'The stylistic choices made by filmmakers define not just the look, but also the meaning of a film.' How far is this true of the films you have studied for this topic?
La Haine and City of God having contrasting stylistic choices that help shape both films intentions and meanings.
Kassovitz chose to set La Haine in black and white, as well as using real news footage, furthering the documentary feel and adding a sense of reality. Once again adding to the documentary feel of the film, actual footage of the Paris riots is used, which in turn shows the audience actually what happens, destroying the stereotypical depiction of Paris as the 'City of Love, and slowly bringing the audience into the film and the projects. The news directly follows this riot footage, although staged and made for the film, it bases the film in reality, as it provides slow transition into the actual film.The film was based on real life events and the opening credits give the audience a sense of realism through the use of real life footage.
City of God is shot in colour and adheres to the stereotypical formula of a film. It's main purpose is to provide entertainment for audiences and does not reflect the actual hardships people in the actual favelas go through. Regarding the colour, the film goes through three stages of colour, as well as three stages of narrative. In the early stages where Rocket is a child, there is a gold tint to everything, representing both the heat and the idea that this was the golden age of the favela. Because of the wide space in the favela, the shots are wide and open, as opposed to to later shots which are tight and cramped. With the space now replaced with favelas cramped together, Meirelles abandons the gold tint and instead incorporated grimier colours like grey and brown. With such an imposing environment, the character of Li’l Zé needs to appear powerful, so many of his scenes are shot from a low angle. During the final stage of the film, with Knockout Ned’s war, there are a lack of tints to scenes, and the final battle is shot in such a way that it looks like the cameraman is actually caught up in the midst of a gang battle. The camera angles are shot in a way that shows the streets to feel oppressive and dangerous. Following this final battle the colour scheme goes bake to back vibrant colours - a foreshadowing of Little Ze's death. The colour does make a difference, compare to La Haine, which feels as if this is actually happening, a documentary feel towards it. Whereas City of God does not feel grounded in reality.
The use of time also help define the meaning of each film. Some of the plot devices used in La Haine, such as the ticking clock displays 24 hours inside one city. This could be interpreted in various ways. One such attitude being towards the urban experience is that it is quick, quick to live and quick to die – the characters seem to have no choice over their narrative time, as if their fate is simply set in stone. The clock is also just a clock. A way to show the passing of time and the droll lives those who live in the projects have to go through everyday.
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