I think that the series has contributed a lot to the popularization of the 1920’s era as I think it attracted a lot of the younger generation into romanticizing the amount of underground crime that was happening during the early 19th century and the type of fashion worn by ‘gentlemen’ and ‘lady’s’ during that era. I think that a lot more than just history fanatics now are influenced by the habit’s during in that time period. I feel that due to the series peaky blinders our British history and culture is being looked into and appreciated more for how very complex it really is. I think that the series also gives a better look into the poverty and famine that people in this country suffered through in the early 19th centaury it also highlights the start of equal rights for women and even mentions and brings attention to The suffragette Emily Davison whom jumped in front of a horse at Epsom race course. The series also touches on the subject of mental health of soldiers who returned from the first world war and the effects it had on them such as PTSD, claustrophobia and how taboo the subject was and that it wasn’t spoken about during that time period, the lack of help and or support that soldiers wouldn’t receive. We also get to have a look at the culture of Britain and the politics happening during that time and how they affected decisions made in respect to our country’s views on many subjects even to this day.
The portrayal of historic events and figures in the peaky blinders tv show has a great impact of my perception of the era, it has propelled me to do greater research on the early 19th century between the 1910’s and the 1920s and beyond. Certain characters portrayed in the show such as Tommy and his brothers with the many mental health conditions they portray through their characters after coming home from the war showed how bad the situation was for soldiers who made it home from the war and puts in to perspective how much has changed since then until the present day but also how much still needs to be done in regards to helping men who put their lives on the line for our country. Freddie Thorne is another character who impacted my perception of the era as Freddie was actually a Jewish communist whose family changed there surname in order to dissociate there name with being Jewish due to the political way of things during that time and the antisemitism of those day and the discrimination many ethnic groups experienced not only did Jewish people face discrimination but also so did people of color, gypsy’s and people with physical and mental health conditions and learning disability’s, women also faced a lot of gender discrimination.
Peaky blinders greatened my knowledge of post war England the power dynamics and socioeconomic conditions that were apparent during that time. I gained the knowledge that people in Britain also had low opinions on people of color, people of Jewish ethnicity and religion, people who believed in the communist beliefs and ways, people that before the start of the second world war and also added to the anti semitic views of people in these groups experienced during this time due to people labeling the first world war as the ‘jew’ war and believing that the jews caused this war whilst the Germans believed that it was the jews fault that they had lost that war and also fueled Hitlers hatred towards the Jewish people. It has also expanded my knowledge of the poverty and famine people from Britain went through and suffered. Down to the little to none safety regulations and fair pay amongst the poor in the workplace, employments such as workhouses, factory’s and coal mines. The destruction and corruption within the government and police force such as bent coppers who would take money bribes from local gangs allowing criminals to bend the law and get away with whatever they wanted. The government corruption from within and running members who would support causes such as fachsism and anti semitic towards minorities such as the Jewish and Gypsy races.
The character development in peaky blinders has given me a greater understanding of what a complex protagonist is and what their purpose is and why they do what they do, what motivates and drives them to do things in the manner they have. Their are 5 different types of protaganists within a TV show or film they are The Hero/Heroine, The Anti Hero, The Tragic Hero, The Villian Protagonist and The Supporting Protagonist. I believe that the main character of the show is a anti-hero the characteristics being-
-(An anti-hero is a central character of a story who lacks traditional characteristics that are associated with a conventional hero. While typically guided by the best of intentions, the anti-hero is a classically flawed character with a history of bad decisions and a questionable moral code)
The role of historical fashion and astestics being accurately represented in “peaky blinders” plays a big part in gathering a intrest from viewers that watch the show in the fact that I think it romanticises the time period and the way individuals used to dress it was a time where even people who lived in poverty would still dress in what we would call today ‘professionally’ for example men would wear suit type pants, blazers, coats and hats wether they worked in the Cole mine or the bank although the higher out of poverty the better quality clothes would be. I think that the role of accurate historical fashion and astetics attracts viewers and entices them to watch the show more due to the fact that it is more believable that they are in the time era ( the early 1900’s) that the peaky blinders in set.
The historical context in the early 20th century helps to form the storylines and themes in the peaky blinders but giving viewers accurate time stamps and real life history to connect to and build a solid believable story line. By relating actions or themes within the story line that viewers can relate to or believe in the cause or actions of a character. For example in peaky blinders there are themes such as communisism, fascism, discrimination and corrupt governments that are based off of factual history. The peaky blinders also touch on subjects that are still relevant today such as mental illnesses including depression, anxiety and PTSD. By providing historical context such as dates, wars, politics it allows a storyline to be created within a solid storyline viewers can put on a time line and fact check.
The economic aspects depicted in post world war 1 Birmingham show the amount of poverty and famine suffered by the people who were at the bottom of the chain, how even the police can be persuaded to look the other way by gangsters and or criminals with the bribe of money in order to enable gangs like the ‘peaky blinders’ to make illegal money in any which means they could. It depicts the terrible work conditions workers of post ww1 endured whilst in their places of work such as coal mines, blackmiths, shoemakers, factory workers and so on workers experienced long work hours, a next to nothing pay, and gruelling conditions. It is also depicted how severe the poverty was in post war Birmingham and how regardless of the low pay, unsafe conditions and exhausting hours workers would still work for their wage because if they didn’t there family’s would starve and their were plenty other workers who could take their place. The show also depicts the economic growth of the canal trade from/ through the Birmingham canals and how they were used to transport and trade/ sell goods throughout Britain such as food, iron, coal and other heavy goods. The increasing demand for motor vehicles in post ww1 due to Birmingham becoming the hub manufacturing and automotive industries.
The social aspects depicted in post world war 1 show how differently people at the bottom of the social chain so to speak lived from those at the top such as people whom worked in higher society, how circumstances could affect a individuals lifestyle and way of life. These aspects included political views/ affiliation, the race individuals are born into, an individuals education and up bringing, population density and amount of children one might have. The political aspects depicted in post world war 1 show how the government was in turmoil following the ending of world war 1, how Winston Churchill who was at the time secretary of state for war and air following world war 1 which finished on the November the 11th 1918. How Winston was in communication with tommy Shelby who was established as a book maker, and as time went on a legal member of house of Parliament but he was also the leader of the notorious gang the ‘peaky blinders’ and how Thomas Shelby and Mr. Churchill were in communications and contracts in which Churchill got the acquired outcomes he wanted whilst keeping everything he has done above bored legally.
The setting of peaky blinders in a industrial city like Birmingham impacts the characters lives and motivations by limiting the variety and amount of jobs that were available such as blacksmiths and factory workers, pub landlords or barmen/maids. This resulted in many of the characters finding their own ways of making money that are not necessarily legal and above the law such as the ‘peaky blinders’ they would participate in activities such as illegal bookmaking, selling illegal substances such as opium, fire arms and whiskey due to the fact during that time period whiskey was not yet legal to manufacture and sell. Furthermore a lot of the community and individuals who lived in Birmingham had to pay the peaky blinders money out if fear for protection for a promise in return that their business whatever that may be such as factory’s and pubs recieved no trouble from rival gangs or troublemakers.
Peaky blinders explores the interplay between social classes and the struggles faced by individuals who were from the working class in the time period through their immatation of the poverty experienced by many during the time era and the effect that the different socail classes experienced when they come into communication with one another for example when people from poverty such as the peaky blinders came into contact with tories or fascists within the houses of commons in the government.
Peaky blinders depicts the different gender roles and the expectations experienced by different gender roles such as men being seen as the bread makers e.i the one in a marriage between man and woman as the one who brings the food to the table and clothes on the family’s backs. Females were seen the be weak and vulnerable sex and needed to be protected. It is depicted that women shouldn’t work or if they did they shouldn’t recieve the same pay as a man should much the same as is known today. It was depicted that woman shouldn’t have sex before marriage or have children out of wedlock and abortion was frowned down apon. It is also depicted that women should be the ones to have children and also do everything involving the child such as taking care of them, feeding them, bathing them, teaching them ect whilst the men only had to help the women conceive them and other wise did not need to help the women there after. The Peaky Blinders also depict woman as being disappointed in the men’s behaviour’s and actions and also the consequences of their actions and as being judgemental of their consequential decisions.
Some examples of figures or historical events that are referenced or incorporated into the show are figures such as Winston Churchill- who was the secretary for war and secretary of state for air at the time, Oswald Mosely and his wife (former mistress) Dianna Mitford/Mosely- who were British politicians who were fascists that believed in the ideas of other fascists such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, Jessie Eden – who was a british trade union leader and communist activist, Charlie Chaplin- who was a comic actpr and filmmaker, Billy Kimber- who was a ‘gangster’ in Birmingham, Darby Sabini- who was a British-Italian Mob boss, Alfie Solomons – was as Jewish ‘gangster’ from the east end of London , Lieutenant-colonol Arthur Bigge who was a British Army officer and courtier who was private secretary to Queen Victoria and George V and Brilliant Chang who was a restaurateur and drug dealer. Some examples of historical events that are referenced in peaky blinders include the end of the first world war and life in britain trying to go back to normality (1919). Women on strike against the Unemployment Insurance Act(1926). The wall street crash(1929).
Violence plays a huge part in the narrative of peaky blinders in the fact that most conflicts are resolved with brutal violence and not logic and conversations, it reflects the violent nature of the time period through the countless acts of violence and brutality carried out by not only the peaky blinders but countless other criminals and gangs around the areas of Britain peaky blinders is set in. It is also reflects the violence during the time period that wasn’t intervened in by the police and the amount or corrupt law inforcement officers and branches there were.
The use of language, dialects, and accents in peaky blinders enhances the authenticity and cultural representation of the characters and their backgrounds by encouraging audiences to really believe a character is where there character is supposed to come from for example if a character was from Ireland but the actor playing that character sounded Australian it wouldn’t be believable and there for it would make it hard for an audience to become engaged with that character and their storyline and it wouldn’t make sense. Furthermore if a character used the wrong dialects or language for example the Italians in peaky blinders had new yorker Italian accents but they also spoke Italian with one another if they had spoken in a Cockney accent and then spoke Spanish to one another it would put a hole in the storyline and not only would no one want to watch it but it wouldn’t be culturally appropriate.
Peaky blinders addresses themes of family loyalty and the impact of family connections on the characters actions and decisions by consistently showing how far members of the shelby family would go in retaliation or revenge for any harm or insult towards their own. Further more peaky blinders also addresses family loyalty in other family’s besides the shelby family such as rival gangs to the shelbys/peaky blinders such as killing members of the shelby family in retaliation to members if their own being killed and visa versa. Peaky blinders show how the actions and decisions are impacted by family loyalties and connections in how far members are willing to go in order to protect another even if their decisions are irrational or morally wrong.
Gang members from the peaky blinders would wear very signature outfits that could tie them back to peaky blinders quite obviously. They wore peaked flat caps, tailored jackets, overcoats, waistcoats, silk scarves, bell bottom trousers and leather boots. Although in the TV series the peaky blinders had razors sewn into their flat caps which they then would use to slash people whilst in fights this is highly unlikely and they probably got the name peaky blinders due to the fact that they would wear their hats slightly tipped and over their eyes hence the name ‘peaky blinders’ referring to the peak of the hat ‘blinding’ them.