Representation mock

How significant is representation in constructing national cinema in the 2 films you have studied?

Kassovitzs’ La Haine explores the representation of masculinity through the young immigrant boys, who are living in an assimilated country like France. They have a cold war with the government, as they fight for their equality in the country and society. In contrast to this, Del Toro’s Pans Labyrinth explores the representation of femininity through a 12-year-old girl. Who hallucinates and believes herself to be in a world of fantasy, during the Spanish civil war. The use of fantasy allows the message of the film to be portrayed through the innocent eyes of a child. Without the use of fantasy, Ofelia would have to face the harsh reality and the real men, rather than the monsters. Both films use representation to convey their messages. Pans Labyrinth also explores the representation of men, but through fascism, where as La Haine represents masculinity through power and dominance. Representation of femininity seems to be almost non-existent in the two texts due to the lack of dominant female characters in both films. However Pans Labyrinth uses metaphorical aspects to represent femininity. The church and the military, in Pans Labyrinth, represent National identity where as in La Haine it is represented through ethnicity and class.

Point 1: Masculinity

Point - La Haine explores the representation of masculinity throughout the whole film. The strong conflict between the police officers and the young immigrant boys has no end, except death. La Haine portrays masculinity through the vicious cycle in the film. The cycle of violence that will continue to go on and on in poor areas if the cycle is never broken. The only way out from the cycle is through death. The film starts and end with violence and features the good, honest and decent men dragged down into violence and despair.

A scene that explores masculinity and the violent cycle is at the start of the film, when it is revealed that the police have beaten a young man so badly that he is in a coma. Vinz wants revenge on the police, as many of the other youths in les Banlieues do. The police hate the youths for rioting and being violent and the youths hate the police for trying to oppress them and for their own violence. The cycle is destined to repeat forever if somebody does not break it. Therefore having power through the traditional French values, which are known as liberty, fraternity and equality, but the motto is applied to the immigrants to show brotherhood between them. Kassovitzhas done this to represent the ‘power’ that the minorities have in the French society. He is possibly supporting the riots during the 1990's, attempting to make a statement that the minorities need to make a stand since they are the ones with real French values and ideas, not the oppressive middle class government.

Similarly, Pans Labyrinth represents masculinity through fascism and power, and the dominance of military over Spain. An example of this is during Ofelia's death scene. It represents male dominance and power in the form of Vidal who is a tyrannical fascist officer. When Vidal kills Ofelia it represents the oppressive nature of man, dominating one of the very few female characters of the film. This could have been done to represent all men as oppressive and dominant, to women during the time of the Spanish civil war. Women were nothing more than pests in the patriarchal society. In terms of national cinema this ties in to the fact that Spain was stuck in an oppressive fascist society during that time. Del Toro attempts to appeal to the Spanish audience by saying this is something, which should be dealt with and talked about, rather than just pretending that it never happened. Del Toro dares to challenge the ideologies of Spanish men, and reflects the reality through fantasy, that men were monsters during the war.

Point 2: Femininity

La Haine does not explore femininity or represent women.  La Haine represents phallic imagery throughout the film. The only scene with women in the film is the art gallery scene, when Sayid tries to get their attention. Even the women are shown smoking, where the cigarette creates phallic imagery. The film has no representation of femininity, not even metaphorically otherwise the women wouldn’t have been hold a cigarette. One of the women is also shown to have short hair like men, which masculinized her. This gives the audience a sense of masculinity, not femininity. La Haine also explores the idea of class and ethnicity. La Haine is critical of France during the 1990's as it subverts cultural expectations. It breaks stereotypes of French people and French culture and expresses the feelings of marginalisation that the French immigrants were experiencing in the 1990s. Kassovitzportrays the brotherhood and “bromance” between the three boys. This is clearly seen when Sayid kisses Vinz on the cheek, to wake him up. Which is a feminine act, more than manly. This was mainly shown, to portray the equality they have despite being from different ethnic backgrounds.

However, Pans Labyrinth has a strong representation of femininity. Through mise-en-scene and Ofelia, femininity is highly explored and represented in Pans Labyrinth. The film shows the power of men destroying nature, which is equivalent to growth, birth and fertility. Therefore, it is compared to women, as women give birth and fertile, like nature. There aren't many female characters in the film, but there’s lots of yonic imagery through out to represent the oppressed femininity. For example the two scenes featuring the tree, the beauty decreases as the film progresses. Which suggests that men destroying nature through fascism. Thus, men destroying femininity, which is why there can’t be growth, fertility or birth. Therefore, there is no future, because nature and innocence are being destroyed. Ofelia's death represents the destruction of nature. However the uprising during the Spanish Civil War is featured at the end of the film, featuring a strong woman at the lead of the charge, defeating Vidal. Showing a woman defeating fascism could suggest a rebirth of nature and a rebirth in the Spanish society since, nationally, the ground in Spain is supposed to be broken and dead. Del Toro may be suggesting that finally talking about the Spanish Civil War may cause a rebirth in society, or a rebirth for the destroyed nature in Spain.

Point 3:  National identity

La Haine challenges the dominant ideologies of the French society. By portraying the three main protagonists with different ethic backgrounds, and showing their struggle and survival in the assimilated country. Kassovitz has been very biased by presenting the immigrants and their struggle. Which means that Kassovitz supports the immigrants, who fight for equality, and not the government of France, who try to be fascist. The conflict between the young immigrant boys and the police, is shown when the group of boys get into a verbal argument with the officers on the roof. The use of cinematography, with the medium angle shot, makes the audience be on the immigrant’s side. However they are shown to be equal with in the same frame and angle, as the police and the boys sand opposite each other. Kassovitz has done that purposely to make the audience feel that the young immigrants are right, despite being at the same level of the officers. Also, it is the immigrants who use the French national motto more than the “real” French people, as they are shown to believe and live in liberty, equality and fraternity.

The church and the military represent national identity in Pans Labyrinth. People in Spanish society were very religious due to the effects of the Spanish civil war. The military are presented as fascist, who are evil, or perhaps even demonic. An example is when the room which the pale man who is supposed to be a child eating demon is almost identical to Vidal's room where he meets with his associates. This could mean that Del Toro is attempting to portray the Spanish military during that time as demons, as Vidal kills Ofelia, later in the film. This is similar to the demon that kills children. Del Toro represents the military as destroying youth and the church as Ofelia's savior, due to her descent in to the fantasy realm with the 'king and queen' and herself who represents 'the holy trinity'. This is possibly appropriate to the negative outlook of the military during the Spanish civil war in the Spanish society and the positive outlook of the church in Spanish society during that time.

Overall, both films portray national cinema at a deeper level. The films have strong and deep meanings behind them and within them. It is not just what our eyes can see, but a lot more. It is mainly the representation of masculinity taking over femininity and destroying it. Both films represent youths and the young generation being killed by the oppression, fascism and dominance of military and government. The message through these representations, are that it is the government and military who are responsible for all the destruction in France and Spain. It is because of them that women and children cannot survive in a patriarchal society. It is because of them, the future with the young generation is in danger. No matter which country it is.