Director Steve McQueen Blitz is a historical fiction drama starring Saoirse Ronan Elliot Heffernan as Rita and her son George. The film follows George's evacuation from London amid the Nazi bombings of London., which lasted from September 1940 until May 1941 (via Imperial War Museums), The term "lightning war"to be German for"lightning war."The bombings killed 43,500 civilians across the United Kingdom. Rebellious George embarks on a dangerous journey to return to his mother and finds himself faced with the tragedies of the Second World War from which she tried to protect him.
Although the Blitz was a major historical event during the Second World War, BlitzThe ending of reflects a fictional account of this period. BlitzThe characters are not real people, but the deeply personal narrative structure offers a window into the harrowing experience of surviving the Blitz.and the devastation of its consequences. Operation Pied Piper actually saw around 800,000 children evacuated from London to save them from bombings (via History). Blitz bases several of its key scenes on real moments and phenomena, with a few changes to boost its dramatic delivery.
The main characters of Blitz are fictional
However, George is inspired by a real photograph
Blitz'Rita and George are fictional but loosely based on real people. Rita works in a factory, along with countless other women, in difficult conditions. Women represented an important part of the workforce during World War II across the world, especially in the US and UK (via National Museum of the Second World War). Rita is also an aspiring singer and sings several jazz songs. Blitz. Rita's love of music is one of the film's many personal touches that show the humanity of those who suffer from the brutality of war.
About that, George is based on the real image of a young black man holding a suitcase during evacuation orders in London in 1940 (through USA today). The haunting image was what inspired McQueen to make a film about the personal effects of war on ordinary Londoners. Blitz is the only one that manages to simultaneously explore the nuances of race and class in Britain in the 1940s. It is revealed that George's father was racially profiled and arrested before the events of the film. Hence, George lives with his mother and grandfather.
"Winter Coat" was written for Blitz
The jazz-style music is an Easter egg for the Blitz director
Rita sings several songs throughout Blitzand "Winter Coat" was written specifically for the film, which was scored by Hans Zimmer. The track offers a 1940s swing jazz feel that only makes Blitz more engaging. Rita dedicates the song to George after he is evacuated from London and sings it during a performance on BBC radio. The concept came from McQueen's personal life: he inherited his grandfather's winter coat from the time in which the film takes place and wanted to pay homage to the family heirloom.
The track shows Rita's perspective on the evacuation orders.
"The idea of wearing this coat and the presence of someone around your body – it's almost like a hug,"McQueen said USA today. The track shows Rita's perspective on the evacuation orders. She is clearly a loving and devoted mother and fears dying in the Blitz and leaving George an orphan, as well as any harm that may come George's way. Music is a guideline in Blitzas George and Rita are also frequently seen playing the piano and singing with George's grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller).
When George makes the crucial decision to jump off the evacuation train and run back to his mother after being racistly bullied, his memory immediately takes him to a place of happiness. The memory shows his grandfather comforting him after being bullied on the street, and the family singing a song together. Swing music and jazz were often used to bring people together during World War II and offer moments of solace for small victories. Soldiers also sang together to pass the tiring time waiting for battles to begin.
Did the London Underground tunnels really flood during the Second World War?
Yes, and Blitz is based on the flood
London has an extensive subway system known as the Tube in modern times. Some of the subways were used as air raid shelters during the Blitz and many remained operational as part of the evacuation system. As George heads back to London, he is caught in floodwaters on the tube and narrowly escapes. The film's flood is loosely based on the real 1940 flood at a London Underground station that killed 64 people. In fact, a nine-year-old boy saved the few who survived. The incident is known as the Balham Station Disaster.
The flooding occurred when an airstrike hit a bus above ground, and the explosion hit a water pipe which in turn burst and flooded the underground area. The incident and its dramatized version in Blitztruly capture the frenzy and panic of the bombings and the level of destruction they caused for many everyday urban systems and historic landmarks.
Interracial relationships in London in the 1940s were still quite rare
Interracial marriage was never illegal in the UK, but social stigma remained
A flashback explains that Marcus (CJ Beckford), George's father, was the victim of a hate crime in a swing club he attended with Rita. At the time of the events of BlitzHis whereabouts are unknown, but it is suggested that he was wrongfully imprisoned or potentially deported to Granada. Unlike in the US, interracial marriage has never been legally banned in the UK. these relationships were often the subject of much discrimination.
At the time of Blitz, interracial relationships were not entirely common, and the film offers an honest look at the challenges associated with Marcus and Rita's union.
Blitz offers a glimpse of the black experience in Britain during the Second World War, a perspective often missing from historical dramas about this period. While the war brought a sense of solidarity to many nations working to fight the same enemies, both the US and the UK have and still have to face the everyday horrors of racism and discrimination. At the time of Blitzinterracial relationships were not entirely common, and the film offers an honest look at the challenges associated with Marcus and Rita's union.
George lives with the same identity issues that affect many multiracial and multiethnic children, but against the backdrop of the atrocities of war. He visibly tries to downplay these personal issues as he struggles with the realities of dodging bombs with his mother and grandfather, and his father's disappearance from his life. His character shows how, despite much evolution, many children still face the same challenges.
Ife is a unique representation of a Nigerian immigrant in England
Nigerian immigration increased to Britain in the 1960s
While fleeing evacuation efforts, George meets a kindly ARP Director named Ife Benjamin Clementine). The director holds George's hand and offers him a moment of calm in the midst of his long journey, and the two later sing together in the streets as George joins Ife for her nightly neighborhood patrol, during which he asks the people to turn off the lights to protect themselves from bombings. . Ife and George bond over their black identity, and he reveals that he moved to London from Nigeria and has Yoruba lineage.
Ife is based on a real director during World War II (through The Cinemaholic). His real name was Ita Ekpenyon and he was born in Nigeria in 1899. He worked as a teacher before moving to London to obtain a law degree in 1921, when he was 28 years old. He went on to act in films in the 1930s, but was too old to enlist in the army at the age of 46 in 1939. He later joined the St Marylebone Town Council's Section D civil defense volunteer group to make your part.
Ife dies in an air raid in the film, but the real Ite survived a similar incident. Its story is unique: London welcomed a larger wave of Nigerian immigrants in the 1970s, after the country gained independence from Great Britain in 1960 (via Governor of the United Kingdom). British Nigerians have a rich history within the country, making Ife an important and representative character in Blitz.
Many children were never reunited with their parents after the Blitz
George's story in Blitz is more hopeful than most
McQueen's drama displays the message of hope in times of despair present in another of the director's most notable historical epics, 12 years of slavery. After narrowly escaping a subway flood, body snatchers and several nights of bombings, George finally makes it back to his mother in London. The pair tearfully reunite amid the devastation that surrounds them. In reality, many British children were not that lucky. Thousands of children returned to war-torn London orphans or having lost their siblings to brutal attacks.
As George struggles to find his way home, Rita starts looking for him when she discovers he never made it to the countryside. Family friend Jack (Harris Dickinson) helps Rita in her search. In fact, many parents were tied to military and work responsibilities and would not have had the freedom to embark on a long search for their children. However, family ties in the heart Blitz make your fictional characters seem even more realistic, and The discrimination that George, Marcus, and Ife face is partly symptomatic of fascism's global impact on the story.
Sources: Imperial War Museums, History, National Museum of the Second World War, USA today, The Cinemaholic, Governor of the United Kingdom