The Battle for Barking

The Battle for Barking is a 2010 British documentary film, chronologically filming the campaign for the election of MP to the Barking constituency.[1] It won the Sheffield Youth Jury Award at Sheffield Doc/Fest in 2010.

The Battle for Barking
Directed byLaura Fairrie
Produced by
  • Laura Fairrie
  • Christopher Hird
StarringMargaret Hodge
Nick Griffin
Richard Barnbrook
Lawrence Rustem
Bob Bailey
CinematographyLaura Fairrie
Edited byJohn Mister
Music byHarry Escott
Molly Nyman
Production
company
Dartmouth Films
Distributed byMore 4
Release date
  • 4 November 2010 (2010-11-04)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Reviews

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Reviews were generally positive. The Telegraph took an anti-BNP stance writing that "the best thing about The Battle for Barking, was that it didn’t bash the BNP. Instead, it was quite happy to let the BNP bash themselves."[2] The Guardian described the film as "altogether more substantial and red-blooded," attacking Griffin personally, writing that "the already overweight Griffin was seldom seen not scoffing a doughnut: he'd better start praying he finds a hospital without any black staff when he is eventually admitted for heart surgery."[3] A review in the New Statesman praised the film as "revealing".[4] A review in The Independent called the film "studiously even-handed" and remarked, "given 90 minutes of televisual rope, Griffin and co did a brilliant job of hanging themselves as credible political contenders."[5]

The BNP's Deputy Chairman Simon Darby described on his blog how the documentary came about: "Well, was I right in trusting her (Fairrie), was the question I asked myself whilst brushing my teeth in the early hours of this morning. 'Yes.'"'[6] However, the BNP's former National Organiser Eddy Butler wrote that "the overwhelming feeling after watching it is one of great sadness at the lost opportunity."[7]

References

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  1. ^ "The Battle for Barking - Channel 4". Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  2. ^ Wilson, Benji (30 November 2010). "True Stories: The Battle for Barking, More4, review". www.telegraph.co.uk.
  3. ^ Crace, John (1 December 2010). "TV review: True Stories: The Battle for Barking, Tramadol Nights, The Morgana Show, Imagine". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  4. ^ Cooke, Rachel (8 December 2010). "The Battle for Barking". New Statesman. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  5. ^ Harries, Rhiannon (5 December 2010). "The Battle for Barking, More4, Tuesday, Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights, Channel 4, Tuesday". The Independent. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Simon Darby: Battle for Botswana". Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  7. ^ Butler, Eddy. "The Battle for Barking - Review". Archived from the original on 20 December 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
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