Representation mock (2)

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

National cinema is a significant factor in the contribution of national identity, for both home and national audiences. National cinema focuses upon cultural and social of the country in which it was made. These films are then shown around the world offering foreign audiences, their only look at a society they might never otherwise view. As a result these films have a significant impact on how we see foreign cultures. Such as, Kassovitzs’ La Haine that 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. The film explores the representation of the conflict between the young immigrants and the government. Similarly, Fernando Meirelles' City of God also explores the representation of masculinity, through the young gangsters of the Brazilian favelas. Both films represent masculinity through power, which is shown to be symbolised by the gun. This makes the young boys transform into "men" in both films. Both films use representation to convey their messages. National identity is also represented in both films. In City of God, the national identity is represented through the style in the film, which is shown through mise-en-scene. Where as in La Haine it is represented through ethnicity and class.

Point 1: Masculinity

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 violencethat 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.

Whereas City of God explores the representation of masculinity  through violence, destruction, corruption and killing. These fierce gangsters believe that "respect" is everything, and the only way to get the respect is through killing.  The scene that supports this is when Lil Ze brutally murders the people in the Motel, and the police chase after the wrongs guys instead of Lil Ze. This then causes Lil Ze to grow up into the leader of all crimes, which causes more destruction. The main question that arises in the film is that, where did the gangs get all these illegal arms from? The answer is simple yet complicated because it was the Military who armed these gangs with the illegal weapons. This was so then they could maintain their power over people. They way of doing that is by killing the same gangs who they had armed with the illegal weapons. That way they maintain their “power”, and become the heroes in the eyes of the normal civilians, who are oblivious to what’s going on in the deeper side of these gangs.

This is because during the 1960’s and 70’s, most people in Brazil lived in very severe and poor conditions. The only place they could shelter themselves was in the Favelas. Most poor people in Brazil did not have any work and were unemployed mainly because of their government. Which caused most of them to go the illegal way, by selling and consuming drugs or by selling arms (guns and knifes) illegally. That was the only way of their survival, which caused conflict, which made them form gangs and then destruction everywhere. The gangs were killing and shooting each other in public places and the police didn’t do anything to punish them, as they were either equally involved or corrupt.

A message that comes out to varying degrees in both City of God and La Haine is that the government, police and other institutions are inherently racist, classist and corrupt in many countries around the world. It ties into the earlier message that poor people are ‘swept under the rug’ in these areas where they can almost be forgotten about. The favelas and les banlieues are places where those who have no jobs and have often come from poorer countries can be shoved at a minimum cost to the government and kept out of the sight and minds of the wealthy. The police in both films are also represented as corrupt and racist. In La Haine they have beaten a young Arab man to death in their custody (and this was based on a true story) and later Said and Hubert are taken and tortured by some cops who are ‘training’ a younger officer in the ways to get away with abusing those in their custody without getting caught. In City of God, the police are seen shooting innocent favela dwellers, selling guns to gangs and taking money from dealers. The films seem to say that if the police are not trustworthy and good, then why would the people obey or respect them.

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 masculinised 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. Kassovitz portrays 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.

Women are under-represented in both films, and often portrayed in a negative light. City of God and La Haine are both very masculine stories with little time for female characters. Women are the subjects of derision in the film; the characters tease each other using ‘your mother…’ and ‘your sister…’ jokes. In City of God, however, women are a civilising influence, with two male characters expressing a desire to settle down and quit crime when in a relationship. It is argued that the male characters in these films are often emasculated and that this is the reason for their behaviour and attitude to women. They lack jobs, education or any reason to feel pride, so they resort to carrying guns and insulting women to make themselves feel like real men. Therefore women have a low place or no place in the patriarchal society. This is shown when Benny decides to leave crime and settle down with his girlfriend, Angelica. However ends up getting killed in his "farewell" party, "farewell" foreshadows Benny's accidental death.

Negative portrays of women is also shown, when Lil Ze and his gang rape Knockout Ned's girlfriend (unnamed). He rapes her because she lets him down and calls him ugly, which hurts his male ego and pride. Therefore he rapes her, in front of her boyfriend, who is de-masculinised  by the gang. The use of cinematography is very strong in that scene, as Fernando Meirelles uses low angle shot, with Knockout Ned's face leaned on the floor, and his girlfriend at the same level. This shows how Knockout Ned and his girlfriend are degraded in this scene, and how Lil Ze and his gang are dominant. The audience are also shown to be at the same level, as the low angle shot makes the audience feel connected with Knockout Ned and his girlfriend. These aspects are real, in terms of the way they are represented, as during the extreme poverty and corruption in the 1960's and 70's, the boys of the favelas had nobody to look up to. They had no father or real male role model, who could explain the right and wrong to them. Neither did they have mothers or sister, in order to understand the worth and respect of women, and how they should be treated.

Point 3:  National identity

La Haine challenges the dominant ideologies of the French society. By portraying the three main protagonists with different ethnic 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 within 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.

City of God's realistic depiction of Rio's slums, challenges the established 'dominant ideology' reinforced by the Brazilian working class. Favelas are small, cramped, and close together. They are found throughout Brazil in most mid-large sized cities. The favelas are shown to be ruled by drug lords, and regular shootouts between traffickers, criminals and the police in common places, as well as an assortment of other illegal activities. Throughout the film, the visual representation of the city changes in time. An example of this is the representation of the style of the film. The whole film is orange in terms of colour  and mise-en-scene. The colour becomes dull and dark during the conflict between the gangs, however the final phase of the film returns to bright day light, which is a symbolic foreshadowing of Lil Ze's death.

City of God’s focus is mainly on black youths. The favelas were initially created to house freed slaves, and therefore black people are massively over-represented in this setting. On the other hand, La Haine emphasises racial hybridity with the three protagonists being of Arab, Jewish and African descent. The characters all refer to each other with racial banter; in La Haine the three friends refer to each other’s ethnicities continually. It is argued that people from ethnic minorities often do this to celebrate their difference from the rest of society and also to give them a sense of belonging within their own sub-culture. 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. 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 Brazil. It is because of them that these youths are corrupted, and are living in extreme poor conditions. 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.