Pressure.

Pressure was released in the midst of black exploitation cinema in the mid 1970s. Pressure portrays the situation of Britain's demographic change. It was shown in a 'back-seat' kind of way so we, as an audience could see the kinds of things that were going on in the 1970s-1980s. Pressure can be seen as a coming-of-age film showing the social revelations of young black men and women. Equally it focuses upon how the social, political and cultural climate change throughout the 70s and 80s.


I believe Pressure was made to highlight that at the time Black Britain was seen to be a completely separate indication to the white British culture. Pressure covers many different ways of the cultural boundaries and how they are different from personal views, some more obvious and consequential than others. Pressure shows many different perspectives on culture and the types of responses to Black people and Black Britain especially at the time that the film was made.


Also, Pressure emphasizes the fact that people used to tar black people with the same brush. As Tony, the main character had been brought up in England since he was born so he hangs around and acts in a similar way to his friends who are all white. Yet his brother is totally different as he originally was brought up in Trinidad so he has different characteristics. This is how the directors chose to put across the differences of everyone of the black culture. It highlighted many differences between the two brothers no matter how close they were they would be different because of how they have been brought up. 


There are many forms of racism brought up in the film but in different ways. Pressure has put across and shown well how people acted and treated each other back in the era that it focuses on. For example, when Tony went back to his friends flat, the landlord decided she didn't want tony to be in her household. Yet his friend was defending him saying that he had as much right as anybody else to be there. This particular situation highlighted two different perspectives of black people and made a realistic argument. Some people had a strong hatred against black people and clearly wouldnt like to change their mind, this would usually be the older generation whereas the younger generation, teenagers, would have a mutual respect for black people as much as anybody else because they had grown up with them and didnt see any problem.


Another situation that arose was that when the Black people decided to have a meeting about certain problems that arose and just to have a general party, the police turned up and began to arrest people without any particular reasoning. This proved that people especially policemen wanted any excuse to get black people into trouble. This portrayed the brutality of the situation within the era.


I believe that Pressure can be seen as different from mainstream representations of Black Britons because it portrays so many perspectives of black britain and captures a realistic view of how  the lifestyles of britons in the 1970s-80s was.

Windrush - Part 11

- Michael X was the most recognised and most controversial black figure in British Politics


- He wanted people to believe he wanted to speak only the truth towards matters that he believed in


- The media portrayed Michael X to be a leader of the ‘Black Power’ but he wasn’t 

Windrush - Part 10

- Visitors to Britain had began permanent roots

- These people were good at taking risks and thinking in the future always thinking of how their children would get a better living

- Martin Luther King talking about equality made a big difference to a lot of people

- 1963 - Black Political Action. Discrimination, things were breaking out in America 

- The Boycot took four months to achieve victory

- Malcom X of West Indian background himself visited Britian before he died

Windrush - Part 9

- Sex played a great part in the stamina as to why women were choosing more black men


- A white model began to see two West Indian men at the same time which began an uproar in the media


- West Indians had a tradition of going to church and wearing their best clothes on a sunday. However, the white people didn't want blakc people in their churches as they were afraid of losing their community

Windrush - Part 8

- A lot of white people were shocked and it was a multi racial funeral - Turning point where people agreed the violence should stop


- General election 1959 - 'Down with Mosley'


- Mosley only gained 2000 votes and retired from politics


- Being able to speak your mind - Behaviour was different


- New social scene 'Blues Party'


- A new music genre came about 'Ska'


- 'My boy lollipop' was a core song from the West Indian market to the West end


- A different and exciting culture


- 60s began to swing but to Caribbean flavour


- 'Jamaicanisation' of white culture


- Caribbean music stapled the thriving night scene

Windrush - Part 7

- Following six weeks after the riots - Black peoples homes were targeted night after night


- Youngsters were running around with petrol can setting fire to black peoples homes


- Mosley's anti immigrant movement campaigned in Notting Hill since 1956 and he was known as Britain's facist leader


- Mosley supported Hitler


- Everyone had to support Mosley otherwise they would be turned against


- 1958 - Notting Hill was a dangerous place for West Indians to be The white people would walk around with all sorts of weapons 'They had chains' knives etc


- The advise given to Black people from the police would be to go back to where they came from 


- 1st September Balck people fought back with petrol bombs and thier own weapons


- This sent shockwaves over Britain


- 9 months after the riots Notting Hill hit the news as a West Indian carpenter was stabbed to death by three teddy boys this was Britains first acknoledged race killing. 


- No-one was ever arrested for that killing which made Black people aware of their vunerability and lack of protection they had from the Police

Windrush -Part 6

- Growing numbers of black people becoming home owners, bringing over methods from the Caribbean


- Resentment against West Indians was reaching boiling point - Racial hostility soon accompanied by violence


- 'Teddy Boys' fought black people on the street they also beat up women who fell in love with black men


- 'Age of tremendous cruelty to Black people'


- Black women out early in the morning 'doing the dirty jobs' cleaning in the hospitals


- Nottingham summer of 1958 West Indians decided they wanted to fight back at the violence towards them


- After two weeks the violence subsided but violence then broke out in Notting Hill, London but this was the white people


- Nottingham Hill riots shook Britain


- 'Turning their own people against them' as a white woman started to fight against other white people offering help