Kenneth Anger

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/kenneth-anger#_

FM4 - section B

“Experimental Films are often designed to make us see and experience the world differently”

Has this been your experience as a spectator of the films you have studied for this topic?

Unlike mainstream cinema experimental films are designed to challenge. They stretch the mind of the spectator to ideals and critiques of society that may have not been previously considered. As a new spectator to experimental cinema I found it difficult to conceptually grasp many of the films I watched, at least on first watch.

Early experimental film in some sense spanned from the French surrealist movement of the 1920’s. This movement questioned the conformity enforced on society through religion and politics, it came as a powerful critique of this and so surrealist films were produced with the intention of potentially enlightening its audience to such opinions. In attempting to do so, famous surrealist films by Luis Bunel such as Un Chein Andalou were inevitably banned. However now, they are not so much of a threat to society and can be legally shown. Whilst watching Un Chein Andalou it was clear that is was made with a disorientating intention, take for instance the first few shots include Bunel himself sharpening a razor, and as expectations of films go it is then expected that Bunel will shave. In fact the shot then cuts to an extreme close up of the slicing of an eyeball with this razor. This is immediately shocking, juxtaposing the two shots to emphasis this even more. This links with surrealisms attempt to question what is expected within the art of film and questioning it. The film lures the audience into a false sense of what the film is, expecting a more mainstream viewing was the intention of Bunel who starts the film with a credit sequence but also the words “Once Upon A Time...” this is typical of a structured narrative, making the following scenes more unpleasant and shocking. This was my first introduction to surrealist cinema and so came as much of a shock to me as I am sure Bunel indended. However as my experience with surrealist and other forms of experimental cinema expanded, so did my expectations. I became more open to forms of cinema and their intentions of questioning the world in which we live, it was something which liberated my viewing. Being able to understand the society and opinions that they represented allowed me to question this myself.

Another form of cinema that began to question the way I expected film to be put together was from Andy Warhol’s auteur perspective, although his work was seen as exceptionally lazy (at times getting others to direct for him) he intended to portray the ordinary. Unlike surrealism, Warhol’s work focuses on the reality of the world, he filmed things which were in his everyday occurrence. Including an 8 hour long static shot of a man sleeping, originally titled “Sleep.” Watching some of his films became incredibly uncomfortable to watch. I found this was the case much more with his later work in what has become to be known as “Trash Cinema” and although employed by Warhol the films were directed by Paul Morrissey. In “Heat”, there is a very lethargic narrative based loosely on Sunset Boulevard, known as Trash for its poor acting and film technique. The most memorable part of the film is the sex scene between a tenant and his landlord which is how he pays for his room. Sex scenes that are usually associate with films are romanticised, this one however is a static shot with diegetic sounds of all the noises involved making it difficult to establish whether what is being shown on the screen is in fact happening or merely acting. This made it incredibly uncomfortable to watch, and limited my liking for the new “reality” that Warhol was portraying.

However his work also includes 427, 3 minute screen tests of different individuals that really fascinated me. Visually they comprised of a person (sometimes two) in front of a set camera that was left running while the subject was asked to remain as still as possible. The project began as a representation of identity, influenced by wanted posters and ID cards the set up was balanced lighting and a centrally framed subject. However as the series progressed it turned into a more psychological question on the subjects, rather than asked to sit still and avoid smiling they were left to act voluntarily for the time period. They act as a portrait of the self, however rather than the anticipated still image it was a moving portrait. As well as progression in the concept of this work there was also a change in the lighting that was used, changing from balanced light to experimenting with low key and contrasting lights to effect the subject and measure how it would do so. I found these screen tests fascinating, psychologically they are eye opening but as a set are also an intriguing compilation of 1960’s American art scene and Warhol’s personal life.

The experimental film that had the most influence on me as a spectator was Simon Pummells Body Song, a feature length film comprising of archive footage from over 100 years. The film relies on carefully constructed montages each using footage from across the world, with an overall theme which depicts the human life, starting off from birth to the more drastic social and political consequences of life such as famine and war. Similarly to Warhol’s work this film was realistic, the stock footage used made this much more shocking for every clip that was shown, it was something that was real. This made it difficult to watch the montage of birthing scenes, some successful and some not so which takes place at the beginning of the film. This scene in the film began to make me question, along with Warhol’s Heat, just how much of mainstream cinema is a clear representation of the average experience. I understood how the cinema I was used to dramatised selected themes or at certain times limited them to avoid controversy, whereas experimental film does the opposite. In doing so is able to immediately shock a spectator.

City Of God Clips

Secion B - Experimental Cinema

In the films you have studied for this topic, discuss how far the production techniques and/or ways which they are presented challenge the spectator [35]

Developing a response to the variety of avante garde films within this topic has proved a challenge, I was forced to interpret obscure techniques and visuals which previously would have been spoon fed to me through mainstream cinema. Through the use of film techniques I was encouraged to discover my own perception of what film can be and its possible connotations.

The technique of discontinuity editing within Surrealist film Un Chein Andalou was something which I struggled with, the idea of surrealism is to argue against conformity. It was a French 1920’s movement that fought against society and how everything supposedly has its place and should remain there. This was the element of surrealism that I enjoyed, it’s concept. In order to portray this Bunel created a disorientating film, with many scenes that make no sense whatsoever. Take for instance the woman in one shot shutting the door behind the male character, with the next shot featuring him within the room. This is then followed by him fondling her whilst her clothes seamlessly disappear off her body and her breasts turn into buttocks. This was incredibly disorientating and therefore difficult to watch due to the unexplainable scenes. I was encouraging myself to like these scenes and not experience a challenge because of my enthusiasm for the concept however I felt nothing more than amusement for this sequence because of how unusual it was to watch.

As I found the underlying nature of surrealism intriguing a later Bunel film appealed to me more, The Phantom Of Liberty. Instead of use of unexplainable editing this film relies less on visuals and more on mise en scene and narrative. Within this film the characters sit around a table together whilst enjoying a toilet break, refusing to talk about such “disgusting” things such as food whilst on the toilet. In contrast to this the male character then leaves the toilet to ask a maid (holding a plate of toilet paper) where he might find the dinner table to eat in peace. This film shows a role reversal, one which I found inciteful and enjoyable to behold. This form of surrealism and questioning of conformity appealed to me much more, perhaps due to its techniques being similar to that of mainstream cinema as it involved a basic narrative and classic camera shots.

Another form of film technique I found challenging was discovered by director Stan Brackage. Instead of using the typical camera to shoot his film, instead he created it. Inserting moth wings, leaves and other naturalistic materials in between two sets of transparent splicing film for MothLight. This created visuals similar to continuous flashing paintings, which was also similar to when he painted on film for Stella. I found these difficult to appreciate, without a narrative or concept that I could latch onto, watching them seemed to get lost on me. The challenge I found with this was trying to create meaning, in comparison to surrealism which has no meaning purely for that reason Brackage’s films did not has a similar impact. Although I found them visually stunning as a compilation of images I could not comprehend a meaning behind them. Throughout watching and interpreting mainstream cinema I have become used to quickly understanding how I should be feeling about a scene having all the comforts of Hollywood cinema lost for these films proved a challenge to explore my own personal response and uncover a reason for them.

One of my favourite explorations of avante garde cinema, along with Andy Warhol’s compilation of screen tests, was 1969 film Necrology. It consists of two major parts, the first, an 8 minute static camera of people rising into what could be interpreted as the heavens. It turns out that this was in fact the director filming people descending down an escalator and playing it in reverse. The use of this technique allowed much more interpretation to the shot and because of this I did not find it as much of a challenge to enjoy as others. However its intentions did not become fully clear until the second part began. This was unlike anything I have previously seen, the most memorable part of the film was in fact the credits. Unlike the film itself in which you saw dozens of faces with no understanding of a back-story behind them, the credits gave this. It lists the cast members each with their own description some of which were incredibly funny and a deep insight into the person i.e. Woman with Canker sore in her left cheek. The part I found challenging of this film was to rethink my interpretation of the film after the credits had ran. I did this after seeing “Standish Lawder” the director, credited as a cast member on the escalator. I had previously assumed the film questioned the reality, in a similar way to Warhol, by portraying the reality. Once I found Lawder was credited, this was not the case; the shots must have been staged. This created a whole other interpretation, and proves just how polysemic some of the experimental texts can be, had I only seen the beginning section of the film I would have been content with my interpretation which was not altered till the end.

Experimental cinema proved a challenge, even with the films I enjoyed there was difficulty in understanding how the choices of production techniques were used and how they complemented the potential meaning. It has proven to me, that whether or not a film is understood and accepted by everyone, it should be appreciated: there are no guidelines accept the sociable norm as to how a film should be constructed and accepted.

FM4 Section C - Fight Club

Explore some of the ways in which placing your chosen film within a broader critical framework has helped to develop your appreciation and understanding of specific sequences.

I have found fight club to be an intriguing film to discuss in terms of critical approaches, although it has also allowed me to come to a conclusion that not just one form of critical analysis can be used to explore each sequence.

For instance the opening credits of the film suggest a level of psychoanalysis will be needed to understand the film, this is due to the CGI effects from within the brain. The camera follows the nerves within a persons (who is later revealed to be the narrator) head, with sparking synapses; suggesting that the film will uncover some form of mental dysfunction. However this is not explored again until the latter part of the film.

Instead the initial establishing sequences from the suggest a less psychoanalytical approach is needed and something such as the crisis of masculinity can be used to explain these. The men in the film have become overpowered by consumerism, trading in their masculinity for a more feminine generalisation. This is all presented during one scene within the narrators apartment, there is a pan across the room showcasing his furniture alongside their catalogue descriptions. Jack then explains how he has become a “slave to the ikea nesting instinct” showing just how much dependency his character and males within society have become on consumer products usually associated with female behaviour. During this scene the narrator also tells us, whilst on the toilet, that where he used to read pornography now he reads furniture catalogues. The pornography represents a masculine trait of sexual desire the fact that the narrator seems to have lost this in replace of furniture magazines is again a clear link to the loss of masculinity within society. However it is possible that this could be linked to Freud’s psychoanalytical theory of the self, and how the narrator feels the need to suppress his sexual desire (the ID) in order to fit in within society. Without knowledge of the crisis of masculinity it would have been difficult to pinpoint a reason behind Fincher’s choice of mise en scene and dialogue, understanding this has enabled me to delve much deeper into the potential meanings of the text, and potentially debate it as being polysemic.

As the film progresses the crisis of masculinity ceases to become a problem, or perhaps is just overridden by further critical approaches which can be discussed. I have found it very useful applying Freudian theory to particular scenes once Tyler Durden has been introduced and believe it to have stemmed from the crisis of masculinity. The mise en scene of the house is used as a visual metaphor for the narrators brain, linking towards the sparking synapses in the opening credits. The mise en scene of the house is dull and dreary, it lacks consumerised nature of his old apartment and only contains the bare minimum. “It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything” is a quote from Tyler Durden which proves an ideology of the film: once Jack has lost the consumerism from his normal life as shown through his apartment he is able to become “free” presented in the minimalist mise en scene of Tyler’s house.

However, this “freedom” comes at a cost, following Freud’s theory Tyler represent the ID, the unconscious desires. Once Jack has lost his apartment on consumer products Tyler is introduced, he takes over Jack’s life, and his brain. We can see this in the house whilst Tyler and Marla are having sex. Jack is working out, he is letting his ID fulfil his desires in the floor above him and literally in the back of his mind. Whilst we hear Marla’s diegetic orgasms the ceiling falls down next to Jack, the house is falling apart and so is his brain. Without a psychoanalytical approach to this scene or potentially any of the others featuring Tyler Durden it becomes very difficult to appreciate what he represents and his affect on the narrator.

Due to the polysemic nature of the text it is difficult to apply one critical approach to the entire film and so is necessary to consider these within particular sequences. The film only superficially covers each idea is explores, including others not I have not discussed such as Marxism and Post Modernism, and so it is useful to understand more than one approach when exploring the film. This has been a criticism of the film; that it lacks substance within the critiques it makes on society, however through my analysis I have personally come to the conclusion that this is Fincher’s way of explaining to his audience how the American society of the time is filled with such an extensive amount of problems.

Fight Club Question - Section C

“In its political and social messages Fight Club is a very confused film” How far do you agree with this statement?

Fight Club explores a range of social and political themes, including interpretation of the philosophical economics theory of Marxism. Karl Marx indicates that society operates under capitalist structure, people are owned by the owners of businesses and the Government. This is emphasised through a clear idealisation of consumerism within American culture.

Main character “Jack” (stated lightly as we are never fully informed of this name) is a “slave to the Ikea resting unit” portrayed visually by a pan across his apartment with its mise-en-scene being reminiscent of a show rooms. The furniture is shown alongside catalogue descriptions of each piece, while Jack himself is on the toilet reading another Ikea magazine. Jack is reliant upon his appartment, and the products of a consumerist society within; his frustration when it faces an arson attack reinforces this. Before the arson attack, Jack is purely a consumer living within the fundamentals of the respected society, he is merely “a copy of a copy of a copy.” It isn’t until the fire removes his ties with his conformity that he no longer operates under Marxist capitalist theories.

Jack is then taken by Tyler Durden (a “better” and desirable version of himself) to live with him, they are stripped back to basics, represented through the run down location shown within the mise-en-scene. There are no luxuries within this house only the minimal products needed to survive. Now Jack and Tyler are operating outside of societies expected behaviour they set up the Fight Club. As the club becomes more established Jack becomes more and more lethargic at work, turning up batter and bruised which does not go unnoticed by his colleagues and boss. When his boss tries to fire him Jack retaliates, he beats himself up and threatens to blame his boss unless he can work from home with a pay rise and other benefits. This scene represents Jack confidently obliterating his link to the capitalist economic nature, displayed visually by the regular use of low angle shots. Jack is able to fight his way out of capitalism, suggesting this film is a forceful argument against Marx’s theory of capitalism.

When Fight Club is underway the men become more liberal, restoring masculinity which was lost through the overpowering consumerism within society. Violence is typical of males, allowing these males to fight each other regains their male status. Jack has now lost his ties with consumerism via the fire at his house and links with corporate and capitalist world from not having to work at the office. As this liberalisation also occurs the men lose their alignment with Marxist capitalist theory. However the fight club hen begins to act as a new ideology for the men to conform to. The men conform to a new social theory, one that is set up by the idolised Tyler Durden. This is represented within the way the men repeat the words “His name is Robert Paulsen” which accumulates between the men and even neighbouring Fight Clubs like a cult.  There may not be the influence of capitalism and consumerism within the club however the men rely on a strong ideal of capitalism to survive. This may begin to argue against the previous point that Fight Club disagrees with Marxism, as when the men were conformed within society they weren’t a danger, however the further the men get into the Fight Club which then turns into “Project Mayhem” the more violent and dangerous they become to society. Suggesting that to keep the men of this culture in line, clear society ideals need to be in place.

The final scene of Fight Club shows a downfall in all of Americas financial institutions, a long shot of the silhouettes of Jack and Marla Singer watching these high rise buildings collapse is cinematically emphasise the power these buildings have over American culture. Despite the destruction of these buildings the atmosphere of these scene is quite pleasant, there is a close up of the pair holding hand, the first time within he film this has been shown even though in a relationship. This suggests that the pair have a new found freedom to act as they please now these powerful structures have been removed. The destruction of their power as the final shot of the film reinforces the idea of a negative Marxism capitalist opinion that it has.

The constantly changing Marxist representations involving American Society can be seen to confuse the audience, the film seems to be indecisive as to whether or not culture should develop from consumerism and capitalism and so can leave the audience with a disorientated feel.

How far can it be argued that the films you have studies represent a "realistic" representation of the people and places they focus on

2002 film City Of God explores the lives of individuals in the community of Rio De Janeiro's poverty filled favellas.  A realistic representation of the films narrative is conveyed through the montage ending sequence of real life news footage, the footage shows still images of the real people that the megalomaniac character Lil Ze is based on. His representation as a power hungry villain throughout the rest of the film seems overly dramatic, he is continuously shot with a low angle even as a child during his violent outburst killing those at the motel; and is visually represented as the controller of the favellas through the "power positioning" of him at a physically higher level when sitting on the bricks which will become the basis for the favellas he runs in the future. He is sitting on the foundations of the City Of God and so dramatizes the future of the city which Lil Ze is in total control. The fact Lil Ze is still a child and cinematically shot in this way seems overly dramatized and less likely to be believable for a audience who are not used to this behavior which is a regular occuring in the favellas in Brazil. Backing up this seemingly exaggerated character representation with a real life image creates a much more realistic

Section A resit - How do independent films sometimes achieve success?

Behind cinema is an industry, an industry facing technological development, changes in social trends and consumer attitudes, just like any other in the economy. In the same way the average market works there are market leaders, the big budget Hollywood blockbuster. Multimillion dollar budgeted films dominate the industry, achieving worldwide awareness from the high expense of marketing and accessibility of the films distribution. In the film industry many independent films suffer, without backing from well known producers and companies the films can suffer from a lacking mainstream audience.

Certain independent films can achieve success however these are the few. Many independent films appeal a much more cineliterate type of audience to Hollywood films, this change in audience style is a niche market, limiting the potential box office gross right from the off. In order to avoid this many independent film makers use a combination of methods to appeal more to the mass. These methods mainly link to broadening the accessibility of viewing the film, regularly shown in limited art house cinemas, independent films have a restricted audience because of this in comparison to showing in mainstream multiplex cinemas.

 Although wining accolades makes a film much more popular with the average audience style for independent film, it also creates appeal with the mainstream audience. During awards season many multiplex cinemas are much more open to showing independent films if they have been nominated as the box office appeal is much greater. Take for instance Dallas Buyers Club; released just shy of awards season nominations in November this film received 6 Acadamy Award nominations and 3 wins. This widened the appeal of the film, allowing multiplex cinemas to justify showing these films. Although at limited time frames, the widened accessibility from showing at multiplex cinemas rather than art house/independent cinema where it would usually be showed widened the audience appeal and could have been a reason behind the $55 million box office success.

 Success can be classed under a broad term, although is mostly depicted through the amount the film stakes at the box office. Although Dallas Buyers Club received brilliant critical response and wide academic acclaim, potentially leading towards it’s success. The amount the film took at the box office seems the most important figure, because like I said, cinema is first and foremost an industry. Profit it key. Dallas Buyers Club totalled $55 million at box office, in comparison to 2013s biggest earner, Hunger Games Catching Fire, coming in at $424 million, this is a very small margin. However with a $5 million budget and 25 day production period, this figure is incredibly successful for an originally small independent film.

 Other areas which can broaden the appeal of Independent films is the use of stars. Shown through Dallas Buyers Club with the use of Matthew McCohaughey who has recently left his type cast role of male rom-com lead to persue acting in a variety of Independent films including, Bernie, Killer Joe and Mud. McConaughey has achieved box office appeal through his recent diversification of film genre his has entered. With his win for Best Actor at the Oscars, this appeal was definatly broadened. This film also starred Jared Leto, after taking a 10 year break from acting Leto has been focused on his music career as the frontman for band 30 Seconds To Mars. This is a band which appeals to a large number of a young generation who previously would not have considered such a film but would possibly be drawn to it from this casting.

Another successful independent film is Wes Andersons recent Grand Budapest Hotel. Although this film does not contain one specific big winged box office star, when distribution rights were snapped up by Fox Spotlight, who had previously distributed Andersons previous successful adaptation of Fantastic Mr Fox, they hoped the sheer weight of the entire cast would lead to success. Which has seemed to be the case, after 17 days of wide release the film had grossed a total of £6.3 million in the UK alone, his second highest earner to date. The film marketed with a poster containing 17 acclaimed stars, including Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton and Anderson’s favourite. Bill Murray. It is believed that a weighted cast will appeal to a board audience, and this defiantly fits the bill. This film was released just after awards season ended, its light-hearted nature eased the pressure off over drama filled audiences after the release of incredibly moving films such as 12 Years a Slave. This film did not receive any accolades from the mainstream awards season and so did not use this as a marketing tool, yet stuck to the idea that audiences will see the film due to its impeccable cast and favourite auteur.

Wes Andersons use of stars to attract audiences could be argued when looking at the release of his 2012 film Moonrise Kingdom, this film starred the famous Bill Murray, Bruce Willis as well as Edward Norton however only achieved a little over £2 million at UK box offices. This is where the argument for accessibility comes in, the top two of Andersons grossing movies have been distributed by Fox Spotlight, and incredibly famous and knowledgeable company about the best ways to distribute the film. Whereas Moonrise Kingdom lacked this, limiting its appeal to a mass audience reduced its capability of achieving a high box office figure. Audiences rely on simplicity, the easy accessibility of films from nearby cinemas as well as through the internet is something which is really dependent on the success of any film, not only independent films.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Historic-Cinemas-of-Birmingham/507828685984122?ref=hl

Aims And Context (Film production - short scene)

How useful has a particular critical approach been in gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of your chosen film? (30)

Concepts of critical understanding have been an important feature within my initial understanding of David Fincher's Fight Club. Coming to terms with the crisis of masculinity has enabled my knowledge of this film to explore not only the technical aspects but also relating these to conceptual ideologies which were around during the 90's. Representing societies reaction to constant technological development around in the 90's, Fight Club starts by exploring the idea of excessive consumerism which followed this.
Throughout the 1990's societies opinions on males were focused around the basic concept of the crisis of masculinity which focused purely on the idea that men were beginning to loose the dominance they were commonly associated with. Men were loosing the features which defined them as men; or the features which society has began to believe as what should define them as men. Fight Club is seen to use this approach to explore the idea of men defying this ideology by creating a "fight club" to "bring back their masculinity."
However, through analysis of the scenes from the fight club itself, aspects could be seen to be leading a more homosexual subtext in comparison to the initial thought of highlighting male testosterone. The  room in which fight club takes place is a dingy pub basement, in which the men are shown under low key lighting fighting with each other half naked. These simple features within the construction of the scene resemble that of Experimental Kenneth Anger film Fireworks, a film which was known as the basis of queer cinema. These references to queer cinema also come in further on in the film during the scene which The Narrator is fighting with Angel Face, during this fight specific shots are used to reference Fireworks. These shots in particular are upside down close ups of Angel Face's head and shoulders with low key lighting

Presentation Script - Finished

How is the issue of race dealt with in contemporary American cinema

Display quotes on PowerPoint slide:

“Cinema tends to be dismissed as mere entertainment, yet it has profound effects shaping our thinking and our behaviour.” (Item 15) “Although it would be nice to think that we have complete control over the shaping of our identity, this cannot be the case when we live in such a media saturated world” (Item 13)

Speaker:

“Cinema tends to be dismissed as mere entertainment, yet it has profound effects shaping our thinking and our behaviour.” (Item 15) “Although it would be nice to think that we have complete control over the shaping of our identity, this cannot be the case when we live in such a media saturated world” (Item 13) It should be the case that the messages and issues arising in film are that which will reflect upon cultural opinions of the time. Theodor W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer argued this, stating that film merely extends the ideology of society. Therefore, what better thing to focus on, than the controversial issue of race and how it is depicted within Hollywood cinema and therefore how society reflects this issue.

 Hollywood mainstream films are those which can have the highest level of impact within the society due to the extent of their range across the world; and therefore it is not necessarily incorrect to assume that Hollywood cinema uses this advantage to explore such disputed issues in order to reflect societies opinions and even question them. There is no doubt, that race has been a controversial topic within society and since the introduction of cinema in the late 19^th century there have been many films produced to deal with race as a topic. A more dominant cultural issue within the 1960’s, and the civil rights era, racial based narratives have become much more prominent within contemporary cinema for reasons which I will discuss further. 

Although it would be comforting to think that the world is progressing in terms of accepting multiculturalism. With further analysis into particular character types and their representations within African American based cinema; it can easily be argued that Hollywood (and therefore society) is unable to showcase this in the open and diverse way which would be hoped for. In order to understand the discussions which I will arise there must be an understanding into the history behind civil rights.

Play : Civil Rights Speeches Video (Item 21)

Speaker:
Throughout American history the ideals of racial acceptance have always been prominent, yet it wasn’t until the civil rights era of the 60's that this became a much more dominant feature within American society. “The civil rights movement grew in strength and impetus throughout the 1950’s and 60’s” (item 16) this was the time which brought to light all of the racial issues within American culture.

One of the most highly acclaimed films of this era, also said to be “the first Hollywood film to deal honestly with racial issues” (item 4) is To Kill A Mockingbird. A film which delves into the issue of racial inequality through the underlying narrative of Gregory Pecks character Atticus Finch defending black male Tom Robinson against an unjust accusation of the rape of a white woman. The focus throughout this film is on the selfless actions of Atticus Finch and the problems they caused him and his family; rather than the tribulations faced by Robinson through this time. “So we have a white film about racial injustice that winds up dealing with only the white character in depth” (item 4) which is also the case for the more contemporary films I intend to discuss further. Atticus Finch is a character portrayed as an heroic prejudice free white man, even with the problems he faces with the racists in the town he seems to be respected by all, including the black community.

Play: TKAM clip – courtroom scene after Tom Robinson is convicted by the jury.  

Display quote on slide:
“A good way to evaluate the ideology of mainstream film is to analyse the characters with whom the film asks the audience to identify.” (item 15)

Speaker:

This scene showing the reaction of the black community to the support Finch gave to Tom Robinson during his trial. The standing ovation given by the black observers of the trial to Finch even after Tom Robinson was convicted, highlights the way in which the "white lawyer" is represented throughout this film. Each of the black characters within TKAM respect Atticus Finch for what he is dealing with for Tom Robinson, they understand the hardships that he must be facing to be defending him during this time. The fact that the segregated black community all stands up for Atticus before he leaves, and one man tells Scout to stand while "her father’s passing" shows the respect that they held for this man. Or more so, the respect in which white director Robert Mulligan felt the black community should have for a white man. The idea of black inferiority comes into play here (Item 18) as not only is Tom Robinson convicted for the crime he did not commit due to the unequal American justice system , this scene straight after proves just how "superior" the white man supposedly is to the black community.

Race is pushed aside within this film, “so intent of depicting human dignity, seems to overlook the indignities of its very subject, racial prejudice.” (item 4) And so, can it actually be discussed as a film which shows any clear representation of race at all? “A good way to evaluate the ideology of mainstream film is to analyse the characters with whom the film asks the audience to identify.” (item 15) and so an the answer to that lies within the depiction of the “anti-racist white lawyer,” (item 19) such as Atticus Finch, in comparison to the depiction of the less dominant black characters. This is also a clear starting point for the discussion of race within the other contemporary films I intend to explore. If there was a film released in the post civil rights era which showcased the racial views that To Kill A Mockingbird does, even if it was as well made, I do not feel it would receive close to the recognition which TKAM did. Although this could easily be said to show an advance in the racial equality within American culture, it's not to say that just because a contemporary film doesn't show a prominent racist theme towards its characters, that there isn't one.  

Each of my chosen films are courtroom dramas concerning either a black man on trial (TKAM and ATTK) or in the case of Ghosts of Mississippi, a white man on a reopened trial due to his murder of a civil rights activist. Throughout all of these films, there is the prominent protagonist of the white male lawyer. A character type and viewpoint that is not altered along with the change in outcome or the 30 year gap between the release of the films. Each of these films focus on the heroic actions of these white male leads, with much of the screen time dedicated to the trials they faced from the community instead of the black characters. “The white saviour's viewpoint becomes the narrative focus, while the perspectives of African American characters and their broader community are peripheral at best, if not entirely absent.” (item 8) “Although neither film was as widely acclaimed as TKAM they served as important forms of cultural memory in highlighting the ways the anti-racist white hero genre continued in the 1990s” (item 19)

1996 was the year set for the battle of racial prejudice Hollywood films. Both A Time to Kill and Ghost of Mississippi were released in this year, which also happened to be the year the California proposition 209 was enforced “to prohibit public institutions from discriminating on the basis of race, sex, or ethnicity” (item 20) This makes the time period, (very similar to that of TKAM in relation to the civil rights era) an important feature in the reception and spectatorship of the films and representations. “What these films shared with this particular moment in the golden state was an understanding that racial progress had been made” (item 19) not only had the new law been passed in the centre of all things cinema, but now Hollywood was open to developing the stereotypes of African Americans previously created. Or so it was thought. 

Let’s take a look into my focus film of A Time to Kill, and its representation of both the white and black characters. Showcasing the trial of Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L Jackson) after he violently gunned down the two white males responsible for the rape and assault of his young daughter Tonya. In ATTK “some characters have been compressed” (item 5) including that of the man black character Hailey, with the film focusing on his attorney Mr Jack Briggance. Played by Matthew McConaughey, Briggance is portrayed to us as the heroic attorney who faces relentless attacks by the racists from the town of Canton; yet is not fazed by it. Unlike, lawyer Delaughter in Ghosts of Mississippi, Briggance never questions his decision to take on the controversial case even when forced to cope with the revival of the Canton KKK. This decision is only questioned by Hailey himself when offered the opportunity to gain a free attorney from the NAACP; but of course, he sticks with his decision to have a white attorney even at the cost. The fact Hailey turns down this offer, seems to encourage the connotation of black skin on screen used to highlight white superiority, and self regarded as black inferiority (item 18) which is also the case for GOM when Ever’s wife (Whoopi Goldburg) decides to stick with Delaughter even when she has the opportunity for other lawyers.

Initially there seems to be a similar link with ATTK and TKAM In terms of the way both lawyers are highly respected by the black community. This is shown in ATTK when Hailey originally decides to use Briggance as his attorney because he managed to acquit his brother the previous year; if Hailey did not respect the work Briggance had done on this case, or the way he had treated his brother due to his race he would not be the person Hailey would choose to defend him.

Play:  ATTK clip – Prison cell discussion between Briggance and Hailey

Speaker:

Towards the end of the film, when Hailey's trial is close in sight, this clip actually tells us the reasoning behind Hailey’s choice of Briggance as his attorney throughout everything. Briggance perceives in the way which the rest of the jury do, he has the mind of a southern white man and is therefore "one of the bad guys" even though he "doesn't mean to be" Hailey's view on keeping him as his lawyer was that if this man is unable to convince a jury of his peers that he is innocent, then no one would be able too. Although that throughout the rest of the film it is believed by the viewer that Hailey has chosen Briggance as his attorney because he respects the work he does and his ability (as an intellectual white man) this twist in the plot begins to highlight a certain friction between these characters which neither one seems to have been willing to address previously. In ATTK the black community is represented solely by Hailey's character though even his does not go into much depth, the knowledge he gives us here emphasizes how at this time in society there is much more resentment between the races than shown in TKAM.

When analysing different elements of this film there seems to be different opinions represented in terms of race throughout. Unlike TKAM the final verdict is in favour of Hailey, which is supposedly supposed to showcase the change in the equality of the American justice system over the thirty year gap between these films. Adding this to the change in how much respect the white community gain from the black public one would assume that this film has began to change alongside society and portray Hollywood as more accepting of race. Yet  with knowledge of the common use of the "white male lawyer" within films such as this, and the extent to which ATTK focuses on McConaughey's character. It can also be argued that on the surface of this film there seems to be a more positive representation of race, however there is also the underlying theme of the prominent male character who the narrative should realistically not focus on which begs the question, is Hollywood ready to delve into a character such as Tom Robinson or Carl Lee Hailey, or are they still held up on the racial aspect revolved around this?

 

In comparison to ATTK in fact showing resentment between the black and white characters presumably due to the time it was made, Ghosts of Mississippi, released at the same time shows the opposite. Although Myrlie Evers does not initially hold faith with the Lawyer Delaughter (played by Alec Baldwin) but as the film progresses she seems to respect him in a much similar way to how Atticus Finch is respected in TKAM. Again, in order to undeniably show the “change” in Hollywood’s representation of race, this trial again ends with the conviction of Byron De La Beckwith for the murder of Myrlie’s civil rights activist husband 25 years previous.

In an incredibly similar way to ATTK, rather than focusing on Myrlie Evers and her struggle to reopen the trial, GOM is focused on DeLaugther’s struggle to gain any substantial evidence and keep his family together.

Play:  GOM scene – Delaughter’s son fighting leading into hospital scene.

Play: TKAM Scout (Finch’s daughter) fighting scene.

Speaker:
As shown by the similarities in problems faced by the children of the lawyers in both GOM and TKAM these clips help to reinforce the idea that the white lawyer and the tribulations they face are the central aspect of these films and how even over the time period between these films the character type has not changed. This is therefore just another “white film about racial injustice that winds up dealing with only white characters in depth” (item 4) The representation of the black community comes mainly from the way in which Myrlie is portrayed throughout the film, although she is seen as a strong independent woman after the loss of her husband, director Reiner, “limits Whoopi Goldberg's role as the widowed Myrlie Evers to a glorified cameo appearance, and reduces the rest of Evers family to mere extras.” (Item 14)

 It is therefore difficult to argue any particular point as to how race is represented within contemporary American cinema, as I am not even sure if Hollywood knows the answer to that. This confusion between the representations could be said to come from the directors. These films are all shot through the eyes of white directors, this gives us the impression that although there are examples of changes in the representation of race in relation to the time periods; the underlying character of the white male lawyer who is represented throughout these genre of films as “the black man’s saviour” could be argued as an obstacle in the way of an entirely positive view of race within film. Until this character type is questioned and defeated, and Hollywood can get to grips with the idea of a heroic black character I find it difficult to believe there will be any films produced with a positive portrayal of blacks in the same way that is expected of the white characters. But for now Hollywood strives with the view that “White people must occupy the centre, leaving black people with only one choice – to exist in relation to whiteness” (item 17)