Themes in Pressure and Burning an Illusion

Before going further, if you haven't done so already, you should watch the films. In his analysis of them, Joel concentrates on three themes, illuminating how the films convey their meaning through their use of:

• Food
• Physical environment
• Hair and fashion

These themes relate specifically to the mise en scène of the films, exploring how they reflect the changing cultural values, and the way the young people in the film react to their experience of racism in Britain at the time they were growing up, as Joel has outlined in the notes you have just read. These themes are by no means the only ones that could be examined, but they do provide an interesting way of exploring and analysing the films and the issues that they raise.

He also examines how language reflects character development in the films.