Talk:The Wrong Trousers

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[edit] Theory

~Did you realise that The Wrong Trousers is actually a brilliant allegory and political satire on post-war Britain, the welfare state, multiculturalism and political correctness? So brilliant, in fact, that it could turn out to be the new Animal Farm? You didn't? You are not alone. Was this aspect of this masterpiece hushed up? Look at The Wrong Trousers and pay close attention to the symbols, the puns, the plot, the music, and also the allusion to Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes, Orwell's Animal Farm and even Shakespeare.PaulRichmond 09:32, 13 August 2005 (UTC)PaulRichmond

Q. What evidence is there that The Wrong Trousers is an allegory and a political satire?

A. Without the admission of the creators of The Wrong Trousers, we can only speculate about authorial intention. Some might say that any interpretation is valid. But to paraphrase Orwell, all interpretations are equal, but some interpretations are more equal than others.

How have you interpreted the puns and symbols etc in The Wrong Trousers?

Share your interpretation on this page. Or email the author from my userpagePaulRichmond 10:30, 13 August 2005 (UTC)PaulRichmond

Clearly, story tells of the general public, both the working class (Wallace) and the Educated (Gromit) using technology to improve standard of life, only to have the upper class (Feathers) exploit them both to plunder the earth's resources (diamond). Educated class becomes suspicious via enviromentalism (Gromit seeing Feathers as chicken), therefore industrial leaders discredit educated people (Gromit leaves home), and use trust to exploit the working class, while blaming educated liberals. The ending however provides hope as yet more technology (the train), combined with peaceful struggle against dangerous group (armed penguin) results in his capture. Obvious really. Smurrayinchester 19:42, 30 August 2005 (UTC)

Comment by PaulRichmond to the interpretation immediately above: 1) Surely, if anything, it is Wallace who represents an elite or upper class and Gromit who represnts the working class. This relationship is obvious in the very nature of a man and his pet. We also generally speak of a dog and its master. Note how the symbol of the collar and lead or leash reinforces this relationship. But not only that: the collar and lead could have a wider symbolism (via collar and chain to master and slave, for example). Gromit's relative position to Wallace in the hierarchy is also made quite explicit by the fact that Gromit's jobs or chores include fetching the slippers and the morning newspaper.It is significant that the "slave" (Gromit) is transfered to a new "master" (the Techno-trousers)and becomes tied to it(them). In the context of post-war Britain, what did the working class get that cost a lot of money? (Do you remember Wallace saying, "We're down to our last few coppers - and those presents weren't cheap."?) This is a pivotal point in the plot, and it provides the rationale for taking in a lodger. 2) True, Gromit is smart, but rather than calling him "educated" (implying that the process of education is somehow complete), we should be aware that he is undergoing education (and thus still has something to learn - especially about Plato and The Republic!). It is Wallace who is the eccentric and muddled inventor, and Gromit merely an apprentice. 3) How can the penguin be the upper class when it is he that seeks lodgings? The penguin comes as a "paying guest", plays loud music and takes over Gromit's jobs. Doesn't this description portay a stereotype? Do I need to spell it out? No I don't, because that's dangerous...Even the Conservative party doesn't dare to spell it out but prefers to use winks and nods through such slogans as "Are you thinking what we're thinking? Of course, not spelling it out in that case backfired gloriously. But I am not going to spell it out: if I did, then indiscriminate editing might identify and filter out "offending" words - even when the context in which these words appear is one of critical analysis. Those are enough clues for the moment...I don't want to give away too much before my book is published!PaulRichmond 11:26, 2 September 2005 (UTC)

In Talk:Wallace and Gromit, PaulRichmond said "And, of course, Gromit is white and the penguin is black.". This is one way of reading it, but Gromit is in fact light and dark brown and Feathers is black, white and orange. Just because the white area is smaller than on a real penguin, the fact that it's there at all undermines the idea of his representing 'black'. DavidFarmbrough 15:37 (BST) 2 September 2005

The Real Meaning of the Satire and such is this, Wallace (Ie, the British Government) is Bankrupt through Purchasing The Techno Trousers (Ie. American Help with the War effort),he is forced to bring in the lodger in order to pay for them (it) the Penguin (Ie. Immigrant Worker) surpresses the Working Class Through American Technology (The Hammond Organ) and Becomes The new worker, meanwhile the working class become unemployed as their jobs have been taken (Gromit leaves home), meanwhile the Penguin manipulates the state through Technology (The Techno Trousers) To plunder the Nations Resourses (The Diamond in the Museum) and become the new master. however the working class through their knowledge of Technology revolt (Gromit repairing the Techno Trousers) and utilise Speedy Transportation (The Model Train) to Aprehend the Penguin and then take him to the Zoo (Prison) Obviously!

PaulRichmond Reply to DavidFarmbrough above: I accept your point about the details of colouring. But I am talking about symbolism, contrast and the need to describe and make distinctions, not about pecise shade. I am not actually "white" (my skin colour varies from pinkish to light brown according to the weather and the solarium) but I am "white" in terms of race (Caucasian is also used). In any case, blacks are not all black (or brown or coffee or whatever): they have much lighter palms and soles. The area of white on the the penguin is not just a trivial detail as it also allows us to see the penguin in a "penguin suit" or evening dress. This is an important point. Let the following extract from an essay that I wrote on the The Wrong Trousers help to explain:

"Penguins are quite clearly alien to our shores. They are black with white bits. They are slippery and eat foreign food—much is made of contrasting the fish (fishy?) association with the penguin to the bone (domestic/homely) association with Gromit. They are expressionless and hence inscrutable. And this particular penguin subjects his neighbours to social nuisance in the form of loud lowbrow music (“Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree”, played on the Hammond organ), in contrast to Gromit’s Bach(a clear pun—but more than that)’s Brandenburg Concertos (surely a manifestation of the pinnacle of civilisation). There is surely enough material here even for amateur xenophobes to be going on with—enough material for a conference!

These metaphors clearly identify our penguin with the foreign, but it is the penguin’s role in driving Gromit from his home, Gromit thus becoming an outcast (“No Dogs,” said the rooms to rent notices) in his own country, that unifies foe and foreign in one image—the ghetto, the systematic taking over of jobs and dwellings, the immigrant, the refugee and, increasingly, the economic refugee—and fixes it firmly in the mind. At least, that is, in the minds of those who have suffered the social upheaval of the ghetto at first hand, those who first flock to the fodder of the far right.

And there is more. Penguins, permanently clad in evening dress, distinguish themselves from the destitute and ally themselves with the aristocracy. Add to this a creeping subliminal awareness that the Wrong Trousers is a clever pastiche of classic cinema scenes and genre—and that sinister music and thunder and lightning invariably accompany the penguin’s appearance—the foreign, the immigrant and the criminal blur into one through the catalyst of the archetypal Chicago gangster."

Thus the "black" reference does not have to be taken solely and literally to represent black people, but serves also as an aid to building an allusion to this "archetypal Chicago gangster". Nevertheless, in the context of post-war Britain, mass immigration from Commonwealth countries in the early fifties resulted in the formation of ghettos and major social upheaval (but, significantly, not for the elite). Much of this immigration was particularly noticable because the majority of the immigrants had dark skins whilst only few of the native population had. So, it would seem quite reasonable to use a pun containing the word "black" in the context of post-war Britain and immigration. Of course, some would contend that it is totally unacceptable to dabble with puns that could offend minorities. However, I maintain that the pun here is purposely included to build an exaggerated stereotype. The "flatness" of this stereotype never competes with the "roundness" of Wallace and Gromit. The stereotype is thus consigned to merely a subplot. But this only becomes absolutely clear right at the very end of The Wrong Trousers. On the other hand, some viewers, noticing the racial connotations attached to the penguin, might fail to see this depiction as a stereotype or an exaggerated caricacture (and consequently not consign it to merely a subplot), thus either confirming their prejudices or even creating them.

I should make the point that I do not consider The Wrong Trousers taken as a political satire "racist" in the context of the whole work (but it certainly notes racial and cultural distinctions, and suggests stereotypes). So, though racism, discrimination and even multiculturalism are undoubtably themes that The Wrong Trousers intentionally explores, I believe it does so in order to encourage open debate on these topics - or at least it would do if The Wrong Trousers were to be acknowledged as a masterly political satire as well as a brilliant animation. One of the beauties of The Wrong Trousers is that it is also a problem play, and resolution is thus rather complex and leaves much up to the audience. PaulRichmond 18:55, 2 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Film / TV

The article keeps refering to "film". So I add the Film Project template. I also find it in Film International Award winners. If it's only a TV production, please do as appropriate. Hoverfish 09:51, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Alternate versions of music

It is very helpful to have the information about the music issues on some versions. However, there have been many versions published, on DVD and on VCR. Do any of these include the complete original music? If not, please give the complete info about the DVD version with the music in the background of the commentary - ISBN and UPC codes.--69.87.199.195 13:35, 6 February 2007 (UTC)