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Directed by: JoeCornish

Certificate: 15

Running time: 88minsRelease date: 13May2011

Synopsis:SometeenagersaremugginganurseonGuyFawkes’nightwhentheirSouthLondonestateisinvadedbyaliensplummetingfromthesky.Theboyslaunchthemselvesintoanexciting,occasionallyhorrificandoftenveryfunnymissiontosavetheirestatefromtheseunwelcomevisitors.

These Study Notes are designed for use in Film and Media Studies and related subjects at GCSE, A Level and equivalent.

Attack the BlockStudy Notes

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Before Viewing

Attack the Blockrepresentsaninterestingchallengeforfilmdistributors.Ittriestostraddlefantasyandrealism,andcombinesgenreelementsfrombothcomedyandhorror.Whatismore,thefilm’sfiveleadactorsareallunknowns.

Watchthefilm’strailerandlookatcopiesofpromotionalpostersforthefilmontheinternet.

z Whatgenreelementscanyouidentify?z Whattendstodominate:comedyorhorror?Doyouthinkthereisadangerthatcomedyfanswillbeputoffbythehorrorelementsorthathorrorfansmaybeputoffbythecomedyelements?Arethedistributorssuccessfulinbalancingboth?z Whatstrategiesareusedtocompensatefortheabsenceofarecognisablestar?

After Viewing

Attack the Block – The Missing Back-story

Attack the Blockcoverstheeventsofasinglenightinasinglelocation.OnlyattheveryendofthefilmwhenwefindoutaboutMoses’familydowegetanysenseofback-story.

z Inwhatwaysdoyouthinktheabsenceofback-storyhelpsgivethefilmalightnessoftouch,ordoyoufeelthatitlimitsyourabilitytoengagewithandrelatetothecharacters?

Althoughwediscovernext tonothingabout theirbackgrounds,Moses,Pest,Jerome,BiggzandDennisallhaveclearlydistinctpersonalities.

z Writeabriefcharactersketchforeachmemberofthegang.z Inwhatwaysdothetensionsbetweenthesedifferentcharactertypescontributetothedevelopmentofthenarrativeandtothefilm’scomedy?z Trytocreateaback-storyforone(ormore)ofthemaincharacters.Trytothinkofwaysinwhichthepersonalitiesofthecharactersmayhavebeenformedbytheirbackgroundsandexperiences.z Trytowrite,orstoryboard,somesequenceswhichcouldhavebeenaddedtothefilmtoprovideanaudiencewithsomesenseofback-story.Wheremightthesehavefittedwithinthefilm’sstructure?

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Attack the Block – Morally Irresponsible?

Thefilm’sheroesarefirst seenmuggingan innocentandvulnerablenurse.TheDailyTelegraph’s review criticises the ways in which ‘all too quickly’ the film sweeps themuggingasideand‘allisforgiven’astheytakeonthealiens.¹Similarly,BenWalshinTheIndependentarguesthatthemuggingis‘trickytogetover’.²

z Towhatextentdoyouagreethatthemugging‘skewsyour judgment’ (Walsh)andmakesitdifficultforyoutofeelsympathetictowardsthecharacters?z Could you argue that the seriousness of the mugging is lost and somehowtrivialisedbythefilm’scomedy?z Why do you think the director, Joe Cornish chose to start the film with thisepisode?

Attack the Block – Attacking Stereotypes?

JoeCornishhasarguedthatthefilmhasasocialdimensionandexplores‘…the way we think about kids like that and the way we think about people who live in places like that’.³

z Towhatextentdoourperceptionsofthecharacterschangeasthefilmdevelops?z Ifaudiences’perceptionschange,isitbecausetheyarehavingtoovercometheirownprejudices?Inwhatwaysdoesthemuggingconformtoourstereotypicalideas of ‘hoodies’ and the rest of the filmgoon to challengemanyof thesestereotypes?

Cornishhasdefinedthefilmasan‘Escapist fantasy film that in some way connected with the reality of life but also provided an escape from that reality’.⁴

z Inyourviewdotheelementsofescapismandfantasyobscureanysenseofsocialrealismorsocialcommentary,orisCornishsuccessfulinhisattemptstocombineboth?z StevenSpielberg’sET: The Extra-Terrestrial(1982)wasaninspirationtoCornish,inpartbecauseofitsblendoffantasyandrealism.⁵Watchitandcomparethis(andotheraspects)withAttack the Block.

The film pokes fun at the affected street talk of the feckless white, middle-class,university-educatedBrewis.TheboysalsomakeaslydigaboutSam’sworthyboyfriendvolunteeringtohelpchildreninAfrica,ratherthanworkingwithdeprivedkidsinEngland.TowardstheendofthefilmMosesstartstoquestionwhether'…thegovernmentbredthesecreaturestokillblackboys'.

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z Doyouthinkthefilmhasanythingimportanttosayaboutclassorracialtensions?z Doweunderstandanythingnewaboutgangcultureordoesitactuallyobscuretheseimportantissuesbyveilingthemallincomedy?z HowarethephysicalspacesinAttack the Blocklitandshotandhowdoesthefilmchallengestereotypicalimagesofestates?

Attack the Block – Budgets, Ambition and Creativity

JoeCornishhasadmittedthatAttack the Block isanunusuallyambitiousfirstfilm.Herelished the energy and creativity that came from having ambitious ideas but limitedbudget.

z Thealiensthemselvesaredesignedtochallengethedominanceofdigital/CGImonsters in recent films. They aremore physical and real than effects-drivencreationsinrecentfilms.Atthesametime,theyarealmostabitlaughable.Howdidthedesignofthealienscontributetothefilm’soverallimpact?z WhydoyouthinkCornishusedunknownactorsforthemainpartswhohadno‘stageschool’background?

1. David Gritten, review of Attack the Block, available athttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/8510145/Attack-the-Block-review.html

2. Ben Walsh on Attack the Block, available at http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/attack-the-block-15-2283089.html

3. Interview with Joe Cornish on Attack the Block for FilmFour, available at http://www.film4.com/videos/article/attack-the-block-film4-interview-special

4. Interview with Joe Cornish on Attack the Block for FilmFour, available at http://www.film4.com/videos/article/attack-the-block-film4-interview-special

5. As above

Written by Adam Robbins

attack the block study notes - film education | home the block study notes ©optimum ... think about...

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