Aalborg Universitet Anna Kathrine Krarup Master’s Thesis Bent Sørensen June 2nd, 2020 Krarup 1 Abstract The aim of this thesis is to investigate the film Kingsman: The Secret Service in relation to the spy film genre as a whole and its cultural context of 21st century Britain. The reasoning for this being an interest in how the film marries an older and well-established genre with the social dynamics of contemporary Britain in order to create its own new film – what parts of its genre traits it keeps, and which traits it discards, and how it combines this with modern social dynamics. The interest is how the film relates to its genre and cultural context, whether it is pushing against social constructions in 21st century Britain or further cementing them. In this thesis, the film is firstly analysed in terms of genre with the goal being to assess whether the film is a parody of the spy film genre or a pastiche thereof. The film’s initial release material is studied for genre traits and other indicators such as the use of para-texts. This is done in order to understand what expectations the film is trying to build in terms of genre. The film’s comic book source material is also brought into this genre analysis, and the similarities and differences are discussed in regards to what the film has kept, and what it has changed from its source text, and in turn what this means in regards to take on the genre and its cultural context. After the analysis of the film’s approach to its genre, where it is determined that it is a humoristic pastiche, the focus of the analysis is shifted to the topic of the two types of Britain the film is portraying. In this section of the thesis, the focus is on a character analysis of the two main characters, Eggsy and his mentor Hart, as representatives of each their end of the British class system. The two characters are also analysed in terms of intertextuality or lack thereof as well as the inclusion of genre tropes. It is discussed why the tropes are distributed the way they are between them, namely in terms of how the more flattering and gentlemanly traits are at large bestowed upon Hart, who represents the upper end of the British class spectrum. As an extension of how the film portrays social class, the mise-en-scène of the characters’ surroundings and how the film portrays the two different social settings are analysed, and the use of colour and nostalgia to further a positive image the British upper class as a contrast to the British working-class is discussed. Next, as it a large part of how the film builds the Kingsman spy organization and the spy up, the idea of the British gentleman is discussed both in relation to how it is married to the spy genre and in terms of current social class division in Britain. What it takes to be a gentleman, according to the film is analysed, and it is discussed whether this is as obtainable by everyone no matter class boundaries as it is initially argued in the film. Krarup 2 Furthermore, the female role is discussed in relation to the genre norm and whether the film broadens it or not, which in turn moves into an analysis of the role of people of colour in the film. The female and minority role are furthermore discussed in relation to the previous analysis of social class. Finally, the representation of people of colour in the film is discussed in regards to the African American villain, and how the film creates an othering of him to further the gentleman trope it celebrates. Through the analysis and discussion of these matters, it is concluded in this that the film is paradoxical: It is concluded that the film does open up a discussion of class rather than dismiss it, and it does broaden otherwise quite limited roles in the genre for anyone who is not necessarily a well- situated British man. It is, however, also concluded that the film being a pastiche to a type of film of times gone by, and its celebration of the British elite means that it ultimately furthers the very same social constrictions that it initially appears to take a stance against. Krarup 3 Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Theory .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Genre Theory: Parody and Pastiche ................................................................................................. 6 New Historicism ............................................................................................................................. 10 Method ............................................................................................................................................ 12 Historical Context of Kingsman: The Secret Service ......................................................................... 14 British Cinema ................................................................................................................................ 14 Class in Britain ............................................................................................................................... 16 Working-Class Britain in the 20th Century – The Thatcher Years ............................................. 16 Working-Class Britain in the 21st Century ................................................................................. 18 Youth in Modern Day Britain ..................................................................................................... 21 The Media and the Working-Class ............................................................................................. 22 Political Landscape in 21st Century Britain ................................................................................ 22 Analysis .............................................................................................................................................. 25 Parody or Pastiche? ........................................................................................................................ 25 The Working-Class 007 and Mr. Darcy with a Poison Pen ............................................................ 34 The Kingsman Gentleman Spy: Bred or Taught? .......................................................................... 42 The Single Mum, the African American Megalomaniac and Bond with a Ponytail ...................... 54 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 63 Works Cited ........................................................................................................................................ 65 Krarup 4 Introduction When thinking about spies - and more specifically spy films, surely one of the first images that comes to mind for many people is that of a tuxedo clad gentleman, speaking in a distinctively British accent, with slick back hair, a martini in one hand, and a gun in the other. The spy genre has had an overall constant presence in cinema history since the 1960’s (Barr, C., 65), and this thesis will look into the genre as both a subject of idolization and parodying in the 21st century. The British spy is foremost portrayed as a gentleman spy, a well-positioned man who speaks in a RP accent and drives fast luxurious cars with little care in the world aside from fighting foreign villains, and which woman he will invite to his hotel room this time (Powell, D. 132). However, while the genres popularity remains largely unaltered, the social dynamics of its cultural context of Britain have changed drastically since the genre’s emergence (Evans, G., Tilley, J., 3). This is where Kingsman: The Secret Service comes into the picture with its new take on the well-known genre. What sets Kingsman: The Secret Service apart is its broader range of characters from different parts of society in 21st century Britain. Most notably, the film’s main character, Eggsy, is a young working-class man with an affection for sweatpants and hoodies over shaken martinis and tailored suits. It is through his journey of becoming the gentleman spy, with the help of his spy mentor, that the well-known genre tropes clash with the current day social dynamics in Britain, bringing two social groups together that are becoming increasingly socially divided. The goal of this analysis of Kingsman: The Secret Service is to try to reach a better under- standing of how the film relates to its historical context as well as the film tradition that it is rooted in. As the film features characters from very different social groups in current British society, as well having different roles for females and minority groups from the genre norms, there is an interest in looking into what social groups the film is portraying, and what role these are given in the film. By doing so, the goal is to get a better understanding of why this is so, and whether the film is pushing against the current social structures or cementing them. The analysis will also focus on how the film relates to its comic book source material – whether it is a parody or a pastiche of the genre on which it is based, and what parts of the genre conventions that are used, and what parts that are discarded, and if