Line #1 Film/Privilege

Context Film / Privilege

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1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/privilege_1967.jpeg]]
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3	''Privilege'' is a 1967 British {{mockumentary}} film directed by Peter Watkins.
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5	Steven Shorter (Paul Jones) is the biggest pop star in Great Britain, loved and worshipped by the entire country. His handlers take advantage of his popularity to manipulate the public, using him for everything from selling dog food to promoting social conformity. When an artist named Vanessa Ritchie (Jean Shrimpton) is commissioned to paint Steve's portrait, she realizes how trapped and unhappy he really is, and with her encouragement, Steve starts to rebel against his handlers.
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8	!!''Privilege'' contains examples of:
9	* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The movie takes place in "Britain, the near future," in what is implied to be sometime in the early 1970s.
10	* AlliterativeName: Steven Shorter.
11	* AngerMontage: When Steve sees footage of his first conformity-promoting rally, he's so disgusted that he trashes the room.
12	* BookEnds: The movie opens with a short clip of Steve saying, "I would just like to say to you all how happy I am to be back in Britain after my American tour." The credits play over an extended version of the clip, in black and white and with the sound removed.
13	* CelebrityIsOverrated: Steve is utterly exhausted from his years of fame and the constant demands on his time and energy. Everyone sees him as either a deity or a pawn rather than a human being, and he isn't allowed to have any personality traits or interests that aren't approved by his handlers.
14	* ChristianRock: Steve's handlers strike an agreement with the government and the Church of England for Steve to convert to Christianity in order to promote national unity. The violence is removed from his show, and his band starts playing rock versions of songs like "Onward Christian Soldiers."
15	* EnforcedMethodActing: In-universe example. Steve's stage show involves being placed in handcuffs that make his wrists bleed, beaten by police officers, and locked in a cage. The public thinks it's all an act, but he really is being beaten, leaving him with real scars and bruises.
16	* GenderBlenderName: Record executive Julie Jordan.
17	* InUniverseCatharsis: The violence of Steve's show is intended to allow the youth to harmlessly release their emotions to keep them "happy, off the streets, and out of politics."
18	* TheMerch: In-universe example. Steve drinks from a mug shaped like his head.
19	* ANaziByAnyOtherName: Steve's first Christian show includes Nazi salutes and black cards reading "WE WILL CONFORM."
20	* ReluctantFanserviceGuy: Steve hates doing shirtless photo shoots.
21	* TeenIdol: Steve's concerts are filled with screaming, crying teenage girls.
22	* TickertapeParade: Steve is given "the first tickertape welcome in the history of Britain" when he returns from his American tour.

Context Film / Privilege