Birth of a Nation

I just watched 'Birth of a Nation' again for the first time in over 30 years after buying the DVD set. This is the film that led me into becoming a teacher along with Leila Berg's book 'Risinghill - Death of a Comprehensive School'. In fact, the sex education scene in BOAN was almost certainly inspired by an identical real-life lesson described in Berg's book. There was a time, many years ago, when the likes of Loach, Clarke, Watkins, Jackson & Hines and of course Leland used television as a medium to try and change society for the better, and amazingly the BBC and ITV (and C4) backed them. Now we are fed a diet of repetitive thrillers and unreaity shows so that the 1% can maintain their dominance and keep the rest of us in perpetual serfdom. Television has truly become the opiate of the people, just as well we have DVDs and the BFI.

It's safe to say that television nowadays is nowhere near as daring as it used to be. ITV would sooner be making the next series of Love Island than taking a chance on something more controversial, boundary-pushing or discussion-provoking akin to the likes of David Leland's Birth of a Nation. Masterfully directed by Mike Newell, many scenes feel as if they were lifted from a slice-of-life documentary about an average day at a British comprehensive school circa 1982. As students arrive on the first day of a new term the film flirts between classes and academic offices, briefly pausing to observe the activity unfolding there before moving on to the next. Gradually scenes lengthen and characters are established and what starts as an observational documentary develops seamlessly into a study of an outmoded educational model that has refused to adapt to changing times; a battleground in which the struggling educators are driven by a singular purpose, to drum the set syllabus and the importance of qualifications into their students, irrespective of their interest or desire to learn. David Leland's writing is absolutely gripping, you can drop in at any point and become hooked in a few seconds based on the dialogue and performances alone with a young Jim Broadbent being the scene stealer, shining as a thoughtful critique of an inflexible and outmoded educational system straining at the seams. Shining a spotlight on teachers who go above and beyond to connect with their students and ignite a passion for learning, irrespective of divides, both blackly comic and acutely observed, Birth of a Nation is utterly superb television.

This shows what comprehensive schools were really like in the 80s. Forget the unrealistic Grange Hill with the goodlooking cast of rough but good hearted working class kids, Birth of a nation shows the disturbing truth. Class after class of ugly, aggressive teenagers. Thick, hateful savages with speech impediments. It felt like I was watching a documentary.

Birth of a nation was clearly made as a piece of political properganda that focuses on how corporal punishment doesn't work. And how qualifications in comprehensive schools are worthless because there are no jobs for unemployable thickos who spend their days smoking behind the bikeshed and extorting money from younger children.

Thank God for smartphones and zero hour contracts, because apparently bored school leavers who couldn't get jobs in those days would hang around outside the school gates to be antisocial. What saddos. Wouldn't they be happier at home in front of the TV?

Jim Broadbent (aka Roy Slater in OFAH) was believable as a teacher because he was so ugly. But I found some of the messages in this film bizarre. Like how one of the teachers pulled his pants down on school grounds while looking at a poster of a naked women and then proceeded to wear a thong. Were they insinuating he's gay and getting off on spanking the boys?

Despite how miserable and bleak it was, I actually enjoyed watching it because I felt like I was watching something real, not the fake, sugar-coated, rubbish that tries to cover up reality.

The reviewer who stated this was about 'thicko' schoolkids is clearly a tadge 'thick' him/her self as clearly he/she was perusing something totally different; maybe it was their usual daily read of The Beano or Comic Cuts or The Telegraph... This superbly directed film is actually about kids who stood up for themselves and refused to be beaten on their bottoms by perverted teachers who appear to get some kick from bullying people smaller than themselves... and Jim Broadbent is brilliant as the radical teacher intent on putting The System to rights... the camera-work and direction is masterful (the opening scene of kids being ;herded and patrolled as though they are fenced cattle is little short of superb) but the real heroes are the kids... they made me feel proud!