The Stars Look Down

Community Unity

It can be seen then that family portrayal in The Stars Look Down centres around conflict, whereas family life in The Proud Valley is one of unity. This rule is also true of representations of community in the two films.

One only need look at the language that is used in The Proud Valley. People address each other affectionately throughout. There is repeated use of affectionate terms, most notably ‘my boy’. In the plural ‘boys’ and ‘lads’ are used to create a sense of community spirit. Of course this community spirit is generated mostly through song in The Proud Valley. David is unified with the rest of the community before they even meet, through song. The scene where this is established (when David sings outside the window) is perhaps the most memorable of the film. The title song is also significant, (‘they can’t stop us singing’), this is a statement of collective strength. It is interesting to note that when the men are venturing into the old workings, the community are gathered and singing in support outside. They do this before the accident. This is in contrast to The Stars Look Down where the community only gather after there has been a tragedy. In The Proud Valley the community sing above ground as the men are singing below. This perhaps suggests that although separated physically, the community are united in spirit.

The community is also shown to have a strong unifying sense of identity, they are proud of the fact that they are Welsh. This sense of being Welsh is not exclusive however, as the union jacks at the end of the film testify.

Instead it becomes patriotic during the march as war is declared and the men unite in combined war spirit. The outbreak of war serves not only to confirm the unity amongst the men but also to unify the miners with the country in general. As Ned says ‘Coal in wartime is as much a part of national defence as guns or anything else.’

The notion that they are heroically doing their bit is continued in the mine with the self-sacrifice that is displayed once the men become trapped. Emlyn points out that they are ‘all in this together’. Then comes the ultimate self-sacrifice as David willingly gives his life for the community, allowing Emlyn to be reunited with Gwen and his family. We see the central characters united at the end of the film, the community is together to witness the mine in production, the union jacks symbolise their unity with Britain and we hear David singing ‘Wales’ a country and community that accepted him so warmly that he was willing to die for them.

Landy says, in British Genres, ‘The Welsh community is linked to the biblical world of the Israelites, which triumphs over the hostile forces of profit and nature. David’s sacrifice enables the community to be united.’