'Peaky Blinders' review and directing contextualised
'Peaky Blinders' is a drama set in 1919 Birmingham, England. It focuses around the Shelby family (more specifically Tommy Shelby) and their gangster enterprise they have built. The name "Peaky Blinders" comes from the tradition of sewing razor blades into the peaks of their caps.
The series focuses around Tommy Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy) and his family, the actor is Irish and is known for playing a diverse range of characters. For Tommy he made the character a capable damaged person who uses violence as a form of expression. The acts of violence committed by the brothers are in slow motion connoting capability and knowledge in 'the art of violence', as it's the first time on screen we see the brothers use their hats to fight as well it adds strength and power to the scene. As well as this it creates a divide between both the police and the brothers, as when they come in no editing effort is made to glorify their actions.
The slow motion scene of the brothers in comparison to the police could be seen as the calm before the storm of the police bursting in.
The brother's gang are renowned for their flat caps with razor blades sewn in hence the name Peaky Blinders, they are often seen using them as weapons against people who they deem have wronged their family.
As well as this they all wear crisp, clean and tailored suits connoting wealth and status within the family (it's later revealed they run a large gambling ring). The brothers all have matching hair cuts to suit the hairstyles of workers from the 1919's, contrasting their well dress appearance.
Camera angles are low in both scenes, this is connoting that both parties have the same level of authority.
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