The British Thriller

‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ is a British thriller, directed by Shane Meadows, which makes use of a British mise-en-scene and British characters in its storylines. As the film was shot in Britain, the mise-en-scene shows the British scenery; for example, the British streets and fields, as well as the typical terraced houses were shown throughout the film.

This short scene of ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ consists of many British elements which together create an identifiable British mise-en-scene. Firstly, a typical British pub is shown, which reflects British mise-en-scene very effectively as the British culture is stereotyped as going out to the pub and drinking beer; "England is a land of beer and bad weather". The weather shown also represents the stereotypical views of Britain as being a dull, rainy country. Although it is not raining in the scene, the wet roads show that it has been raining, and the colourless sky shows that it’ll be raining soon, demonstrating the British mise-en-scene effectively. The use of British characters in this film effectively creates more of a British picture as the characters all have a British accent, speaking English. Also, the clothes worn by the characters present the British fashion, and the norm of British society in terms of dress sense.

I feel that British thrillers elicit a sense of realism by making the audience feel as though they are there in the film. This is partly due to the type of camera used and the variety of shots used within the film. A handheld camera was used which created a documentary feel to the film, adding to the realism audience felt throughout the film.