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

The two films that I have studied for this topic are Get Carter, a film set in the early 70s, and Bullet Boy which is a much more modern film made in 2004. The openings of both of these films are similar in that they both show a gradual change starting in bright open areas going into dark grim areas, whilst promoting key messages and values.

Get Carters opening scene instantly demonstrates its main biggest value, the role of women in society, in its opening scene.  Anna is introduced in a fetishized way. This supports Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory, in which women are seen as sexual objects, and play no major role in a films narrative. This scene also demonstrates that women have no major role in the narrative as Anna is getting stroked by the man next to her. Despite looking uncomfortable, she fails to act, and allows herself to be a sexual object.  In the scene, there are 4 men and 1 woman and they are watching porn. Men are definitely seen as more dominant in this scene and have a more significant role than Anna, who is basically just a pleasure object.

In Get Carter the train journey depicts the north and south divides which is a major theme in the film.  it starts in a bright, open and sunny area(south) and as it gradually moves to the north we see it getting dark and we get a sense of a rundown industrial area full of working class. This also shows how Carter views the north as when he is on the train the man sitting beside him is reading a newspaper which is considered ‘low brow’ however Carter is reading a novel this shows is ignorance as he sees himself as higher status then his fellow southerners of which he is shamed to have been one.

 This is similar in Bullet Boy as they’re driving back to the city we see the transformation of landscapes from a bright sunny area to a grim concrete jungle. We see a POV shot of Ricky looking out the window and he looks up however all he can see is flats and rundown buildings this connotes that Ricky is trapped in this hive of crime and he cannot escape. Also when Ricky is talking about getting a job Wisdom laughs and jokes about him getting a job in the supermarket stacking shelves this shows that in that environment the only thing worth doing is crime.

In both opening scenes we see drug taking as normal everyday thing without any remorse. For example when Ricky and Curtis are having a chat we see Ricky smoking weed this shows how easy it has become to obtain it that whether it is legal or not it irrelevant. We also see Curtis mimicking Ricky by sticking a twig in his mouth this connotes that Curtis sees Ricky as a role model and that suggests that Curtis is destined to follow in his footsteps and introduces the theme of a crime as a cycle that repeats itself by being learned by younger generations from their elders. It is also foreshadowing as further on the copies Ricky’s actions by taking his gun and playing with it. In Get Carter we see Carter taking much harsher drugs this reflects the post swinging sixties aftermath as in the sixties it was all about weed and free love however this gateway drug led to a generation of drug addicts.