HOW ARE THE SOCIAL UNDERCLASS REPRESENTED IN DIFFERENT CULTURES USING THE FILMS LA HAINE KASSOVITZ (1995) AND SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE DANNY BOYLE (2008)

References

Both Mathieu Kassovitz’s 1995 film La Haine and Danny Boyles 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire depict life in low-income neighbourhoods, and the hardships the characters must face. They are both from different cultures and portray the differences living in the projects in Paris (La Haine) and the slums in India (Slumdog Millionaire). These films have been chosen due to the clear distinction to how both diverse cultures live, and deal will different situations. Focussing on three main protagonists in a twenty-four-hour time period Vince Hubert and Said, La Haine represents the youth in Paris who attempt to fight against police brutality. Whereas in Slumdog Millionaire, it tells the story of an orphaned boy, who lives in poverty throughout his whole life until becoming a contestant on the show ‘who wants to be a millionaire’ and wins due to the knowledge he has acquired over the course of his life.  

The key narrative and technical conventions of the French new wave approach to film making wanted to challenge audiences and keep them from becoming complacent while watching. They used many innovative techniques—including jump cuts and actors addressing the audience directly—to remind viewers they were watching a film, and rejected script-based filmmaking in favour of heavy improvisation.

The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favour of experimentation and a spirit of iconoclasm. New Wave filmmakers explored new approaches to editing, visual style, and narrative, as well as engagement with the social and political upheavals of the era.

Left bank – The artists more radical in their approach e.g. Chris Marker, who sees film as more of an art form that can be experimented with.

Right bank – The artists are more established and look at the auteur approach. They are called Cahiers du cinéma directors e.g. Jean-Luc Godard.

Try to find examples from film from at least 3 of the Methods of Montage

Rhythmic montage – The Breakfast club, when they are all dancing in the library.

Tonal editing method – Whiplash, when Neiman is training. We see the pain he is going through by repetition of the image of his blisters and bleeding hands.

The intellectual method – Requiem for A Dream, The montage demonstrates drug taking’s disorientating effect.

Identify at least one another film which appear to have been influenced by the visual style of classic Soviet Constructivist Cinema. Identify at least one another film which appear to have been influenced by the visual style of classic Soviet Constructivist Cinema

The use of metric montages used in the film was inspired from Russian constructivism.

An auteur is an artist with a distinctive approach, usually a film director whose filmmaking control is so unbounded but personal that the director is likened to the “author” of the film, which thus manifests the director’s unique style or thematic focus.

Name at least 3 other films identified by critics as classic Constructivist films

How does the Gerasimov Institute operate now?

Located in Moscow, it is a top university focusing on cinematography. Founded in 1919, it is still in operation with students still being able to attend.

Describe some of the stylistic conventions associated with the expressionist art movement. Post some additional examples of Constructivist art.

Straight lines were a common feature to show the more modernised society Soviets would be living in. Pure geometric forms, linearity, symmetry, repetition, simple, sans-serif fonts, the dominance of red and black, photomontage. Using these elements, Constructivists would create a graphic design style. This began just after the revolution in 1917.