Representation

How are the police represented in relation to what we know about the Prime Minister and President of France at this time? 

Young men from ethnic mini routines are the main social got up represented in la haine. There is a young black male protagonist (Hubert). 

The representations of young black males are life affirming and positive. However other characters confirm the more negative stereotypes of youths from ethnic minorities. Hubert is a drug dealer. 

Representation

The above image of the moon shaped birth mark could symbolise the meaning of the film; that this is about Ofelia getting her period. The fact that Ofelia is young, could portray that she is being made to grow up psychically and mentally due to the war.  There is also much symbolism and representation of the shape of the womb.

The forbidden fruit (grape) relates to a religious aspect of Eve and the forbidden fruit, because she disobeyed this, Eve got her period, this therefore is represented in Pan's.

= Becoming a woman 

Meaning: A woman having power in a patriarchal world will not work 

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/spiritual-meaning-of-numbers.html

Symbolism of 3:

Spiritual:
1. sun
2. moon - Ofelia fails her second task
3. mars - mars is the God of war, which the film is about

Religious:
Father
Son
Holy Ghost


Yonic imagery/nature = destroyed - male power/fascism is destructive and killing
Killing nature. Where life can grow and thrive, it is destroyed
The structure of the film is also circular as that of a menstrual cycle

http://www.slideshare.net/tmichelsdesign/color-in-movies-15023493

http://www.robertmills.me/colour-and-storytelling-in-films/

Pans Labyrinth

Starts and ends with offload death 

No lies or pain in the labyrinth 

She forgot who she was and where she came from - contexts 

As soon as ofelia reaches the camp she Begins hallucinations. 

The bug- the underworld is spying on the realist. 

The chair Carmen is put in due to her pregnancy disables her independence; as a woman she has no say. 

Ofelia instantly runs after the bug, into her hallucinations 

Mercedes warns ofelia not to go into the labyrinth she could get lost - foreshadowing what is to happen; lost in her own state of mind leading to her death 

Ofelia steals a bottle of medicine from Dr. 

The engravement on the head board symbolises a womb or the faun 

The rose in the story ofelia tells could represent or be a metaphor for the labyrinth. The underworld being beautiful like that of the rose and the thorns that protect it being the tasks she must complete. 

Kills farmer/rebels the first is young and innocent not far from ofelias age. 

Sees the bug as a fairy. Are the hallucinations real and she interprets them differently?

The moon that borned ofelia- the birth mark 

Clogs in vidals room resemble the clock

Womb figure that emerges in the book ; womb of the pale man key. 

Mercedes always warning ofelia: my mother warned me to be careful of fauns. 

Olives, bacon etc - Vidal. 

Alice in wonderland dress portraying her innocence. 

Tree resembles the womb 

Whenever Vidal is in the shot, the lighting is brighter whereas it is dark when ofelia is in the shot.  

Bottle of medicine left behind by rebels. 

Fat toad is a metaphor of gluteny. The toad could be a metaphor of fascism, once ofelia feeds it, the toad regurgitates itself and dies. The key lies in the mess it leaves behind. This could symbolise the key to equality is with the death of fascism. 

Vidals dinner / feast symbolises the pale man 

These people are mistake and hold the belief that we are all equal. There's a big difference: the war is over and we won and if we need to kill everyone of these vermin to settle it, then we will kill them all - Vidal 

Vidals father smashes his watch do Vidal would know exact time of his death. How a brave man dies. 

The hallucinations only exist in the absence of other characters. When the mother is a sleep etc 

Faun gets younger

There's not a single home without fire or bread- portraying fascism with a brave face

The bloodstain womb shape in the book foreshadows ofelias mothers death. 

Mercedes becomes her mother figure. 

Mandrake root: the plant that dreamt of being human. 

Red food on pale mans table

Images of the pale man killing children. 

Pale man representing fascist greed

Opens lock and gets dagger, faun / womb shaped handle

Takes grape; distorted biblical reference 

Focus on the bottle of medicine

Vidal can see mandrake plant. Are these really hallucinations? 

As the mandrake plant dies her mother collapses in pain. Is the mandrake a metaphor for the brother? 

Ofelia takes bottle of medicine when packing up her things 

Vidal is stabbed in the back by Mercedes both metaphorically and literally 

Uses medicine to kill Vidal

Vidal runs after ofelia as she has stolen her brother. 

It is finally confirmed that ofelia is having hallucinations as we see through Vidals POV her speaking to nothing whereas in her eyes she is pleading for her brothers life to their faun. 

Vidal takes baby away and shoots ofelia. Both have killed each other. 

Vidal returns from the labyrinth and gives Mercedes his son. Looks at his watch. He tries to pass down te watch and its story to his son by telling Mercedes tell my son. She says no and finally gets a voice in the film. Vidal is shot. Vidal, throughout the film tried to die nobally like his father but this was denied of him. 

Ofelia lay o the edge of the underworld, the centre of the labyrinth. 

Mercedes hums the lullaby as ofelia dies incorporating the fairytale aspect into the last section of the realism narrative that we see. 

At this point light is shed on ofelia for the first time in the film. Surrounding her is a golden palace and she is dressed in red. It is only within this narrative that we gain a positive resolution and equilibrium state. At this point she is finally met with her father once again. Both her parents sit on throwns, the third absent for ofelia. This is similiar to the image in the book of the three keys. However the peaceful image of ofelia in her underworld fades to the image of he death. Portraying to the audience the realism of war, that in reality their is no peaceful resolution 

Symbolism of all things in 3:

Family

Doors to unlock in pale man

3 tasks to complete

3 stones for the toad

Symbolism of the womb/ rebirthing:

Tree

Blood stain on the book

Handle of the dagger

Fauns horns

Inprint on the backboard of the be where her mother lay

Trying to birth the mandrake plant

"Narrative plays a significant role in communicating messages andvalues." To what extent is this evident in the films you have studied?[50 marks]

By studying both La Haine, Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995 and Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro, 2006. I can understand that narrative helps to convey the message and values of the films.
Pan's Labyrinth is set in 1944, Spain, just after the Spanish Civil War. Spain is repressed by the Facist government, lead by Franco. Throughout the film, the oppression and conflict is conveyed by two main characters of opposing sides; Vidal and Mercedes/Mercedes' brother (the resistance).
A repressed state also exists in La Haine. We understand that there is conflict and oppression between two main groups; the government, agents of social control and middle class white Frenchmen vs. immigrants of a working class background.
Both films begin and end with an inflicted murder of an innocent. Pan's Labyrinth begins and ends with Ofelia's death. Ofelia is a very young girl who is damaged by the violent realism of the war and conflict that surrounds her. La Haine also begins and ends with a death, however this varies to Pan's Labyrinth as it is the murder of two different men; Abdel; whom we never actually meet, and Vinz;  a jewish boy who is 'accidentally' shot, both by members of the police. Therefore, Pan's Labyrinth and La Haine begin and end with a death; this incorporates a circular structure into the film, which therefore portrays the messages of the films; that this violent oppression is ongoing and reoccurring and that political change must occur in order for change.

Both films subvert the typical Hollywood narrative. By doing so, this makes the messages and values of the films more prominent and realistic. Both films are based in a historical period, therefore if the films were to adopt a classic Hollywood narrative, it would divert the audience away from the actual message(s) of the films. One way in which the films dismiss a classic Hollywood narrative is by not incorporating Torodov's Equilibrium Theory. Both Pan's Labyrinth and La Haine avoid the stereotypical state of equilibrium; at no one point do either of the films begin with the state of equilibrium. There is disruption throughout and no peaceful resolution. However, one may argue that, although subversively, Pan's Labyrinth does include the Equilibrium theory. We realise that Ofelia's equilibrium exists during her backstory with her father, and that this equilibrium is disrupted by the Fascists, (Vidal), who results in her death. Both the fairytale and realism war narrative is resolved; Ofelia being accepted into the underworld in the fairytale side of the story. However, the realism narrative is only resolved at the expense of Ofelia's death, caused by Vidal.
This however, juxtaposes with La Haine's structural narrative. Although the film also ends with a death, it is not at the expense of a resolution, as we soon see real footage of riots, this conveys that the oppression again is ongoing.

Because both of the films are based in historical events, we understand that the oppression and conflict is ongoing after the protagonist's deaths; that they were merely a symbol of the oppression, violence and conflict; their deaths did not cause the situation to come to an end. 

La Haine, however does follow some aspects of a Hollywood narrative by conforming to the cause and effect and character driven/ pyschological motivation. We understand at the beginning of the film, that the three boys have personal anger against the police, not just for their own oppression, but because their friend, Abdel has been shot by a policeman 'accidentally'. This results in the cause of the film as well as the character driven, pyschological motivation. Once the three boys find out that Abdel has died, Vinz, who vows to kill the policeman with the gun he found, finds that he cannot once he is given the opportunity. This then results in the main effect of the film; Vinz does not gain any good karma from this, resulting in a further effect of the film that is his death. This highlights the the audience the level of realism that exists in the film.  The cause and effect as well as the character driven motivation conveys he messages of the film. Intertwined with realism, it shows the lack of emotion and sympathy the oppressors show towards the oppressed group. We see Vinz's character develop into a mature, forgiving character towards the end of the film, compared to the hard, 'bad boy' persona he took on during the beginning. This helps the audience to sympathise and relate to the character of Vinz more as they have seen this development, however his sudden, unforgiving death reinforces the realism of the film, highlighting the message of oppression; to not be submissive and passive as this will not result in political change. 

Pan's Labyrinth takes a slightly different approach when analysing the use of cause and effect and character driven, pyschological motivation. If we view the film with two separate narratives, the realist narrative and the mysterical fairytale narrative, we the audience can understand this more clearly. Through the realist narrative, Ofelia is oppressed and does not have a say, therefore she does not have impact on cause and effect of the film, because of this she has no psychological motivation in the narrative. However, when she begins to have hallucinations we see her pyschological motivation develop which results in cause and effect. Once Ofelia is met with the Faun, she is told she must complete three tasks in order to gain her place as princess of the Labyrinth. This therefore is her focus in the rest of the film, which becomes her pyschological motivation. This results in Ofelia gaining a reason and voice, which becomes the cause of the film, this results in the main effects of the film; Ofelia's death. 

In my opinion, the way the cause and effect and pyschological motivation has been incorporated into this film in this way is to convey Ofelia's position in this fascist oppressive society, therefore conveying the message of the film, the effects of war and violence upon children. 

Pan's Labyrinth also subverts the stereotypical conventions of a war film, not only by incorporating the hallucinogenic fairytale aspect, but also because it follows an innocent child as it's protagonist. This, alongside the fairytale aspect portrays one of the messages of the film; the impact of war upon children and the idea of escapism.

Both Pan's Labyrinth and La Haine subvert the conventions of a classic Hollywood narrative in order to convey the messages of the film; the impact of war or violent oppression on youths and to not be passive if you want political change.




























http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/82300-unit-f633-global-cinema-and-critical-perspectives-specimen.pdf

Context

The film distorts Christain aspects and symbolism as the Catholic church was in supporting for the Fascist government

Narrative is significant in conveying the messages and values

Pan's Labyrinth:

Genre and narrative intertwine with each other in Pan's Labyrinth.
A film that incorporates two or more genres is known as a hybrid genre.

The Pale Man is a metaphor of the Fascist Vidal.
The magical narrative symbolises the realist narrative.

Film follows a young girl, Ofelia = purity/innocence : symbolism of Ofelia's innocence, shown through the macro aspect of style.
Once you're in this, you can't get out of it.


La Haine:

Non-linear narrative
Said observing a cycle of conflict
Liberty, equality, fraternity: the characters represent these aspects: Vinz: fraternity bringing them together, Hubert: fraternity; save him from himself, stop the shooting of the cop, Said: trapped in his fraternity.
There is equality and fraternity but no liberty, which is represented through Said.
Style is also relevant/significant in conveying the messages and values; b&w/ documentary style, etc
Once you're in this, you can't get out of it.
 WHAT IS RELEVANT ABOUT THE USE OF THE ASPECTS IN NARRATIVE?