Peaky Blinders: A story of a War Veteran-Gypsy-Gangster Shelby family

Peaky Blinders: A story of a War Veteran-Gypsy-Gangster Shelby family

These quarantine days brought out the couch potato in all of us, I am sure most of us will be having a Netflix account and watching some of the popular series. When I was looking for some series the least suggestions goes for Peaky Blinders. However people pass certain comments on it, a strong suggestion comes from one who has the like mindedness. Most of the people missed watching it because someone said to them it would be slow, dull; you are missing a great sagacious story and extraordinary cinematic experience. In this post I’d like to share with you how I feel while watching this series and my own perspectives. Mainly I shall focus on sharing the important elements that I feel while watching Peaky Blinders. I’m not here telling you the story but the striking aspects of it.

            As the episode starts the police come by the order of Mr. Winston Churchill to Birmingham to find the missed guns which was accidentally stolen by Thomas Shelby from the World War I. The year 1919, a post World War I, actually raised questions of the existence and the ideology of God. Because in all the places there were massacres and bloods, so people need peace which they haven’t received from religion. Slowly the Shelby family members learn to know the guns were stolen by Thomas Shelby. He was the hero and master mind of the family, who plans and executes every action. They were well aware of their existence in the modern world. All they needed is an identity and wanted to expand their name to all over England. Since most of the Shelby men were at war they doesn’t care or afraid of being dead. It is an accustomed principle in those days having secrets and making deals and of course horse races, drinking etc. Everything was beautifully pictured by the directors and technical team. They care for fame and earn money from illegal ways by gambling, smuggling whisky and cigarettes. There are many characters coming into the drama but all of them have their own strengths.

Strength of the Characters:

The British film makers gave importance to set a character with both qualities of virtue and vice. For example though we have Sherlock Holmes, an incomparable detective character there is an equal power to the doctor and friend John H. Watson. Same with James Bond a British secret service agent. In this British drama also we have that same formula. There are different gangs other than Peaky Blinders; they are Billy Kimbers, Alfie Solomons, Sabini and Russians. How all these gangs been defeated and taken the place over by Shelby’s are told in a fantastic method. The Shelby brothers also have unique characteristic features.

Arthur Shelby: who is the elder of the Shelby family an emotional guy, his psyche was not stable to take decisions but he follows the orders and done it smoothly. He believed in his father’s talk of going to New York and starting a business, but betrayed by him. Later he even tried to kill himself because of his weak mentality. Sometimes he wanted to be true to his heart on the marriage night of Tommy he almost spoke what in his heart, and killed a Russian spy there. But he took more time because he is emotionally weak.

Thomas Shelby: he is the master mind guy who takes control of everything. His sudden plans sometimes put himself a trouble but however he finds a way to escape. His silence and never smiling face brought absolute terror. He is very wit and courage to take steps and decisions, his only person to consult his decisions is Aunt Poly. Tommy Shelby is very concerned on developing his business; whatever he does there must be a profit in it. According to him killing is kindness, he shot an infected horse in order to stop him suffer. He makes use of people only for his business development, later he shows rage on them. He is very sincere and honest man of words and deals, when he gave a word he stands by it.

Portrayal of Women Characters: women characters are given equal strength as the male. Aunt Polly Gray is the leading female in the Peaky Blinders and treasurer of their company. She loves her son very much and sacrifices herself in order to save the life of her son. A perfect and a caring mother, at the same time a vengeance full lady when she shot the police Mr. Campbell. She safeguarded Ada Shelby from her brother, because she loved Freddie Throne a communist. Polly is very sensible woman who always care for the peace of the family. She gave money to Ada to leave the city and live happily. Grace Burgess is a spy who comes in the first season because of her Tommy’s secrets was revealed to the police. Later she fell for Tommy but married another guy due to her husband killed himself she married Tommy. Ada Shelby is a very independent girl in the series who was very bold to make her own decisions. When she married Freddie Throne she dethroned her family name Shelby. The beautiful aspect is she named her son Karl Marx, since her husband was a communist. Ada Shelby a very respectable woman who lives for morals and principles.

What I liked in Peaky Blinders: the accent of the people that was so enchanting and made me lost in this series, it creates the interest to watch it every good scene twice. And the landscape of the places brought me to the early modern period. The smashing beauty of royal London was shown more beautifully in this series. As a Literature fellow I analysed in many aspects like Philosophy, existentialism, Ecology etc. The disbelief of God is shown here, the churches are very empty whenever they shown it. So much of themes had been splashed around. When Tommy Shelby does business with the Russian aristocrat we can see the other side of them inside their royal house. Arthur was transformed a good man according to his wife’s word. But when he entered the house and spent the night there his belief was changed once again. The greed has not let one to change when he surrounded by what is predominant.

So finally you can have a visit to the early modern period the beginning of industrialization when you watch Peaky Blinders.

The pictures are screenshots from Peaky Blinders