What you need to know:
If you’re into Britpop and cinema, you should definitely take a look at the films featured here.
Undoubtedly, the Cool Britannia movement in the mid-90s in the United Kingdom led to the emergence of new fashion trends, musical groups and even its full influence on British entertainment. This movement resonated not only in his country but also in other parts of the world. And beyond the music industry, Britpop also reached other branches of the arts, such as cinema.
After the fall of so-called Thatcherism, great hopes were placed in the new Labor government and from there a lot of optimism and creativity was felt in Britain during this time. So much so that the film industry emerged from a moment of stagnation and embraced the British pop audience.
Britpop was also an important part of cinema
Although it is not technically classified as a Britpop cinema, experts believe it is possible It was the worldwide success of the film Four weddings and a funeral 1994, which gave the British industry the power, funding, exposure and confidence to produce a whole range of avant-garde films.
But what characterizes this wave of cinema within Britpop? Well, first of all you can’t classify it as a genre, but many films that were released during this time have common characteristics, because It is almost always about a gang or group of people (usually men) who have the feeling that they are being persecuted or are fleeing. Bright colors, magical realism, anger, sexual or violent scenes, profanity, rejection of American culture, humor and irreverence.
However, The most important factor is that Britpop-era cinema feels positive, as if a better time is coming for those involved in the tapes. But in addition to cinematography, All films have something else important in common: they have incredible soundtracks.An example of this is the adaptation of Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, contributed by Danny Boyle.
And yes, here we know you have already watched this movie but you might want to watch more with a similar vibe. Therefore We’ll tell you some more films that you should definitely watch if you’re a Britpop fan. So get a pencil and paper to take notes, ready? Here we go.
Shoot fish
We start this list with shoot fish, a 1997 romantic crime comedy directed by Stefan Schwartzwhich, like many other films of the period in the UK, included in its cast names that would become very famous in the film industry years later, such as: Kate Beckinsale and Peter Capaldi.
The film has as protagonists Dylan and Jez, two 20-year-old orphans who have too much training and no work. Dylan is a real talker and Jez is a computer genius. Together they use their respective skills to defraud the rich (as if they were modern Robin Hoods) and thus raise a million pounds with the intention of realizing his dream: buying a house in the country.
And if, Shoot fish It also had a spectacular soundtrack as it featured songs from bands that may not have been as famous in the 90s Britpop movement, but are still incredible. Among them stand out The Supernaturals, The Bluetones, Space, Silver Sun, Leftfield, Dubstar and Symposium.
A less ordinary life
Definitely, Danny Boyle was an important figure and key figure in this period of Britpop cinemabut beyond that Trainspotting He also did other interesting things. One of them was A less ordinary life from 1997, a romantic comedy with a touch of fantasy, which starred none other than Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diazin addition to the participation of Stanley Tucci and Timothy Olyphant.
The film focuses on Robert, a young man who is bored with the life he leads and has just lost his job. In revenge, he decides to kidnap Céline, his boss’s daughter. However, things don’t go as planned since he has never kidnapped anyone and this leads to him going through ridiculous situations. In addition, two angels sent from heaven with a special mission are pursuing them: Make her fall in love to prove that true love still exists even in decadent times.
In addition to the plot being fun and offering the romantic moments that we sometimes like to see (don’t do it), A less ordinary life It also shines with its soundtrack, as it brings together artists such as Underworld, Faithless, Ash, The Prodigy, The Cardigans, Sneaker Pimps and more. There are even names that are not part of the Britpop movement but are still spectacular, including Beck, REM and even Elvis Presley.
Sister city
Continuing this list, we present a police story with a lot of dark humor that you will definitely like. We are talking about Sister citya 1997 film, also directed by Kevin Allen, starring Rhys Ifans and his brother Llŷr Ifanswho, in his own way, sharply criticized a certain situation in British society at the time.
This tape tells us Julian and Jeremy Lewis, twins who seek compensation from their father for an accident while working on the house of Bryn Cartwright, a builder and richest man in the region where they live. Faced with refusal, the brothers decide to avenge their father, but in their attempt to seek justice and get what they believe he deserves, things escalate to a dangerous level.
And yes, as you can imagine, Sister city stood out for its soundtrack, which includes songs from artists such as Manic Street Preachers, Superfurry Animals and even Stereolab. So if you like the music of these bands (and many others that don’t belong to Britpop as such), you definitely have to take a look.
House of America
We are approaching the final section of this list, but it’s time to talk about a film that came out during the Britpop era and impressed many because of the harsh reality it reflected. We refer to House of Americadirected by Marc Evans in 1997, a true family drama that will probably leave you speechless.
The plot is about three brothers who live with their mother in a modest village in South Wales. Their father abandoned them when they were children, and now they want to follow in his footsteps and pursue the “American Dream.”. But the path will not be as wonderful as they thought, and they will even have to face their mother and those around them, in a story where reality and fiction are mixed up.
For the enormous drama we see House of AmericaThey decided to use songs from Britpop bands that represented the youth of the time. Therefore Songs by Blur, Supergrass, The Prodigy, Superfurry Animals, Teenage Fanclub and Catatonia are played, but great songs by Tom Jones, John Cale and The Velvet Underground also appear on the soundtrack.
The end of the world
Finally, we would like to say that we have a film that may be a little different in tone from the previously presented films, but we are sure that it will make you laugh. We are talking about The end of the worldComedy and science fiction film directed by Edgar Wright in 2013, bringing together an epic cast of British actors led by Simon Pegg, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Rosamund Pike and even Pierce Brosnan has a special involvement.
In the film we follow Gary, an immature, alcoholic 40-year-old man who convinces his teenage friends to finish a drinking marathon together that they started 20 years ago and never finished.. But as they attempt to achieve this strange personal feat, an unexpected threat emerges: androids who have replaced the humans in their city.
Yes, we know that the plot of The end of the world It sounds a bit terrible, but it’s one of those bad movies that after watching you realize it’s a good way to pass the time. And even more so when we consider this They’ve put together an incredible soundtrack with great songs from British music legends (which are not necessarily recognized as Britpop) among which The Stone Roses, Pulp, Suede, Blur and Primal Scream stand out, Soul II Soul, The Sisters of Mercy and Teenage Fan Club. It is more, They even had the luxury of including The Doors.