MovieChat Forums > Naked (1994) Discussion > is this a political film?

is this a political film?

posted 16 years ago by guichoflo
8 replies | jump to latest

So first of all, I m Mexican, so I dont really know much about Britain's culture, and about the relationship between all the British countries. But I did noticed that there was some kind of small emphasis on the national background of some characters. For example, the Scottish guy, or the girl that had the Ireland map. Did Leigh intend to represent the relationship between England and its neighbor countries through this story?
Also, is all the household (where the 3 girls live) some kind of allegory of the English society? Do each of the 5 guys that we find in the last scenes(johnny, jeremy and the 3 girls) represent different English social classes?

I guess that all that I want to ask is that if this film is trying to represent British society?

The film was amazing though..

[–] guichoflo 16 years ago

small remark, I dont know if Jeremy is the right name. I meant the landlord, I m not sure if he s called jeremy or sebastian

[–] Levison-1 16 years ago

"I guess that all that I want to ask is that if this film is trying to represent British society?"

I think you take what you can from it and leave the rest ... a film is not a test.

[–] HansLandasBingoWings 16 years ago

ALL Mike Leigh's films are in some way, try Life is Sweet and Secrets and Lies...they're awesome too

[–] looker7 16 years ago

"Maggie's gone, mate!

[–] HansLandasBingoWings 16 years ago

No!!!! When did this happen? I'm still watching Gazza cry after Italia 90!

[–] podwilliams 16 years ago

It would make more sense to see this film - like so many other Leigh films - as anti-political. He so often sets up working class characters with 'ideas above their station' for a fall, disappointed as Leigh is that the working class didn't trudge obediently down the road towards state socialism. That dismay ends up being a disenchantment with politics itself. Perhaps that's no so clear with Naked, which, though a finely crafted work, seems to be oriented towards locating 'interesting, complex' female characters in the limited (and therefore, for Leigh, reassuring) realm of pitiful victims. Having said that, with Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), Leigh seems to have finally realised that investing his characters with optimism and human agency is where it's at. About time, too, Mike.

The lion and the calf shall lie down together, but the calf won't get much sleep.

[–] stamaheep 16 years ago

burn thatcher!

[–] HansLandasBingoWings 16 years ago

We don't need no water let the mutha *beep* burn, burn mutha *beep* burn!