it down his pants as the librarian is distracted. This scene reinforces the change in Billy’s attitude as the thrill and rebelliousness he feels is highlighted in the background music.

It is then in the next scene that the audience notice that the song begins to fade out as Billy makes his way up the staircase to the practice hall. This warns the audience that his thrilling nature will not last long and that he will soon face an obstacle. The following scenes show Billy doubting his abilities and turning his positive and exhilarating attitude into a weak and negative one. Mrs Wilkinson pushes him to learn a difficult pirouette and he is doubtful as he is struggling to make the turn. It is here that the audience appreciate and understand the role that diegetic and non-diegetic music plays in complementing the themes of the film.

As in Billy Elliot, the text Midnight Train to Georgia identifies that there are obstacles and opportunities in every individual’s life. Everyone’s journey may be unique, but it is a universal thing to experience obstacles and transformations due to the experiences in your life. The song composed by Jim Weatherly has a voice of a woman whose partner experiences a negative transition. The composer has used symbolism through the title and main aspect of the song. The simple use of ‘midnight’ train itself expresses a sense of obstacle or adversity. The slouching time of midnight highlights that the transition or journey to Georgia is going to be a long and difficult one. It also shows that the transition may not be welcomed as it is being delayed to midnight. This also fits in well with the mood of the music as it has a smooth tempo and rhythm. The song does not have a rock or pop genre, it is quite calm which emphasises the unknown journey of what may come ahead.

The man that is being sung about was originally from Georgia and travelled to Los Angeles with a dream to become a ‘superstar’.  He finds himself looking grip of his dreams and facing reality where he is heading back home to a ‘simpler place and time’. His transition to Los Angeles was not a positive experience for him as things did not go to plan, although he met a devoted women ‘who’s gonna be right by his side”. Although this transition has been a negative one for the musician, it has transformed him. He met a woman who supports his dream and would ‘rather live in his world than live without him’. Although it has been a challenging transition for the two of them a positive opportunity has occurred. Now they are both on a journey to transition back to Georgia where she will stay by his side and they can build a life together in a place he knew not so long ago.

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Billy Elliot — Human Experiences And Realism In ‘Billy Eliot’

Human Experiences and Realism in 'Billy Eliot'

• Categories: Billy Elliot Film Analysis

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Published: Apr 11, 2022

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Billy Elliot

By stephen daldry, billy elliot character list.

Eleven-year-old Billy is an aspiring ballet dancer who comes from a tough mining community in Northern England. No working-class English man is going to be happy to hear that their son wants to do something stereotypically effeminate, and Billy's widowed father, Jackie, does not approve of his son's interest.

But Billy is passionate about dancing—so passionate that he continues to dance even when strictly forbidden to do so. Even though he is surrounded by no male dancer role models, he believes that dancing is what he is meant to do. As he says at the end of his audition for ballet school, the feeling of dancing is like "electricity." Billy is understanding, sensitive, and imaginative, even though he is surrounded by violence and difficulty. Sometimes the anger and violence that surrounds Billy bubbles up in him, and he can become enraged and destructive. Ultimately, however, Billy is a sensitive and deeply feeling individual, a boy who wants to escape the roughness of the world through self-expression and movement.

Jackie Elliot

Jackie is the archetypal Northern English working class man, a miner and a widow. He has explosive emotions that come out at inopportune moments, especially as he struggles to raise two boys and look after his aging mother. Underneath his gruffness and bouts of anger, Jackie is a deeply feeling man who wants what's best for his family. He butts heads with both of his sons; with Tony because of his radical union activity, and with Billy because of his love for dance.

Later, however, Jackie sees Billy dance and realizes what an outstanding talent he is. Seeing that Billy's passion is not just some kind of pipe dream, Jackie works tirelessly to help ensure that Billy will be able to follow his passions. Throughout the film, Jackie evolves in his attitudes, and eventually feels immense pride for his son when Billy wins a place at the school.

Tony Elliot

The older of the Elliot boys, Tony is a bully in every area of his life. He bullies his little brother, and bullies people at work, passionate and violent in his philosophies about the strikes taking place. While he is initially horrified to learn that Billy likes ballet, he eventually comes around and supports his brother's talent, recognizing that Billy has something special.

Sandra Wilkinson

Sandra teaches a ballet class at the gymnasium. She recognizes talent in Billy immediately and encourages him to pursue dance seriously. While she believes in Billy, she never coddles him and is a tough critic, pushing him to be the best dancer he can be. Sandra was once a dancer herself, but has given up on her dreams, now unfulfilled in her marriage. Her lack of fulfillment propels her to look after Billy even more and push him to do the things she never got to.

While she does not make it especially evident, Sandra is a loving and generous woman who takes Billy under her wing as if he was her own son, even offering to pay for his audition for school. Sandra changes the trajectory of Billy's life in crucial ways, and helps him fulfill his destiny.

Billy's grandmother lives with the Elliots. When we meet her, she is suffering with senility and loneliness, but in her youth she had dreams of becoming a dancer, just like Billy.

Michael lives in Billy's neighborhood and is his best friend. Early in the film, Billy sees him dressing up in women's clothing, and later in the film, Michael comes out to him as gay, and as having a crush on Billy. Billy accepts him, and his admission does not hurt their friendship. In fact, Billy takes Michael to the ballet studio, gives him a tutu and shows him how to dance. He is one of Billy's champions and his closest friend.

Billy Elliot Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Billy Elliot is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

“Lads do football…or boxing…or wrestling. Not friggin’ ballet.” How does the film challenge the traditional notions of masculinity and femininity?

This movie takes place a long time before Harry Styles donned a dress and looked "way cool".

Gender is at the center of Billy's problems, even though he sees no issue with his interest in ballet. In the town where he is from, boxing is for boys...

Does Mrs. Wilkinson want Billy to come to boxing class next week?

Chapter please?

How does Billy Elliot portray the theme of being masculine?

Gender and masulinity is are at the center of Billy's problems, even though he sees no issue with his interest in ballet. In the town where he is from, boxing is for boys and ballet for girls, yet Billy's deep love for dance draws him towards...

Study Guide for Billy Elliot

Billy Elliot study guide contains a biography of director Stephen Daldry, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Billy Elliot
• Billy Elliot Summary
• Character List
• Director's Influence

Essays for Billy Elliot

Billy Elliot essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Billy Elliot, directed by Stephen Daldry.

• Young Men and Their Chosen Paths: Stephen Daldry's film Billy Elliot and Seamus Heaney's poem 'Follower'
• Making History Personal in 'Billy Elliot': Social and Cultural Upward Mobility under Thatcher’s Government
• Human Experiences Can Be Difficult but Transformative: Comparing 'Billy Elliot" and ‘Deng Adut University of Western Sydney Advertisement’

Wikipedia Entries for Billy Elliot

• Introduction