Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Week 2 : Formalism and Realism - Elements of Film Style II
Bloody Sunday
Country : UK / Ireland
Year : 2002
Director : Paul Greengrass
Length : 107 min
Language : English
Awards :
Synopsis : A film of what happened on 30th January 1970 in Derry, Northern Ireland also known as 'Bloody Sunday'
Critical Comments:
Bloody Sunday is like watching four documentaries at the same time. With each fade out, we have given an entirely different perspective on the events that transpire on Bloody Sunday. This gives a sense of seeing the larger picture and that the blame of the event is shared among those that were involved.
The film explores issues like Beneath Clouds because it is about creating an understanding to both sides of Bloody Sunday. It uses realist techniques such as naturalistic lighting, real locations and most of all a sense of real-time shooting. Everything we see that happen in the film is almost as though it happened simultaneously. The only time when this real-time convention was disobeyed was during the turning point of the march. When the
youth broke rank from the main body of the march and started provoking the Bristish military. This highlights the film of presenting different points of view. The scene was shown twice in the film but on one hand in the youths' point of view who thought that the march has been dilluded from their course. On the other hand from the organizers of the march, the youth are seen as reckless hooligans who just wanted to vent their anger on the intimadating and closely sitauted British military.
This presentation of different perspective is also shown through the eyes of the British military. The command post had a hard time coordinating the troops and was very cautious to maintain order rather than violence. However, to the Para unit, they were more eager to unleash their ruthlessness on the undeserving Irish, many of whom had misgivings about them for killing their comrades. The Para was about reclaiming their honour on a 'battlefield' while the commanding officer was to ensure that order is the highest priority.
In the end of the film and after the actual (and realisticly represented) shooting happened, it remains to see who's fault is it in the end. Bloody Sunday had the same purpose like Beneath Clouds that this film is aimed at drawing a clearer picture to promote understanding while it uses the realist techniques of a docu-drama (which is somewhat similar to Salaam Cinema because Bloody Sunday used unprofessional actors who themselves had taken part on the actual Bloody Sunday). Perhaps the message is that it is too difficult to point out who's fault is whose. Although the responsibilities are clear but it is about closing wounds that should be everyone's responsibility. The ugly truth needs to be reveal before any consensus can be made and that is what I believe Bloody Sunday is trying to achieve.
Readings:
Country : UK / Ireland
Year : 2002
Director : Paul Greengrass
Length : 107 min
Language : English
Awards :
- Golden Berlin Bear (Berlin International Film Festival),
- Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Berlin International Film Festival),
- Best Actor (British Independent Film Awards),
- Best Director (British Independent Film Awards),
- Best Director of a Feature Film (IFTA Awards),
- Best Feature (IFTA Awards),
- Best Script (IFTA Awards),
- Best Sound (IFTA Awards),
- Audience Award (Sundance Film Festival)
Synopsis : A film of what happened on 30th January 1970 in Derry, Northern Ireland also known as 'Bloody Sunday'
Critical Comments:
Bloody Sunday is like watching four documentaries at the same time. With each fade out, we have given an entirely different perspective on the events that transpire on Bloody Sunday. This gives a sense of seeing the larger picture and that the blame of the event is shared among those that were involved.
The film explores issues like Beneath Clouds because it is about creating an understanding to both sides of Bloody Sunday. It uses realist techniques such as naturalistic lighting, real locations and most of all a sense of real-time shooting. Everything we see that happen in the film is almost as though it happened simultaneously. The only time when this real-time convention was disobeyed was during the turning point of the march. When the
youth broke rank from the main body of the march and started provoking the Bristish military. This highlights the film of presenting different points of view. The scene was shown twice in the film but on one hand in the youths' point of view who thought that the march has been dilluded from their course. On the other hand from the organizers of the march, the youth are seen as reckless hooligans who just wanted to vent their anger on the intimadating and closely sitauted British military.This presentation of different perspective is also shown through the eyes of the British military. The command post had a hard time coordinating the troops and was very cautious to maintain order rather than violence. However, to the Para unit, they were more eager to unleash their ruthlessness on the undeserving Irish, many of whom had misgivings about them for killing their comrades. The Para was about reclaiming their honour on a 'battlefield' while the commanding officer was to ensure that order is the highest priority. In the end of the film and after the actual (and realisticly represented) shooting happened, it remains to see who's fault is it in the end. Bloody Sunday had the same purpose like Beneath Clouds that this film is aimed at drawing a clearer picture to promote understanding while it uses the realist techniques of a docu-drama (which is somewhat similar to Salaam Cinema because Bloody Sunday used unprofessional actors who themselves had taken part on the actual Bloody Sunday). Perhaps the message is that it is too difficult to point out who's fault is whose. Although the responsibilities are clear but it is about closing wounds that should be everyone's responsibility. The ugly truth needs to be reveal before any consensus can be made and that is what I believe Bloody Sunday is trying to achieve.
Readings:
- Abrams, Bell and Udris (2001) 'The Language of Film', Studying Film, London: Arnold, 92-116. This reading tells about film having its own language that can be understood and 'read' in a different way. It uses it to express meaning whether from the narrative or style. Film requires us as the audience to visually see the meaning and not read it literally as we would from a text. Therefore the process of reading film is much complicated but once we can understand its language (which we can understand it differently), we are then able to understand the meaning of the film. Of course, film is created with the use of different film conventions and techniques that once we familiarize ourselves we can see how these conventions and techniques are used to create their own meaning. This reading provides some examples of how such conventions and techniques have been used in different types of films. It also explains how these film languages can be read. The reading also talks about the basic seperation on the idea of using film as a medium; the realist and formalist. Bloody Sunday in accordance to the reading is a realist film. It follows a tradition of British documentary filmmakers that addresses social issue in which case is a historical event that has social and political implications. Bloody Sunday obeys the convention of trying to represent the events on January 7 with as little mediation as possible on the director's part. However, the reading suggest that realism cannot be fully represented on film. Although I find this agreeable but to a certain extent, realism can be represented on film. Realism isn't perceived from what we see on film but we make out of it from the attempt of representing reality. Realist is only a means to an end, an end that we create from ourselves as spectators of something that is presented to us. In Bloody Sunday, we are watching a film that wants us to see a side of the truth (a word which is closely linked with reality), if not the whole truth of what really happened. The meaning of this truth would vary between the survivors on Bloody Sunday and the British would either believe their actions were justified or were ignorant of such a tragedy. Such is the result of how film can be read.
- Bloody Sunday (n.d.). Bloody Sunday online review. Retrieved on February 13, 2006 from http://www.unreel.co.uk/reviews/b/bloody_sunday/index.cfm. This reading gives a very account of the realist techniques used in Bloody Sunday from the mise-en-scene of the location, the actors (who were casted with their religious background in mind), the cinematography and editing. The reviewer also suggest that the director, Paul Greengrass wanted to make Bloody Sunday spill out the reality of the situation, humanizing the protestors as innocent victims while demonizing the British military as the bloodthirsty hooligans. I find it ironic that for a film that is aimed to create empathy for both sides, it would willingly admit the fault of the British military (Paul Greengrass is British). Bloody Sunday becomes a film that begs for forgiveness from those who suffered on that day by recognizing their own faults.
# posted by KC @ 11:42 PM 
