Thoughts on Eastern Promises

I’m not really into violent-crime-thriller films so I thought Eastern Promises would just bore me but the opening scene where a man’s throat was cut in a barber’s chair really caught my attention. My curiosity increases even more when it showed a pregnant girl leaving a pool of blood on what looks like a pharmacy store.

I gotta say I was really impressed when I found out that this movie was actually an indie film. I mean, for a low-budget film, Eastern Promises really hit a breakthrough. It has a great plot-  they managed to blend family resentments, the Russian gangster underworld, sex-trafficking, the clash of different cultures and the likes.

But what was the movie about anyway?

Eastern Promises centers on Anna, a midwife who witnessed the death of a 14-year-old girl while giving birth to a child. She learned (through the girl’s diary) that the poor girl was actually a prostitute who was being abused, raped and drugged by the Russian gang boss, Semyon and his nogoodnik son Kirill. Since Anna experienced a miscarriage herself, she was determined to find who the baby daddy is, eventually finding out that it was Semyon. Her only friend through all this was Nikolai, the enigmatic chauffeur of the (Semyon’s) family. (At first, I thought Nikolai was also a bad guy, ’cause in the first part of the movie, he was seen cooperating in a murder, extracting the teeth and cutting the fingers of the corpse and then dumped the body in a lake) A lot of happenings also took place like, another throat-cutting scene in broad daylight, the two criminals in black leather attacking the naked Nikolai in a steam bath and etc.

To sum it all up, well, it has a happy ending. It turns out that Nikolai is actually an agent who works for the British Government. Semyon was arrested, Stepan was safe (Anna’s uncle who was ordered by Semyon to be killed), Kirill doing the right thing and Anna gaining custody of the baby.

Saying that Eastern Promises is an excellent crime thriller is a complete understatement. It really blew my mind, I didn’t expect the movie to be this good. In fact, I just might add this to my favorite films of all time. 🙂

The New Hollywood and Independent Filmmaking

Hollywood during the 50’s and early 60’s seemed very successful but, with the rapid change of audience demographics, the studios weren’t sure how to keep up with this change thus, putting a strain on their business and losing a lot of money.

This “horrible decade” of Hollywood led the studios to take a leap of faith and took risks by hiring younger directors and producers. These directors were not like their predecessors. Most of them had gone to film schools thus, learning “not only the mechanics of production but also the films’ aesthetics and history,” earning them the title as the movie brats.

Carrie (1976)

These brats introduced new styles that set them apart from the classic Hollywood’s traditions. The studios allowed them to direct their films with relatively little studio control, thereby capturing the audience successfully by producing films that are fresh, films that are aimed at broader audiences.

The Exorcist (1973)

The Godfather (1972)

Taxi Driver (1976)

Perhaps the reason why the audience were captured once again by the cinema, it’s because these younger directors became ‘independent’, producing films that are completely outside of the studio system. They made films that are “personal, highly self-conscious, and with autobiographical coloring.” Although of course, many films that were made during this era of Hollywood were still based on the old Hollywood, given the fact that these films were a big part of the young directors’ lives. They continued the legacy of the classical American Cinema by applying its tradition- continuity editing and the likes.

Jaws (1975)

Julia (1977)

During the 1980’s, many fresh talents were recognized. There were directors that came from abroad, there were even lots of women filmmakers that became successful. Although most of them independent directors shifted into making mainstream films, some still remained in making indie movies. These indie films were definitely a success, producing the most thrilling Hollywood movies, winning larger audiences.

Suffice to say, these younger and fresher directors adapted the traditional way of producing movies, but still adding some modern techniques to it.  They re-shaped the style of the old Hollywood into something that’s even better.

List of some of the successful movie brats:

Francis Ford Coppola

Steven Spielberg

George Lucas

Brian De Palma

Martin Scorsese

William Friedkin

Paul Schrader

Peter Bogdanovich

Robert Altman

Woody Allen

The Movie Brats

Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Brian de Palma and Steven Spielberg were the so-called movie brats, a group of young directors during the 70’s with unconventional ideas that challenged contemporary film-making. Each one has their own different style in directing, some considers the public’s opinion while the others do it based in their own point of view.

 

Mr. Francis Coppola was acclaimed as one of Hollywood’s most innovative and influential film directors. In fact, four of his movies were even featured in the Writers Guild of America, West list of 101 greatest screenplays ever: The Godfather; The Godfather Part II; Apocalypse Now and Patton. The Godfather, especially, was the film that revolutionized movie-making in the gangster genre, and that particular movie was even hailed as the greatest movie at the time, earning praise from both critics and the public. He was also the one responsible for the group of filmmakers today known as the “New Hollywood“. Mr. Coppola is one of those directors who makes movies based on his own point of view.

 

Mr. George Lucas was the kind of director who wanted to make his movie and tell his own stories. He considers the public’s opinion while making films but also prioritize his own point of view. He is best known for his film, Star Wars. Most of his works were known for their visual panache and technological innovations than the actors’ acting.

 

Mr. Martin Scorsese was also called “the most influential and the best director of their time” by his fellow director, George Lucas. His movies have changed the film industry and his impact can be shown in a number of ways, such as his style of directing (violence, modern crime, machismo), the films that he has made (Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas), and also the relationships that he has made in the film industry. He is the kind of director who only considers himself that’s why he sometimes have problems in making films.

 

Mr. Brian De Palma is best known for his suspense and crime thriller films like Scarface, The Untouchables and Carrie so it’s safe to say that most of his works have a classical composition and a dreamlike quality with beautiful women being killed in a violent way. He is the kind of director who only considers himself so it’s up to the viewers whether they like his films or not. But honestly, his style of creating films has like a suspense thing going on in it so it’s really entertaining, but others might not like it ‘cause of its graphic violence and a sexist approach against women. That’s the reason why he’s often criticized because of  this woman-hating wickedness concept of his.

 

Mr. Steven Spielberg is undoubtedly one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation. He is best known from his blockbuster films, Jaws and Indiana Jones. Ever since from the beginning of his career, Spielberg’s films pushed the boundaries of technology for it remains very distinctive because of his technical abilities, as few filmmakers only possess this. I believe that he is the kind of director who considers the public and make films for their interest for he always thinks of the audience when he’s directing because for him, he is also the audience.

My Understanding of Film Noir

“Black and white, dark, seductive and often raw,” according to John Lithgow, the host of American Cinema on PBS, is basically what Film Noir is all about.

This particular genre portrays the darker side of human nature. It has characters that “lived on the edge, and it shows life in the streets. It has shady characters, crooked cops, twisted love and bad luck.” It’s honest because it doesn’t just show romance, happy endings and all that stuff, it gives people a glimpse of what the world really was. Eg. Night life, people drinking and gambling.

It basically starts with a character that has a secure life but then, he does something that will make it all go away and eventually finds himself deeper in a nightmare. Simply enough, the character is in a downward spiral, and the more he does things to emerge from it, the worse his situation gets.

D.O.A. (1950)

Film Noir primarily describes love, betrayal, murder and sexual motivation. And when there’s crime, there’s always a detective or a private eye, which makes people want to keep watching and puzzle out the riddle the story offers.

The Big Sleep (1946)

Another thing about Film Noir is censorship. It leaves out certain scenes because of the moral guidelines and ethical standards that Hollywood must consider, therefore leaving the audience to use their imagination instead.

Smart, powerful and very sexual woman characters can also be seen in a Film Noir. They are called femme fatale. They’re seductive and mysterious and use their charm to ensnare their lovers and use this advantage into getting what they’re after.

Love stories are also what make Film Noir much more interesting. A love story which has a sense of doom in it, a love story that can never work out but according to Martin Scorsese, the ‘love’ in Film Noir usually takes the form of obsession, making it more passionate and deadly.

Another element of Film Noir are lights, shadows and fog. It’s usually associated with the chiaroscuro style – it uses dramatic shadow patterning and stark light/dark contrasts. The absence of light forces imagination to take over, making things much more terrifying and mysterious. The lightning technique of a Noir film usually uses the shadow of venetian blinds casts upon an actor, a wall or an entire set.

It all started with German Expressionism, a movement that overtook 1910s to 1920s Germany. It’s what influenced Film Noir in the first place. It uses strong contrasts between black and white lightning to alter a blank space. The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari is a great example of a German expressionist film, its set was built in a false perspective, it has light and dark contrast, tilted angles and the objects were foregrounded.

Shooting on locations is a must in Film Noir. It is often associated with urban settings and the cities are presented as a labyrinth or a maze. Scenes of actions are frequently done in bars, nightclubs and lounges. It’s important to represent real cities because Film Noir likes to portray reality as is.

And although Paul Schrader said that Film Noir doesn’t exist anymore and I quote, “The genre is a historical genre so when you speak of German Expressionism, you speak of a specific time. Film Noir is a specific time, we don’t make Film Noir anymore,” I believe that there are still directors who makes movies similar to black film. An example of which is Gangster Squad directed by Ruben Fleischer. It’s a 2013 American action crime film about the Los Angeles Police Department officers and detectives forming a group called the “Gangster Squad unit” who attempt to keep the city safe from Mickey Cohen and his gang during the 1940s and ’50s.

“People don’t change in 40 years. Some of the problems are slightly different but basic human problems are still the same.”

What I Think About The Film ‘Trainspotting’

Probably the reason why Trainspotting, a movie adapted from Irvine Welsh’s iconic Scottish novel is a true masterpiece is because of its extraordinarily talented director, Mr. Danny Boyle, its fantastically funny script by John Hodge, the film’s great cast and its honest social commentary.

The movie was great. It was daring, thrilling, and original. Every scene was perfect and I honestly couldn’t take my eyes off the screen until the credits roll. (Well, except the part where Renton dives into a filthy, cloggged toilet in the “worst toilet in Scotland”) As I was saying, each scene was fantastically written, acted and shot.

The cast is composed of an entertaining group of misfits. The characters that appealed to me the most are Renton, Spud and Begbie. The central protagonist and narrator is Renton played by Ewan McGregor, a young man with aspirations of stability, and of happiness in his life, but is unable to survive without “one more hit”. Next is Spud, played by Ewan Bremmer, he was the innocent fool of the group and the most vulnerable to peer pressure. Lastly, the violent and psychotic Begbie played by Robert Carlyle who refuses to take heroin but makes up for not doing drugs by “doing people” instead. They made the most of John Hodge’s script, making the film worth watching.

Trainspotting also takes you on an emotional rollercoaster- you’ll have tears from laughing one moment then you’ll be devastated at the utterly tragic loss experienced by the characters a few scenes later. The film is definitely a journey of highs and lows, and you can really feel for everything, both good and bad, that the characters go through. Superb beginning and ending. I’m glad our block was given the chance to see this film.

The Classic Hollywood Style – In My Opinion

Based on the documentary I’ve seen and the articles I’ve read, the Classical Hollywood Cinema is often referred to as the “golden age of Hollywood.” This period was between 1927 and 1963, and from this, an identifiable cinematic emerged. From what I’ve learned, the term ‘Classical Hollywood Cinema’ was coined by David Bordwell, Janet Staiger and Kristin Thompson. These authors claimed that this style has become paradigmatic because of the global dominance of Hollywood cinema. So what is the style during the golden age of Hollywood?

Classical style is built on the principle of continuity editing or “invisible” style, it is the single most important and most influential element of cinematic form. The most important goal of continuity editing is to make the cut invisible. That is, the camera and the sound recording should never call attention to themselves.

In the narrative sense, the Classical Hollywood Cinema follows building blocks. It is structured with a noticeable beginning, middle and end. It also provides a complete resolution at the end. The basic characteristics of this type of narrative are the actors, agents, events, causal effects, main points and secondary points. The characters in this cinema have definable traits and are active. However, the characters’ goals are usually psychologically rather than socially motivated.

Also, both space and time are constructed in cinema. In the classical Hollywood style, space and time are unified, continuous and linear. They appear as a unified whole to match our perception of time and space in reality. The only permissible manipulation of time in this format is the flashback. It is mostly used to introduce a memory sequence of a character.

Likewise, the treatment of space in classic Hollywood strives to overcome or conceal the two-dimensionality of film and is strongly centered upon the human body. The majority of shots in a classical film focus on gestures or facial expressions. I’ve learned that it consists of four main aspects which are 1. Centering: Persons or objects of significance are mostly in the center part of the picture frame and never out of focus, 2. Balancing: It refers to the visual composition, i.e. characters are evenly distributed throughout the frame, 3. Frontality: The action is subtly addressed towards the spectator and lastly, 4. Depth: set, lighting and costumes are designed to separate foreground from the background.

So, there. I’m glad we were assigned to research about this ‘cause I learned a lot of stuff since I’m a movie junkie myself. I am so excited and really looking forward in learning more about cinema.