The 400 Blows.

I feel that the film is very good in showing human relationship and also in ideas about freedom, the main character Anotoine is stuck in life where he cannot escape trouble. Although he is from a poor background the family life he experiences is always very negative, he is not treated as a son or even part of the family- his parents treat him as almost an object. He doesn't enjoy being at home and also doesn't enjoy his life outside of the home for example school life, and when he does enjoy himself it only  results in punishment and more negativity. He also cannot study at home his parents are always getting him to do house chores and he cannot do things like study or do his homework that he is required to do for school, although he doesnt help himself, he is not helped by his parents.

Anotonie is alienated from his family life and also society, he doesn't really have a good relationship with anybody. his mother and father has given up on him, his teacher dislikes him even from the beginning of the film- the only positive relationship he forms is with his friend Rene- who looks after him when in times of need but eventually nearer the end of the film even he cannot help him.

Rene and Anotonie are from very different backgrounds in terms of money and family life, Rene is from a rich background and Anotonie is from the complete opposite although the 2 seem to share the same outlook on life, society and especially the education system. The relationship between the two also help to bridge from the rich and the poor that is represented.

Anotonie has no power through out the film and is always "under" someone else being told what to do or being told off for something. Near the beginning of the he is getting into trouble for petty things such as writing on the wall and getting disciplined by his teacher- but this then results in a "downwards spiral" into crimes such as the theft of the type writer and to a stage where he is shown to have no hope for the future and have no form of escape.

There is a strong theme of conflict throughout the whole film especially shown in his relationships with his parents, he is displayed in a way where he cant do anything right. At school he always gets the blame for doing troublesome things, his teacher refers to him as a "rascal" and is always talked about his negatively by the teachers and especially his parents- they even say they didn't want him. Even when he tries to do right- when he reads the book and writes his French essay, he is pleased for himself and trying to find a way out of the negativity- it still results in him getting into trouble. From this point onwards in a sense he "gives up" on trying and just accepts that his life is negative.

Through-out all the scenes Antonoie is shown as being trapped within his struggles of trying to do right, trying to please his parents and teachers- and shown to struggle about not wanting to conform to what he has to do in school and outside of school. He is always shown to be trapped in a physical sense too, his house is very small and is trapped in his scruffy bedroom and trapped within the classroom and school gates. Then when he runs away from home and is walking the streets of Paris he is free, he is free to walk the streets and where he wants to go, he can make decisions for himself and what he's going to do. But this is cut short when he has to return to his parents house and school etc.

The ending of the film displays the freeze frame of the action and is deliberately startling, not in a sense of horror, but the fact that you were not expecting this to be the ending with no explanation. I feel that this complements the rest of the film, i think from this point it leaves the audience to some extent puzzled and not understanding what will happen to the boy but leaves it up to you to decide what happens and you can assume for yourself what will happen to the boys life.

How "La Haine" represents conflict and life in Paris suburbs.

In the film "La Haine" there are many scenes and infact the whole storyline itself is based upon conflict and hatred and displayed in the lives of the three main chracters who live on "the estate". This has been achieved through various methods such as cinematography and the narrative.

The film actually has a number of representations throughout it. The main most noticable one is that of  racial integration, the three main characters in the film come from different ethnic backgrounds and/or religions, and is a Black-Blanc-Beur, they all live in the same area and this is a good example of unity through oppression. They are all racist towards each other but not in an offensive way but to bring them closer together as friends.

Another representation is that of the media through out the film, we know that the youth hate the media for publisising them in a negative way through the dialouge used and the attitude towards any sort of authority or anyone being above them. In one scene the three main characters are stood in a park, when a car comes over with a women trying to interview them- although the characters chase the car off, afterwards they are discussing if they will be on the tv in an excited manner, almost as if they wanted the negative publicity.

Cinematography throughout the film is also very unique. There are very many different camera angles used from the toy helicoptor shot to the close up of Vinz when his friend shoots the body guard. These shots are not high budget but still have the same effect. For example the focusing in one point is not through physically using the camera but through sound, Vinz and Hubert are walking down an alley way and a police car passes but the dialouge is quite and the siren is in the main shot.

In the film they used the vertigo effect which gave an effect of the  characters being extremely high up, also maybe this could be representing the fact they are along way from home and this is a "foriegn" land to them.

The narrative in the film also makes it easy to relate to the characters showing their lives etc. It is easy to empathise with the characters, although normally in a film we would classify these people as "bad guys" but they are "all wrong do-ers" and the way the film has been presented to us makes us side with them to some extent.

La Haine - Power, Poverty & Conflict.

La Haine

La Haine (1995)  is a French film based in the suburbs of France and literally translates into "The Hate" in English. In my personal opinion this film was very good with a well structured main storyline reflecting struggles within that time period and to some extent now, with interesting additional plots based around one of the three main characters.

The characters themselves live on "The Estate" a place ridden with violence and poverty.

The opening scene to the film sets the main storyline for the rest of the film, and displays clear conflict on which is a main theme in the film. The beginning shots display archive footage of riots and other violent scenes from documentaries and news stories, these frame the film in a documentary genre and also gives the viewer an insight into the background of the society the characters live in and the situations they are going to be dealing with.

The sound and editing through-out helps to enhance the viewing experience as well as progress the storyline and to display certain characters thoughts and opinions, for example there is a scene in which the character "Vinz" is shown to fire a gun and to kill a police officer there is then a jump cut to the same position but with the character shaping his hands into a gun and the police officer alive, the other two main characters run behind him and seem angry towards him. This could either be showing the fact that "Vinz" would genuinely like to kill the police officer and the previous scene is inside his mind, displaying his thoughts or to some extent his dreams, as on the estate his reputation is based on rioting and violence, or it could be displaying what his two friends are thinking as they are running to find him, expecting the worse.

The shake and movement of the "helicopter scene" after the DJing scene is not a clean cut moveme

Small Scale Research Project.

Question:

How have representations of football hooligans/ (society in football violence films(?) ) changed through-out different time periods?

Idea(s):

In my small scale research project I aim to look at Football Violence/ Hooliganism films from different eras and based in different eras, looking how society is portrayed.

Social Identity through football violence.



Films:

Awaydays - Pat Holden (2009)

Set in 1979 in Birkenhead, based around a football gang called or refered to as "The Pack". The film connects to single characters not only the main subject of the violence for example the character "Carty" is dying to get involved with "The Pack" and has to work his way he and you also see interesting parts of his relationships with members of "The Pack" and his Family. Another interesting character is "Elvis" who has everything that "Carty" dreams of but he is not happy with his life and to some extent seems "dark" which he cannot get out of.

The Firm - Nick Love (2009)

Set in the 1980's, based around a young character called "Dom" who pushes to get involed in a football gang run by top boy "Bex", "Dom" is accepted into the gang and becomes one of the boys, he relises that the fighting is becoming out of hand and to some extent based on "Bex's" personal issues and hatred.

Green Street - Lexi Alexander (2005)

A story about an American journalism student called Matt who is expelled for because he was set up for possestion of cocaine, he leaves America and comes to the UK to live with his sister and her husband, Steve, in London. He is introduced to the family and becomes friends with Pete, Steve's brother, after Pete being reluctant to hang out with him. Pete takes Matt to the football, and after match Matt tries to avoid the violence but gets caught up in it dispite his efforts. Matt becomes a part of the football firm ran by Pete, and the story follows him through the fights and football matches.

Other Films:
The Football Factory-  Nick Love (2004)
Rise of the Footsoldier- Julian Gilbey(2007)

Hidden - Haneke (2005)

Hidden- Haneke (2005)

• At the begining of the film there is complete silence with a static shot of an appartment, with various everyday happenings such as cars passing by and people walking-by etc.  This silence combined with the length of the shot makes the audience look for something that the film is based on in a way, and the length of the shot is at an uncomfortable level and could even make the audience feel nervous (?)
• The storyline of the film is not entirley clear and some shots seem to be unrelated to others, although as the film is progressing the shots are in someway linking together and making more of a storyline.