A-Level Film Studies - Daniel Kallin

  How far does the film's aesthetic qualities contribute to the film’s themes and messages? Intro:  Key themes - lingering presence of the Holocaust, guilt, isolation, emptiness 'aesthetics' - visual tonal qualities of the film and mood Bones sequence, Exit sequence Visual elements reflect the depression and guilt of the film - b&w, tonally consistent, lingering shots Integral to tone of movie However... dependent on content of film Holocaust elements come through in the dialogue, and the sparseness of the film Music, also important, but more add to the tone than create it, rarely used Overall, visuals aesthetics for themes through tone, post-war Poland non-verbally represented, but dialogue brings nuance and characterisation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Pawel Pawlikowski's 2013 film Ida, he uses the film's aesthetic qualities to enhance the film's themes and messages, as the dull visual colou...

  Man With A Movie Camera (Vertov, 1929) - City symphony - Omniscient viewpoint of three Soviet cities (Kyiv, Odesa, Khavkiv, Moscow) - No actors or scripted scenarios - Focus on theatre, poverty, babies - Maxim Gorky - Music symphony tied with sequence, offers continuity - Part of film is showing the process of making it Celebration of diversity of life: - Couple in registry office, wedding - Transition into funeral procession - Constant movement, modes of transport, rhythm of life Form = cinematic equipment = how film is made Content = sacrificed = what we see = ideas and themes  A Propos de Nice  (Vigo, 1930) - Great Depression - Social discontent - Rise of Marxism/Socialism - Beginning of European Fascism - Art Deco - Cinema as 'art' or Cinema as a social force - Modernism and constructivism - City symphony - Banality of life - Jump cuts, juxtaposition and montage editing - Handheld and hidden camera, social realism Silent Cinema - By the mid-1920s Silent cinema was m...

  Refer closely to two different sequences and analyse how key elements of film form contribute to the themes in  City of God . Moving to favelas: displacement, isolation, the "left-behind" Closing seq.: abuse of justice, corruption, cyclical nature Through the sequences of "moving to the favelas" and the "closing sequence" in City of God , Merielles uses a cinematic framework of cinema novo and social realism, to root the film's aesthetics and form to themes relevant to Brazilian social issues. In doing this, he fits City of God into the tradition of Brazilian cinema whilst also bringing to the fore a sense of identity and representation to the overlooked groups of people in Brazil, giving the themes a sense of contemporary relevance, and allowing the victims of and contributors to said themes to make their voice hear cinematically. Within the "moving to favelas" sequences, these themes include displacement and the 'left-behind', usi...

                            Ida  (Pawlikowski, 2013) - Influence of European tradition in terms of styles, takes inspiration from film movements such as Italian neo-realism, French New Wave, Polish New Wave - Also taking inspiration from film noir - with the use of monochromatic lighting and colour scheme - Narrative comes from European history and specifically from Poland and the Jewish community - Relevant to the failed initiatives for an integrated Europe Pawlikowski's first film made in Polish, funded by Polish film institute, uses their personnel, filmed on location in Poland - Set in Poland 1962 - After WWII - communist rule (under Stalin and the Soviets) - Many Polish-Jews died from the Holocaust - After 1945, Poland mostly a homogenous nation - Ruled by Polish People's Republic - After Stalin's death in 1953 - some relaxation of political pressure from Soviet Union - Early 1960s economic pr...

  Refer closely to two different sequences and analyse how key elements of film form contribute to the representations in City of God . City of God uses its sequences to explore a variety of different forms of representation, such as: masculinity, women, poverty and class, the youth, and favelas. The opening sequence is particularly pertinent in exploring representations of the favelas, by introducing them to the spectator using film techniques such as hand-held cameras and an erratic cinematography, and, whilst doing so, also explores masculinity and youth in their relationship to the society built in the favelas. Another important sequence in exploring representations is the motel massacre sequence, as it explores the impact of the favelas onto the youth and their descent into crime, whilst also looking at female characters and masculinity. These representations are consistently reinforced throughout the film, using a wide range of film features to explore them fully. In its open...

 A Brief Introduction to Brazilian Cinema by Peter Rist - Brazilian cinema received little recognition in the wider world until recent international success from films like Central Station (1998) and City of God (2002) Early Brazilian Cinema - Films were first screened in Brazil in 1896, and the first films made there were in 1900 - The period of 1908-12 has been called the golden age of Brazilian cinema - Post-1911, foreign films began to dominate the Brazilian film market, relegating Brazilian filmmakers to newsreels and documentaries - Big cities still produced films, including the later-acclaimed, avant-garde Limite (1930) - Brazilian cinema finally industrialised once sound created a language barrier - The first major film movement in Brazil was the 'chanchada', which took after Hollywood backstage musicals, and combined them with Brazilian comic theatre and carnival - This led to the great success of comic team Oscarito and Grande Otello, most notably in Carnival Atlántid...

  City of God  (Lund & Mireilles, 2002) - Space, environment, and political agendas are relevant - Distinct boundaries of the form - Similar rawness to British social realism but extends into wider contexts - Outsiders of society and class - Non-professional actors - Real places and spaces - location in world cinema - Complex narrative structure - three major strands - Spans the 1960s-80s - Cyclical nature of narrative parallels idea of a cycle of crime, repetition and hopelessness - Male world - representations of masculinity - Gang chasing a chicken who is caught in between the narrator and the police - Flashback to the 1960s from the 1980s - Context of favela's -government neglect, lack of essential resources in the housing projects - Motel massacre followed by shift in time to the 1970s, influence of drugs Opening sequence: 360* camera spin - cyclical structure - Knifes and drums - cultural yet dangerous - Fast-paced close-ups, unfocused, zooming in and out, chaot...