White people go to school where they teach you how to be real thick

Continuing my trip up The Guardian's Top 50 Movies of 2020...

#49 : White Riot


Documentary about the groundbreaking Rock Against Racism movement that helped to stem the rising tide of far-right support in 1970s Britain, with its benefit gigs featuring the likes of the Clash and the Tom Robinson Band.

OK kids - let's talk about racism.  Is it good or is it bad?!?  Well, if you're struggling to answer, then maybe this film is for you.  Although, to be honest, if you're struggling to answer, then maybe you just need to go and have a bit of a think about things rather than reading this, eh?  Either way, I'd not seen this film and whilst I can't claim to have been massively politically aware at the tender age of 10, I was vaguely aware of the rise of the National Front and the resultant Rock Against Racism counter-movement, so I was quite interested to watch it.

And what we've got here is a very interesting story featuring some eye-opening footage both in terms of how amazingly dated parts of London look (45 years ago doesn't really feel all that long ago, but it all looks incredibly different) and how popular (and brazen) the National Front were at the time.  We've also got some interesting characters telling their story, leading up to the Rock Against Racism/Anti-Nazi League gig in Hackney's Victoria Park where 100,000 people attended (and there were no toilets made available, so I don't even want to begin to imagine what the park looked like afterwards).  However...

...unfortunately, what we don't have here is a great film.  It's an hour long History Channel documentary padded out with some very odd visual effects for no obvious reason at all, which just end up making you think "huh?".  Which is a shame, because I enjoyed the story and the archive footage - but I would have preferred to watch the History Channel documentary.  I am, in no way, denigrating the efforts of the RAR founders who it appears put themselves through hell for nothing more than trying to promote common human decency but I believe they deserved their story to be told better than this film managed it.  It's a very "Guardian" story, so that's probably how it found its way on to the list, but it's easily the lesser of the two films we've met so far for me.

At the time of writing, this film is available on Sky or to rent through Amazon but to be honest I wouldn't bother unless you particularly feel the need to see what London looked like in the late 70s.

#50 - Some very intense teenagers
#48 - An unexpectedly good film

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