My Beautiful Laundrette: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 10:19, 6 July 2012

British film released in 1985 directed by Stephen Frears based on a screenplay by Hanif Kureishi. Won the Evening Standard Award for Best Film and the New York Critics' Award in 1985.

The movie is set in 1980s Britain in South London. The protagonist is 20-year-old Omar, son of a mixed marriage his father being a former Pakistani journalist (and now an alcoholic) and his mother being British (and dead). Omar gets the opportunity of gaining success when his rich uncle Nasser - a Pakistani businessman - offers him to take over a launderette. Omar and Johnny become business partners and build up the launderette. Omar also starts an affair with Johnny, a former member of the British National Party.

Important aspects

My Beautiful Laundrette represents many topics of postcolonial Britain: The motivation for success in Thatcherite Britain, the issues of race and ethnicity, identity issues of the young British- Asian generation and homosexuality. Kureishi shows that nationality is not an absolute feature that characterises people when he breaks stereotypes and thus creates individual figures.

References

Buchanan, Bradley. Hanif Kureishi. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
http://www.internetprojekte-in-der-schule.de/projekte/laundrette/characters/html/imagemap.html
http://literature.britishcouncil.org/hanif-kureishi

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+British film released in 1985 directed by Stephen Frears based on a screenplay by [[Hanif Kureishi]].  Won the Evening Standard Award for Best Film and the New York Critics' Award in 1985.
-British film directed by Stephen Frears  based on a screenplay by Hanif Kureishi.  The film was released in 1985 and won the Evening Standard Award for Best Film and the New York Critics` Award.
+The movie is set in 1980s Britain in South London. The protagonist is 20-year-old Omar, son of a mixed marriage his father being a former Pakistani journalist (and now an alcoholic) and his mother being British (and dead). Omar gets the opportunity of gaining success when his rich uncle Nasser - a Pakistani businessman - offers him to take over a launderette. Omar and Johnny become business partners and build up the launderette. Omar also starts an affair with Johnny, a former member of the British National Party.
-Plot
+== Important aspects ==
+''My Beautiful Laundrette'' represents many topics of postcolonial Britain: The motivation for success in Thatcherite Britain, the issues of race and ethnicity, identity issues of the young British- Asian generation and homosexuality. Kureishi shows that nationality is not an absolute feature that characterises people when he breaks stereotypes and thus creates individual figures.
-The action is set up in 1980`s Britain in the Thatcher-Era in South London. The audience is introduced to the Asian-British society and social, ethnic and political issues.
+== References ==
-The main character of the story is 20 year old Omar, son of a mixed marriage his father being a former Pakistani journalist (and now is an alcoholic) and his mother being British. He is constantly busy with problems caused by his “hybridity” as he is feeling to be between the two cultures he inhabits. Furthermore Omar falls in love with Johnny who belongs to the white British society and is a former racist.
+* Buchanan, Bradley. ''Hanif Kureishi''. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
-Omar gets the opportunity of gaining success when his rich uncle Nasser- a Pakistani businessman representing wealth in Thatcherite Britain- offers him to take over a launderette. Omar and Johnny become business partners and built up the launderette.
+* http://www.internetprojekte-in-der-schule.de/projekte/laundrette/characters/html/imagemap.html
+* http://literature.britishcouncil.org/hanif-kureishi
-Important aspects
-My Beautiful Laundrette represents many topics of postcolonial Britain: The motivation for success in Thatcherite Britain, the issues of race and ethnicity, identity issues of the young British- Asian generation and homosexuality. Kureishi shows that nationality is not an absolute feature that characterises people when he breaks stereotypes and thus creates individual figures.
-Further reading:
-Buchanan, Bradley. Hanif Kureishi. University of Michigan: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
-www.internetprojekte-in-der-schule.de/projekte/laundrette/characters/html/imagemap.html
-http://literature.britishcouncil.org/hanif-kureishi