2. Brief Overview.
The film depicts the story of Harry
Brown, an elderly ex-marine whose
estate is being dominated by violent
youths. When the youths kill Harry’s
closest friend he decides enough is
enough and begins to take control of
the youths by fighting back.
3. Theories Presented In Harry Brown.
Theories we have learnt about in Media include -
Moral panic
- Sub cultures
- Folk devils
- Althusser and the ISA
All of these theories were presented in the film Harry Brown through
different characters.
4. Theories Presented In Harry Brown – Moral Panic
Moral panic is an instance of public anxiety or alarm in response to a problem regarded as
threatening the moral standards of society. The film itself is an example of something that can
be seen by the public and create a moral panic. It shows a one sided view of teenagers
behaving violently and in a threatening manner but we never learn much about the
teenagers or their life stories, in the case of Matty, his story is spoke about very briefly so that
audience are less likely to feel sympathetic towards him. Through shot types, editing and
framing the audience is influence to side with Harry. When the movie begins there are very
fast pase, short, quick edited shots for the teens but when the camera shows Harry he has
longer screen time we see wide shots of him by himself and this makes us feel sympathetic
towards him. The teenagers in a group, take up most of the camera frame and look
intimidating whereas Harry is made to look isolated and vulnerable.
5. Theories Presented In Harry Brown – Folk Devils
Folk devils are a group that a moral panic is based around. In Harry
Brown the teenagers are the folk devils. The young people in Harry
Brown are presented as violent, rebellious and out of control. They are
the only young people we see in the film which gives the impression
that they represent young people as a whole. There is a scene right at
the beginning of the film where the youths shoot a mother whilst she is
pushing a baby in a pram. Here they are being represented as folk
devils.
6. Theories Presented In Harry Brown - Subcultures
A subculture is a group within a larger culture, often sharing the same
beliefs and interests. The teenagers in Harry Brown are represented as
part of a street/gang subculture. They hang around an estate in a
large group and involve themselves in illegal activities such as
taking/selling drugs and attacking members of the public. They often
swear and behave in an aggressive manner. Gangs are often
stereotyped as wearing hoodies, tracksuits or baggy clothing which is
what the teenagers shown in Harry Brown wear throughout. The
biggest crime connected to street/gang culture is knife crime, which
is the crime the teenagers commit which triggers Harry to take control
of the estate.
7. Theories Presented In Harry Brown – Althusser
and the ISA
The scene where the police come to the estate and confront the teenagers is
shown as an example of society’s way of controlling the people, the police are
brought to the estate as a method of control, although this does not work out
well in the film.
This theory is well presented in the film Harry Brown. None of the teenagers seem
to be in any type of education which may have resulted in them becoming
outcasts of society. This can be seen to be the reason to why they are involved in
so much criminal activity.
