This Is England (Shane Meadows, 2007) follows young Saun, a lonely boy who suffers from bullying who finds friendship in the open arms of a local gang of skinheads. At first, he enjoys the company of his new friends, but events turn sour when an old member of the group, Combo, returns from prison, and begins to spread his poisonous and racist views amongst them.
The film follows a linear narrative, told mostly through the perspective of Sean, which makes us sympathise with him, despite his eventual belief in Combo’s racist preachings. We understand why he listens to Combo, why he feels accepted and safe in the skinhead gang, and how he becomes further engrained in their society throughout the film.
I personally enjoyed the film! I felt that it was ruthlessly realist in its portrayal of anti-Muslim hate groups. The film is frequently disturbing, interspersed with comfortable dialogue scenes that keep the viewer on-edge. The way that it portrays an innocent boy’s descent into racism is believable and tragic, and it has one of the most terrifying film antagonists I’ve ever seen! I rate This Is England (Shane Meadows, 2007) four stars!
Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) is crime/gangster thriller that follows multiple characters whose arcs intertwine and play out in a non-chronological order. The film is split up into five stories/sequences that swap perspectives between different characters at different points in the story.
The film is told in a unique way, as the plot does not play out chronologically, but rather the separate parts of the film are show in a jumbled and non-consecutive order. For example, the prologue, showing two people robbing a diner, is played again at the end of the film from another characters perspective. However, this scene is not the final in the story, only the plot, as they are separate in this film.
The film holds a significant place in history, as the methods through which it was told, i.e the narrative structure, use of violence and swearing, casual conversation, etc. were very new to film at the time. Tarantino took a cliche, conventional film genre and made it his own, individual work through distinct dialogue, tropes specific to him as a filmmaker, and a unique narrative structure.
I personally very much enjoyed Pulp Fiction. I enjoyed listening to the clever dialogue, the violent and shocking action sequences, the moments of intensity and the interesting mode of telling an entertaining and stylistic story. Tarantino utilises signature actors and iconic, classy music to give the film a slick aesthetic. It’s characters and quotes are iconic, and the story is intriguing and riveting. I rate Pulp Fiction ★★★★★!
Component 2d contains the corse study areas of context, representation, key elements and aesthetics, and the specialist study areas of autership and narrative. We cover the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction, which has been chosen for it’s unique and experimental plot structure. Tarantino is also considered an auteur director with a signature style who creates his own, individual works.
Past questions have focused on the directors approach to filmmaking and the experimental use of editing and sound in the film, how narrative reinforces themes and how far Pulp Fiction is an auteur film. The unit focuses on the unique aspects of the film and the director who made it, and we are required to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of elements of film and it to an analysis of how to construct and communicate meaning in a film.
Sisters In Law was made in 2007, and is directed by Kim Longinotto. It follows Vera Ngassa and Beatrice Ntuba, two women working in the Cameroonian justice system, specifically fighting against child abuse and abusive relationships, attempting to tackle sexism in the country.
The film is in observational mode, since Kim does not get involved in the film at all, simply staying at a distance from the events shown, documenting them without any interference or input. This allows for a completely uninterrupted film, where the audience watches things happening without narration or opinionated input from the director. Kim probably uses this mode here to show what things are like in Cameroon, and let the audience come to their own conclusions.
I also think the film is in observational mode to get the meaning across in a more subtle way, which is that gender discrimination and inequality still exists in some places, and can be hard to overcome. It aims to show the most unfair and clearly immoral parts of certain society’s, and uses two entertaining and likeable people as a symbol of perseverance through injustice.
The narrative, as the film is observational, follows events as they occur, switching between different cases and characters, and not strictly following Ngassa and Ntuba, instead focusing on whoever’s story best conveys the theme of the film, and showing has events can lead on after court. It also does not switch between time periods to give scenes context or explanations, usually documenting scenes that are self-explanatory.
I personally really enjoyed the film. I felt that a difficult to convey through documentary film was approached in a way that was understandable and entertaining. It’s observational approach made the film easy to follow and immersive, even though the events were real and sometimes slow paced. Another positive was how the film did not cut away from slow or quiet scenes, instead focusing on the reality of the situation, and gave an important message through some interesting filmmaking techniques.
Wild tales was directed by Damien Szifron in 2014, and tells multiple unique stories of violence, love and revenge. The film holds an important place in the portmanteau/anthology genre because it is a relatively recent and low budget($3.3-4.5 million) film that made substantial success in the box office($30.6-44.1 million) and includes many differing and un-flinching stories that do not stray from the genre to make it more accessible to audiences.
The film switches at unexpected intervals to new stories that follow different characters in usually intense dilemmas that involve themes of morality and violence, revenge and conflict with other people or inner-conflict. The narrative is structured in a unique way, following an anthology of stories that are connected in no ways. The characters it follows have somewhat small amounts of time to play out their arch’s, but the film uses it as time effectively to create audience investment in the characters and their story plots, and also raise suspense and get across the themes and messages intended by each story.
The film is important as it is one of the most famous Argentinian films outside of the country, proving that the film is respected on a global scale, and also that the anthology genre can be executed in a successful way that can be entertaining and engaging for international audiences.
I personally loved Wild Tales! I felt that the method of storytelling was pulled of perfectly and the transitions were done seamlessly. The characters and plots were memorable and the film had some deeper meanings that were portrayed in otherwise entertaining and exiting sequences. I personally found the broken down car sequence the most exiting due to its unrelenting intensity and horror aspects, but the dynamite story was my favourite for its genius character development and fascinating portrayal of morality and revenge on society. My only critique is that the last two stories in the film were rather confusing and less entertains, also containing less meaningful and understandable themes, and uncomfortable scenes that made it hard to get invested in the plot or characters. Other than that, the film proves that a seemingly complicated genre/form of film can be made to work in a way that makes it more entertaining than many other films. I respect it for its success in gaining audience engagement in its short stories, and the memorable moments in the film.
Pans Labyrinth was made in 2006 by director Guillermo Del Toro, and follows the story of Ofelia (Ivan’s Baquero) who moves, with her mother, to a remote area in the Spanish woods to meet her father, the brutal fascist Captain Vidal (Sergei Lopez). Whilst there, she begins to discover there is a labyrinth in the woods, and is involved in more and more dangerous tasks by a mysterious faun humanoid, who claims that she is the princess of a powerful, hidden kingdom.
Del Toro uses different filters throughout the film. It is never specified when the filter changes, but I think that there was one used for the daytime, one for nighttime, and one for the other world in the film. These filters are all very different, for example the one used during the day is bright, rosy and brings out the natural beauty of the woods. Meanwhile the one used at night is dull and gloomy, and increases the darkness of the shadows to add to the mystery and supernatural element of the movie.
Pans Labyrinth holds a special place in film history since it is most likely Guillermo Del Toro’s most famous film. The unique and disgusting monsters are instantly recognisable, and the magical yet horrific aspects of the plot make the story interesting ands captivating.
I personally really admired the film! The terrifying and fascinating mythology that Del Toro invented for the movie is constantly keeping the audience interested, and leads to some extremely memorable sequences, such as the “pale man” sequence. The movie is also extremely suspenseful. The characters are all memorable for their arc’s, and usually violent deaths. The gore factor in the film is a perfect example of how Toro pictures how brutal real-life scenarios would be affected by the more supernatural and fairy-tale scenarios. This same scenario is explored in Guillermo’s other film The Devils Backbone (Guillermo Del Toro, 2001) which imagines how a ghost/haunting would effect people taking refuge during the Spanish Civil War. Pans Labyrinth explores how Fascist and guerrilla soldiers would be affected by the magical and often terrifying creatures that exist in the woods.
One thing that I liked about the film was how the soldiers of either side of the war are never actually influenced by the monsters. The combat taking place between Vidal and the rebels in the woods runs as a parallel story to Ofelia’s adventure with the faun and the labyrinth. The movie will often cut to the war crimes that Vidal is committing, to the repulsive monsters that live in the labyrinth. This shows how humans can be monsters too, but Vidal’s evil is slowly revealed to be more than initially suspected throughout the film, whilst the monsters are instantly disgusting and obviously evil. This comparison, the excellent performance from Sergei Lopez and the complex inner-thought and violence committed by him all make a compelling villain out of Captain Vidal.
Del Toro’s creatures are unique but instantly repulsive, and often very memorable, including all the ones in Pans Labyrinth.
The film is also surprisingly emotional. The struggle and hardships that the rebel’s must go through, and the hidden motivations of Captain Vidal all make up a shockingly human aspect of a film that on the surface is about hideous monsters and faeries. The ending is emotional, and the brutality of the relatable and sympathetic characters’ deaths makes it all the more crushing and impactful to watch.
That is why I respect and admire the undoubtedly masterful filmmaking of Pans Labyrinth. The characters are very realistic and likeable , the violence perpetuates the gruesome and dark undertone of the film, and the way that the real scenario of the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and a magical but dangerous underworld collide make a fascinating and compelling film. So I rate Pans Labyrinth 4 and a half stars!
The Grand Budapest Hotel was released in 2014 and is directed by Wes Anderson. The film chronicles the history of how the famous and extravagant Budapest Hotel came to be the quiet and forgotten establishment that it is in modern day. the majority of the film follows the hotels monsieur, M.Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) and the new lobby boy, Zero (Tony Revolori), and the various events that occur after the death of one of the hotels most wealthy clients, Madame D. (Gilda Swindon).
The story is told to us, the audience, by the author of the book(played at this point by Tom Wilkinson), The Grand Budapest Hotel, who recounts when he was younger (and played by Jude law) and visited the hotel only to meet its owner, Zero (F. Murray Abraham) who tells him the history of the hotel, and how he came to own it. Even after these mixed perspectives, the whole film seems to be from the view of a woman in modern day, who is simply reading the book that holds the story of the hotels rich history, which we see in the film.
the author of the Grand Budapest Hotel (Jude Law-on the right) converging with M. Jean (Jason Schwartzman- on the right) on the matter of a new guest at the hotel.
Wes Anderson is known as a very stylistic director, which is completely apparent in the Gand Budapest Hotel. He seems to refrain from cutting as much as possible, which leads to most of the shots in the film being quite long and drawn out, often long-shots moving to keep up with the characters, or wide-shots done to encompass as much of a set, such as the hotel lobby, or characters, such as the scene in the red elevator, as possible.
The movie is also split into parts, such as part 5 “the second copy of the second will”. These occasional breaks in the story give the audience a split second to recollect. The reveal shot of what the new part is called also creates the sense of a grand play, which could of been what Wes Anderson was trying to replicate, or, and most likely, a book, since that is what we see at the beginning, that the story is a book in modern day.
M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) entertaining some of the hotels guests.
I believe that The Grand Budapest Hotel holds an important place in film history. It is instantly recognisable, and goes to show that in-conventional means of direction, narrative and sequencing in a film can add style and charm to it, setting it apart from other movies. The film is only 7 years old, but is still regarded as a cult classic for its witty and funny dialogue, lovable characters, and compelling story.
I personally loved this movie to bits! I thought that it was hilarious, and excellent from a subjective filmmaking perspective, despite its initially odd and even comical style. The shots are immersive and beautiful, the cinematography and editing is masterful, the performances are all outstanding and even the mise-en-scen is detailed and adds to the distinct atmosphere of the movie. I believe that perhaps Wes Anderson was trying to convey a message about how ethnic minorities were treated in early 20th century Eastern Europe, and how fascist governments effected the ordinary people there, as seen in the prison sequence and tragic ending to the story.
Zero (Tony Revolori) getting used to his new job as lobby boy, being supervised by M. Gustav (Ralph Fiennes) at the desk behind. A good example of a wide, encompassing shot in the film.
Finley Cairns A-Level Film Studies Blog 
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