FM4 - Urban Stories: 'A' Grade Exam Response: City of God/La Haine

'What is the importance of cinematography and/or editing in communicating issues of power, poverty and conflict in the films you have studied for this topic?'

I am going to be writing about three Urban Story films, these being ‘Once Were Warriors’, ‘City of God’, and ‘La Haine’. Although these films are all extremely different in terms of visual, and contextual styles, I feel they somewhat relate and send powerful, strong and moving messages to the audience. Urban Stories films are like no other, they are made directly to tell a story, which holds a lot of truth about political, social, and cultural goings-on in certain countries. I am going to discuss in this examination O.W.W (Once Were Warriors, set in New Zealand) C.O.G (City of God, set in Brazil, Rio) and La Haine (set in France and Paris). Within this discussion I am going to write about how I think editing and cinematography communicates issues of power, poverty and conflict in the previously mentioned films.

The opening scene of City of God is extremely powerful visually. The scene shows harsh cutting shots of knives sharpening, already giving the audience a hint that the film is going to be about violence, and living on the edge of a knife. This editing is harsh and choppy. Which goes, and suits the general style of the film. The opening scene is about a gang of hoods chasing a chicken, and again there are sharp extreme close ups of the chicken. Indicating to me that maybe humans are seen as poultry, easily disposed and killed in cold blood. Another powerful opening scene is in O.W.W. The first shot of the film is a beautiful field, which I would associate with New Zealand’s greenland, and how it used to be. However, the shot of this landscape quickly pans outs and it is just an advertisement on the billboard. The shot then goes to Beth, a main character in O.W.W with a shopping trolley. The difference between the two shots couldn’t be more opposing. In the scene with Beth, the colours are browns, dark greens and greys, all very earthy colours, and a special filter was used to make sure of this. Just by the use of colour, I got the representation of poverty, and by the surrounding sets. By showing the picture of ‘Old New Zealand’ then getting back to reality with the opening scene shows what New Zealand use to be like, in the Maori Culture, before western countries took over, and starved the country, and culture of their life and colour, leaving it with nothing, except growing poverty as the Maori Culture soon turned to drugs and crime, and drink. The film La Haine is shot in black and white, and I feel that this also represents lack of colour in life, and the oppression that people in the projects (who were promised employment) were facing. Time is another editing technique I picked up on, and it plays a very important part in the three films.

C.O.G is based over three decades, starting with the sixties, ending with the eighties. Drug use is a big catalyst to the crime rates and danger the favela’s hold. After doing additional research on the social background of the film, I came across interviews of actual drug lords, who openly admitted that selling drugs and working for drug dealers ultimately gives you power, and places you above other locals, and earns you a good deal of respect. So the majority of people living in Brazilian Favela’s opt to work with instead of against it, as it will give them power, as the extent of the problem even manipulates the police, and is a way out of poverty, as working for drug lords will probably earn you more money than going out and getting a real job.

The editing in C.O.G backs up the power that drug dealing gives people, and it is clearly portrayed throughout the narrative, for example; in the first decades of City of God, the general feel of the film was mellow and relaxed. This was shown by long shots, and there wasn’t any jump cuts or quirky shots to indicate otherwise. The reason for this is that the most popular drug around, that was being commonly used in Brazil in the 60s/70s was marijuana, which gives users a relaxed, mellow and usually happy high. However, as the film progressed cocaine took over, it was being more commonly dealt and started to control people. The editing I feel showed me this as the scenes were a lot faster, jumpier, and the cuts were harsh, the style of the film seemed unsettled, like the effects of cocaine. And things were getting worse in the favela’s as cocaine was becoming more prominent. Another example of how time is shown is through the cinematography in both O.W.W and La Haine. There was a calender on the wall that often came between Jake and Beths frame whenever they were together in the kitchen. Time is a reoccurring motif in La Haine, as the whole film is set in 24 hours, and there is a reoccurring ‘ticking’ noise throughout the film. The way time is represented in all three of these films communicates conflict with the audience as if there is something about to happen/ take place.

A good example of how poverty is shown, and how it is communicated through cinematography in Once Were Warriors is the animalistic cinematography. After the horrific scene where Jake beats Beth and rapes her, there is a close up of dogs sorting through rubbish bins, trying to eat. This represents how the western countries have left New Zealand with so little, to have nothing, like the dogs and this is maybe why Jake feels the need to use violence on his wife, as the animal is coming out of him. There are more references to animals throughout the film, like Jake wearing leather, and Beth wearing snakeskin dresses. These animalistic references scream out poverty as, like the animals, they once again have nothing.

There is a scene in O.W.W which I think clearly conveys, and represents the power that the west has had on New Zealand. This is where Buggie is stealing a car, and is held down by a white policeman trying to arrest him, showing power through framing and cinematography, and also indicating that white west have more power over Maori Culture.

Another example of conflict being communicated throughout cinematography is in La Haine, where the gun comes between Vinz and Hubert, and always in the middle of the frame, creating conflict.

I think the editing and cinematography creates and adds to conflict, poverty and power in the feel of the film, and puts across issues that the narrative may not in a subtle, but noticeable way. I feel that the editing and cinematography in all three films worked to their advantage narratively, contextually and aesthetically.