{"product_id":"billy-elliot-9781839027802","title":"Billy Elliot","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSet against the turbulent backdrop of the UK miners' strike (1984-5), \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBilly Elliot\u003c\/i\u003e (2000) follows eleven-year-old Billy as he pursues his dream \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eof becoming a ballet dancer. Hailed for its heartfelt portrayal of working class \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003elife and its powerful challenge to gender stereotypes, Stephen \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eDaldry's film is recognised today as a significant contribution to the \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003etradition of British social-realist cinema.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJames Leggott's insightful study explores the creative forces behind \u003ci\u003eBilly Elliot\u003c\/i\u003e's development, drawing from interviews with many of the core production team, such as the screenwriter Lee Hall, the choreographer Peter Darling and the composer Stephen Warbeck. Leggott identifies influences from the worlds of theatre, dance, photography and music, including inspirations specific to the North East of England, and calls attention to the film's innate musicality in its bold and playful combinations of soundtrack and action, with songs by Marc Bolan and T. Rex, The Clash and The Jam among others. Tracing \u003ci\u003eBilly Elliot\u003c\/i\u003e's global impact and its remarkable afterlife as a hit stage production, Leggott makes a case for the film's enduring significance in British cinema history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJames Leggott\u003c\/b\u003e is Associate Professor of film at Northumbria University, UK. He is author of \u003ci\u003eThe North East of England on Film and Television\u003c\/i\u003e (2022), \u003ci\u003eIn Fading Light: The Films of the Amber Collective\u003c\/i\u003e (2020), and \u003ci\u003eContemporary British Cinema: From Heritage to Horror\u003c\/i\u003e (2008). He is editor of \u003ci\u003eConflicting Masculinities: Men in Television Period Drama\u003c\/i\u003e (I. B. Tauris, 2018).\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"British Film Institute","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51705406062866,"sku":"9781839027802","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_57db9396-bdde-4520-96ec-d1c183dc648b.jpg?v=1762346898","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/billy-elliot-9781839027802","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}