I’d like to draw your attention to two excellent films that I have watched recently. Both of which are important in terms of the subject of race but both are also excellent cinematic works. They are must see films for both their art and their subject! 

Babylon (Franco Rosso, 1980) follows a group of friends in the underground reggae club scene of London in the late 1970s. It contains both heartwarming humanity and the depressing unravelling of young lives. I found the cinematography spellbinding – long shots (that act almost as stills) allowing the viewer to observe and enter into a scene, with the soundtrack perfectly accompanying the images. (Currently available on Netflix)

White Riot (Rubika Shah, 2019) is a documentary exploring the punk scene of late 1970s London, against the backdrop of the emergence of the National Front and the response of the alternative music scene. It culminates with a “Rock Against Racism” concert organised to bring black and white musicians and their fans together. It too has an excellent soundtrack. It’s about the ‘little person’ making a difference by standing up for what they think is right. As one of the concert organisers says:

“in this society we are made to feel powerless, and useless and that ‘the great and the good’ should do our thinking for us, and one of the wonderful things that we did was to say no, just ordinary people, we can do things, we can change the world”

As ever I’d love to hear your responses. I’d say that watching White Riot first would introduce you to something of the 1970s British context within which Babylon takes place but I watched them the other way around and that worked too.

Ju, Jan 2021

*image & trailers posted for non commercial purposes under ‘fair use’ of copyright material in recommendation of the film

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