Synopsis
A young black woman in England becomes increasingly frustrated with her life with her lazy, demanding boyfriend, and with the help of friends seeks something better.
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Burning an Illusion
Cast
Cassie McFarlane Victor Romero Evans Beverley Martin Angela Wynter Malcolm Frederick Chris Tummings Trevor Laird Corinne Skinner-Carter John Cannon Nicola Wright Larrington Walker Marva Buchanan Suzanne Auguiste Ruddy L. Davis Brian Bovell Leroy Anderson Andy de la Tour Janet Kay Millie Kiarie Gary McDonald Ian Cullen Loftus Burton
Director
Producer
Writer
Editor
Cinematography
Art Direction
Composers
Genre
Releases by Date
Theatrical limited
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UK15
Theatrical
13 Nov 1981
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UK15
Releases by Country
UK
13 Nov 1981
- Theatrical15 Originally AA
19 Aug 2022
- Theatrical limited15 Re-Release
Popular reviews
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1st Menelik Shabazz
Seen at the BFI with my lovely friend Isabella, we were both surprised by how well this has aged in 40 years. Shabazz’s film posits a discovery of self that involves rejecting the white western model of macho capitalism, an invisible oppressive force that creates aspirations that destroy minority cultural identity and connections. Instead, it stresses embracing an alternate system that stresses pride in one’s cultural identity and political awareness of the system that sought to break them down.
It’s a bold suggestion to infer that relationship problems that ended in domestic violence can be resolved by political action and unified struggle, but Shabazz makes it work within the context of the drama; our leads become more…
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beautiful + devestating. all i can say rn. ! want to review but who has the capacity to express coherent thoughts at the minit ?
i'm going to continue 2 b pissed off that it was on bfi player 'unavailable' until recent events....... as fuckin per i have more 2 say abt the distribution/access/availability than the film itself.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
what i will say: these women have the most beautiful hairstyles ive ever seen in a british feature -
starts as one of the unintentionally great 'niggas ain't shit' films (black male directors love to clown themselves and i love to see it) before morphing into a beautiful portrait of a young black british woman coming into herself.
loooooooots of things in this that maybe haven't aged well or deserve to be discussed more rigorously, but at the end of the day there are still so few films like this and that is why menelik shabazz was such a pioneer!!
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Powerful and spirted, this film's main flaw is how long it takes to reach this energy. Burning an Illusion is both a trailblazer and a cornerstone of Black British Cinema, and its influence on contemporary works like Steve McQueen's Small Axe anthology series is clear. As mentioned, the story takes a while to get going, but when it does is when this film truly becomes great. Brilliant music, emotional performances and engaging characters all help this film give a voice to the voiceless.
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Whilst I don't enjoy the relationship in this being maintained whilst past abusive behaviours go unaddressed, I appreciated it shifting the story the way it did. It framed the entire film's events in an interesting way. We are able to reflect on the behaviours, the culture, the pressures and so on within the black community living in the UK.
It's really nice seeing her personal growth. I think many can relate to things like this once they reflect on how racism - in particular -affects us in society. Not even necessarily in big ways, but in small ways that make even the little things extra exhausting.
However, her partner's growth is just something I don't trust. As an individual, yeah,…
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The groundbreaking debut from Menelik Shabazz, Burning an Illusion was the first British film to feature a Black female lead. Filmed around Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill during the Thatcher years, this fiery love story is a powerful, aspirational tale of political and emotional emancipation.
Now showing here.
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would be interesting to see in a double bill with babylon, which has been criticised for being male-centric and chauvanist towards its female characters. but also because where babylon is closer to a tragedy, this film uses an injustice as a catalyst for the lead to find community, solidarity, and hope.
and as much as her change is triggered by her relationship to her man, the change is actually brought about by finding strength in her relationships with other women, directly in contrast w where she is in the first act and with her friend whos fixated on marriage.
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Menelik Shabazz died just a few months ago and it's a testament to his influence and network of collaborators that screenings of his films—with friends and former actors—have been happening quite regularly this summer. It was very nice to catch one of these today hosted by Leeds Heritage Corner, with discussion afterwards.
The film is very good. I hate calling films 'a document' but the filmmaking here kind of demands it—it is observed and slow & really loves its surroundings, the rooms and spaces evolving with the characters. It's strange to see such a deliberately social drama & maybe part of what it does is explore consciousness raising as a visual form. Remarkably it doesn't feel forced upon the action but rather…
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Incredibly misleading synopsis, Burning An Illusion is not a simple drama, it's an answer to socially conscious (but white) working class British films, invoking a specifically Black viewpoint over the strife faced by the oppressed in Thatcher's London.
The synopsis left me dismissive too over the 'useless' boyfriend, and much like Pat, only realised her own disconnection from her community's struggle in the third act.
A clever balancing act, the film leaves neither character fully in the wrong, just victims of assimilation and racism. It becomes geniunely inspiring to see their increasing social awareness, but never veers into sensationalism, like the best British social realism, Burning An Illusion is about the everyday, but it understands everyday does not look the same to everybody.
I also related to how much pineapple juice they all drank.
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Menelik Shabazz’s British drama in which a young British-born black woman experiences an awakening as she navigates a relationship in Thatcher’s London, questioning about love and life.
Only the second British film to be made by a black director, Burning an Illusion concentrates on a young British-born woman of colour (Cassie McFarlane) who looks for protection in her life and aims to accomplish it through marriage; however, the wrongful seizure and cruel beating of her boyfriend (Victor Romero Evans) by the cops, results in a defining moment in both their lives.
Cassie McFarlane gives a good performance in her role as Pat Williams, the young woman of colour whose attempts to get the security she wants are going to be…
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A good movie set during the early Thatcher days. Kind of a two-parter, with the first half focusing on the protagonist in a thorny relationship with a guy who initially seems nice but quickly turns violent. It’s a good example of the lack of power women have in a relationship when the partner becomes abusive. Pat may have friends but her support system in this situation is non-existent. She’s thoroughly alone and, as we see later, even contemplating calling the police is a non-starter due to law enforcement’s own bigotry and abuse against Black people. The police are only going to see her and people that look like her as enemies, which sets up the second half of the film,…
