BFI Screenonline: Education: Refuge England (1959)

Refuge England (1959)

The story of a Hungarian man's first day in London.

What techniques are used to encourage an audience to view the story from the refugee's perspective? Why is this important?
How is London portrayed in the film?
How does the filmmaker emphasise the refugee's sense of confusion and bewilderment?
What incident serves to make the refugee feel more 'at home'?
How do you think the refugee's experience would differ from those arriving in Britain today?
Why do you think the filmmaker chooses to use a voiceover which tells the story in the past tense? Is this effective?
At the end of the film we see the table being laid for a hot meal. What does the meal symbolise? What message do you think this sends out to an audience?

The film is shot from the refugee's point of view - the viewer is encouraged to share the same experiences as the refugee as he arrives in London for the first time which encourages our empathy and sympathy.
What do you think? London appears huge, bewildering, exciting and fascinating.
How does the filmmaker emphasise the refugee's sense of confusion and bewilderment?
The refugee begins to feel more 'at home' in the city when he's asked for directions and unexpectedly knows where to send the lost man.
How do you think the refugee's experience would differ from those arriving in Britain today?
The filmmaker chooses to use a voiceover using the past tense because it suggests that the refugee is now settled in this country which is reassuring.
The meal symbolises the comforts of home which implies that the refugee's initial bad experiences of the city have come to an end and he will now be helped to begin his new life.