Both Kassovitz’s La Haine (1995) and Meirelles’ City of God (2003), utilise distinctive techniques in order to present ideas of power, poverty and conflict, as well as to reflect their urban environments in a particular way. Both directors present conflict between the poor and the powerful through a range of powerful micro and macro techniques to create films which expose the problems related to urban areas, and the context that each was set in, which contributes to getting the messages of their films across and thus has a greater impact on the audience. Both films represent the conflict between the poor and powerful through institutions overpowering the individual in the urban environment. This is clear in City of God, as the police are …show more content…
This is fundamentally clear through the scene where Knockout Ned’s brother confronts Lil’zee and tries to stab him, which results in his death through the rhythmic sound of the gunshots firing at his body and in the house, which has the effect that the powerful in the urban environment appear to be indestructible because of their use of violence. This scene is effective as it progresses the narrative forward as now Knockout Ned is a part of the opposition against Lil’zee, despite him believing that violence is necessarily the answer. Yet, as the film progresses, his rage progresses and Meirelles perhaps emphasises that violence will always be a part of the urban environment as it is clear that in the favelas there was a 444% homicide rate in 1989 reinforcing this dog-eat-dog …show more content…
Although other features of the films, for instance, the narrative, maybe effective in creating meaning and response as the audience empathises with the characters. Nevertheless, both films are particularly successful in creating a deeper and subconscious meaning and impact for the audience through their representations of the urban
The urban setting can instantly be recognized as an antagonist to anyone who faces it. The imagery of the city reveals its formidable nature. The
In the film, symbolism was everywhere. In the beginning of the film, the pictures of the city were in black and white and dull shades, giving the city a gloomy look. The camera angles made the cars in the city appear tiny, and the buildings appear very large to symbolize how small everything was amongst the city. The interiors of the office buildings and the panic symbolized that there was no way out. The soundtrack of the film was symbolic to the tension of the film. The darkness of visual composition of the lighting in the film, symbolized the darkness of the human nature in the story.
These films also use the public’s great anticipation and fear of terrorists in these films to engage people and also the films often cleverly use the publics sensitive fear of modern day terrorism to make the films more serious, ...
Through these, the portrayal of the complex nature of happiness is shown to contribute to the enduring value of the film through the realistic style of the film and by showing different perspectives on the same person showing the audience that different people view actions in different
Classic narrative cinema is what Bordwell, Staiger and Thompson (The classic Hollywood Cinema, Columbia University press 1985) 1, calls “an excessively obvious cinema”1 in which cinematic style serves to explain and not to obscure the narrative. In this way it is made up of motivated events that lead the spectator to its inevitable conclusion. It causes the spectator to have an emotional investment in this conclusion coming to pass which in turn makes the predictable the most desirable outcome. The films are structured to create an atmosphere of verisimilitude, which is to give a perception of reality. On closer inspection it they are often far from realistic in a social sense but possibly portray a realism desired by the patriarchal and family value orientated society of the time. I feel that it is often the black and white representation of good and evil that creates such an atmosphere of predic...
The film City of God is based in the slums of Brazil , also called “favelas” where crime and delinquency dominate the neighborhood. The main characters of the film exhibit deviant behaviors in which different theories can be applied to explain their actions. The four theories best used to explain this behavior are concentric zone, social strain, differential association , and social bond theory. The group of characters come from a poor and crime infested neighborhood called the City of God. The characters of discussion are Lil’ Ze, Benny, Rocket, Knockout Ned, and Carrot which are the main players throughout the film. The types of criminal behavior conducted in the neighborhood are theft, murder, drug dealing, and rape.
Each of these films, with release dates ranging from 1976 to 1996 (Taxi Driver and Trainspotting, respectively), have the same, eerily similar structure. This goes for more than just film. Any art form that contains narrative contains examples of this same monomyth structure, and film and literature alike will never cease in producing works that fit this structure. This is because, as previously stated, storytelling and mythology are integral parts of all human culture. They can show us the darkness that lies in wait for us, threatening to corrupt us, thus protecting us from it. Narrative, in this sense, acts as an instruction booklet for life.
In my essay I will discuss the differences between national cinema and Hollywood cinema by using Rio de Janeiro¡¯s famous film City of God. There will be three parts in my following main body, the first part is a simple review of the film City of God, I will try to use the review to show the film structure and some different new points from this, show the how did the ¡®Shocking, frightening, thrilling and funny¡¯ (Nev Pierce) work in the film. The second part is my discussion parts; I will refer some typical Hollywood big name films such as Gangs in New York, Shawshank¡¯s Redemption, and Good Fellas to discuss the main differences between City of God and other national films. The third part is my summary, I will use my knowledge to analyse why there have big different between both kind of films and their advantages.
Just how it shows when the power falls into the hands of the group, the terror arise and the violence as well. When they are looking for the stranger it show how the family has no power of the situation and the individuals take control of the situation by showing the family they aren’t playing any games. They show them knifes and the chainsaws through the camera, and they give them a time period. The demand that is exposed in this part shows how the issue is no joke and they are not playing games. When the family runs out of time it gives them the under hand and the power stays with the group of people.
Worldwide, violence is still a problem that several countries have some difficulties to managed. Wars, crimes, and terrorist attacks are the proof that violence as an important role in our world. In Everything’s Eventual, violence is one of the main components of Stephen King’s novella where Dinky, the main character is constantly around some kind of violence. Does violence have a significant impact on Dinky’s life in this novella? Well, violence has a very important impact in Dinky’s life as he uses it as a livelihood and as a feeling of belonging.
Race has always been a large part of cinema. The way movie directors and producers make other races out to be in movies like City of God, can be disturbing. Though the movie depicts the truth about some parts of the world, the way it portrays black youth as savages who kill and do drugs couldn’t be farther from the truth. Just because something like this goes on in one part of the world does not mean that all black youth are like this.
...successful collaboration of sound, colour, camera positioning and lighting are instrumental in portraying these themes. The techniques used heighten the suspense, drama and mood of each scene and enhance the film in order to convey to the spectator the intended messages.
Since the last century, the City of New York has been epicenter of the entertainment industry. Its neighborhoods and the many emblematic places such as The Empire State building or the Statute of Liberty have been part of the most ambitious films. Accordingly, New York City is one of the famous metropolises around the world. Besides the attractions and places that belong to this urban jungle, its undeniable fame is due to its appearance as an arena in production films. One of my favorites movies filmed in New York City is “Carlito’s Way”.
The director Antoine Fuqua vision for this film was to bring that intense love-hate relationship onto the big screen and showcase it for the world to see. To ensure a convincing film setting, Fuqua shot on location in some of the most hardcore neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Fuqua also wanted to show the daily struggles of officers tasked to work in the rougher neighborhoods of cities and how easy it can be to get caught up in a street life filled with killers and drug dealers. Overall the film displayed the city of Los Angeles in a different perspective. One which m...
...director did not limit the film to its historical context but extended the same to romance and fantasy. From a different angle of view, the director made use of the theme to communicate with the viewers and the fictional characters can be considered as his tools. Besides, ample importance is given to historical and fictional characters. In short, the amalgamation of history, fantasy and romance constituted much to the film’s importance as a historical/fictional masterpiece.