Easter Work - Contextualising 'Sapphire' (1959)

Britain Between 1948 and 1962:

• In the 1950s, a large number of West Indians arrived in Britain.
• A number of Asian people also arrived in the country during the 1950s.
• Migration of a number of people from Pakistan migrating to Britain also took place in the early 1940s into the 1950s and through into the 1960s.
• A number of Pakistani people migrated over to Britian due to partition in their country which occurred in 1947.
• Estimated in 1951 that there were around 5000 Pakistantis living in Britain, this number had increased to 24,900 10 years later in 1961.
• For the first time, the 1950s saw young people gaining a significant disposable income.
• Youth culture also became more distinct during this decade; started with the 'teddy boys' in the 1950s and went on to the mods and rockers of the 1960s.
• For a long time after 1948 unemployment in Britain remained very low. The late 1940s, 1950s and 1960s were a long period of prosperity.
• Hardship in Britain since 1948 has been greatly improved - by the time the 1950s came round absolute poverty had almost disappeared from the country.
• The quality of households also greatly improved during this time. Central heating became more common in British homes during the 1960s and PVC was first used in homes in the 1940s.
• Food rationing still existed for several years after WWII - tea rationing lasted until 1952, sweet rationing until 1953 and meat and cheese rationing until 1954.

How Was The Social Landscape Changing?

• Large numbers of migrants from West Indian and Asian countries began to migrate to Britain in order to fill jobs that British people were not filling.
• Distinct youth culture began to evolve - 'teddy boys' were a common occurrence on the streets of Britain.
• Racial attacks occurred in Notting Hill in London in August 1958 - hostilities between white and black people were prominent.
• Food rationing comes to an end in July 1954, the pressure on food supplies had now disappeared.
  

How Did The Changing Social Landscape Lead to 'Racialisation' of British Politics?

• Racialisation of British politics could have been caused by the fact that a number of West Indian and Asian people were migrating to the UK in the 1950s.
• Migration into the UK from such parts of the world began in the late 1940s and peaked in the early 1960s.
• Concerns from white British people that the influx of immigrants from the West Indies in particular would mean that unemployment for white people would be more common, would be harder for them to find jobs.
• A plee for controlled immigration was taken to the colonial office by the mayor of Lambeth, one of the most popular places for West Indian immigrants to settle once in Britain.
• Stated there was a housing crisis in this area; 10,000 were on the waiting list for housing in Lambeth and due to the already lareg influx of immigrants the area no longer had enough housing for these people.
• Hostilities between white and black people became apparent in the riot that took place in Notting Hill in August 1958.
• Hostilities were on both sides; white people in Notting Hill claimed they had been intimidated and threatened by some black people, while black people claimed they had had their houses vandalised and had been attacked by certain white people.
• In the 1960s, more than 12,000 Kenyan and Asian refugees arrived in Britain due to ongoing violence in their home country of Africa; despite being commonwealth citizens and therefore were freely allowed to enter Britian. However, politician Jim Callahan drafted a Commonwealth Immigration Bill, and the bill became law almost immediately. This meant that the free entry commonwealth immigrants had been promised was no longer available.
• A number of Labour MP's saw this as a 'betrayal' by Harold Wilson who was Prime Minister at the time and had been 'panicked' by the number of immigrants arriving in Britain.
• Outsider Conservative MP Enoch Powell claimed the country to be 'mad' to allow such a high number of immigrants into the country in what is now known as 'The River's of Blood' speech.
• Three days later over 1000 dock workers who were usually Labour supporters marched to Westminster in support of the speech he gave, and Powell received over 43,000 letters of support from members of the public.

How Were Black People Presented in This Film?

• In the film 'Sapphire', the black people being presented were seen as being inferior to white people; this is done particuarly by the older characters of the film, including Sapphire's landlady, David's sister and parents and the detectives assistant.
• The white characters in the film are shocked by the fact that Sapphire's brother is black and is a doctor, giving the impression that the stereotypical view of black people in the 1950s when the film was made was that black people were uneducated and didn't have professional employment.
• The fact that Sapphire is a black woman who can get away with being known as a white person due to her being mixed race gives the impression that a number of people in the same situation as her would choose to be seen as white rather than black, possibly for an easier life with less prejudice.
• Black people are presented to have prejudice towards them by some white people - this is evident in the scene where Sapphire's old dance partner is running from the police and runs into a gang of white people who beat him up and chase him through the streets.
• Could be seen to be presented as not trusted and sneaky - this can be seen to be evident in the scenes where the detective and his assistant are talking to a small gang of black men about the whereabouts of Sapphire's former dance partner and in another scene where they are at the club where Sapphire used to dance.
• The lifestyle of black people could be seen to be presented as being flambouyant, wild and fun - this can be seen to be portrayed by the quick cuts between shots of the dancers in the dance club and the music that is playing.

How Does The Film Put Across a Sense of Collective Identity of Black British People?

• Collective identity of Black British people living in Britain at the time is mainly portrayed in the dance club scene; all of the people there are black or are of mixed race, and are dancing to Caribbean music.
• Another portrayal of collective identity of British black people is the gang scene where the detective goes to question them about the whereabouts of Sapphire's former dance partner; all of the members are black and share similar views on things and also share the same sense of humour.
• Gives the impression that due to the prejudice that was directed at black people in the time that 'Sapphire' is set, the majority of black people tended to stick together in their own groups and didn't mix as much with white people as there is today.
• This gives the audience the indication of collective identity as the film presents groups of black people who are in the same situation as each other, therefore they know they can trust each other and because of this they stick together and look out for each other.