Easter Holiday Exam Questions

SECTION B - LIVING WITH CRIME

How far do the opening sequences of the films you have studied for this topic introduce their key messages and values? (40 marks)

 

‘Get Carter’ and ‘Bullet Boy’ both have similar opening sequencing in a way that they represent the character’s transition from one environment to another. In Bullet Boy, we are immediately presented with medium close ups of Curtis and Ricky in similar positions yet in different situations – Curtis is hidden inside the boot of a car whereas Ricky is inside a prison cell, these two shots instantly create the connection between the two brothers and also shows the inability Ricky has to escape, both the cell and the environment he is in. The shot of Curtis in the boot foreshadows his own fate as though he follows in his brothers footsteps and this is reinforced in the way the shots dissolve into each other, highlighting the definite link. The two shots introduce the cycle of violence that we see throughout the course of the film and reinforces the idea that the criminal lifestyle that Ricky is involved in will soon be passed on to Curtis as an influence through his presumed role-model.

The surrounding environment makes a change also as they start their transition in the freedom of the countryside surrounded by a stretch of crops either side a deserted road, but during their trip back, they journey back into the city and buildings replace the blissful wilderness and create a sense of entrapment that the inhabitants feel as they fear there is no escape.

In Get Carter, we see Jack Carter making a transition from the safety of London to the north-east of England in his hometown, Newcastle. Jack is presented in a more mysterious light causing an untrustworthy and questionable reaction from the audience. He takes the train and during his journey we see the perceived difference between the North and South of the country, reinforcing the supposed hatred the two parts have towards each other. During the beginning of the journey Carter passes a more ideal interpretation of England in the South with the blue skies and sunshine before heading up North into the stereotypical and traditional view of England and the qualities we see in the South are replaced by dark skies with a dull atmosphere with industrialised qualities which make the scenery look bleak and unpleasant.  These qualities set the dark tone for the rest of the film which highlights dark themes such as murder and violence.

 

Whilst both films focus heavily on violence, gang culture and warfare, we see these topics dealt with in different ways as seen in the opening scenes. The films were not made for entertainment but rather for highlighting the dangers of these topics with the underworld of crime and being involved with such things.

 

SECTION C - US CINEMA

'Films always reflect the times and places in which they are made.' How far is this true of the American films you have studied for this topic? (40 marks)  

 

War of the Worlds and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the two American films I have studied are both of the science-fiction genre and both could be considered ‘cautionary tales’ surrounding topics of our society. Both films provide an interesting insight into American society around the time of their releases.

 

War of the Worlds, originally a novel written in the 1800s was adapted into film in 2005 starring Tom Cruise and this adaptation reflects the time period of which it was produced with themes of the ‘post 9/11 society’ which included the fear of another terrorist attack on New York. The film, first of all, is set in New York which immediately creates a link between the societies it is set in. There are also smaller indications of links such as the use of video recording whilst the first alien is attacking which reflects the fact that most 9/11 footage came from camera phones and video recorders from citizens on the ground, this is also reinforced in the way most shots of the alien are from low-angle points to highlight the iconography of the 9/11 attacks.

 

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a representation of life during the 1950s,  and although the film seems to be about a small town being taken over by ‘pod-people’, it takes on a deeper meaning involving the fear of communism and the ‘red-scare’ spreading across America during that time. The film highlights themes of paranoia which consumed the nation during the time it was made as citizens would be investigated if they were suspicious of being a communist – even if they were not. The pod people are used to represent McCarthyists because the number of  them grow considerably throughout the duration of the film, their aims are to assimilate and conquer, similar to the McCarthyists who intended to force their ideologies onto the rest of the public.