Cinema verite

1

The Battle of Algiers – Be a Part of the War Against Colonialism

Ali La Pointe and friends in Battle of Algiers

Battle of Algiers Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Battle of Algiers is brilliant. If you want to feel like you’re part of the revolution against colonialism, this is the closest you can get. Shot on location in Algiers and using non-actors, it’s one of the first and best examples of cinéma vérité – a film that feels like a real documentary. So dive in and experience both sides of this war – the French colonizers and the Algerian freedom fighters. You’ll come out a more enlightened revolutionary.

From: Algeria, Africa
Watch: Trailer, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon, Kanopy
Next: Che, Z, Elite Squad
Continue reading “The Battle of Algiers – Be a Part of the War Against Colonialism”
2

La Haine (Hate)

La Haine Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

This film was so provocative and great that the French Prime Minister at the time commissioned a mandatory screening for all entire French cabinet. The film brings social unrest to the big screen, showing us that Paris is not the romantic and happy city that Hollywood and beyond have portrayed it as. Here are the people we have forgotten. Like Taxi Driver and Do the Right Thing, La Haine gives a voice to the marginalised.

Why Watch La Haine?
  • You have been to Paris and seen the Eiffel Tower
  • If you love a good cinema verite film (other cinema verite favourites include Che, and Battle of Algiers)
  • For a male equivalent to Girlhood
  • Because just like Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, this film is a timeless representation of social unrest
The Breakdown

I’m not even going to narrate the opening scene. Instead here’s the opening quote, read over the top of ‘documentary’ film of rioting in Paris.

Heard about the guy that fell off the skyscraper? As he falls, he tries to reassures himself by repeating:

“So far, so good. So far, so good.

It’s not the fall that matters. It’s the landing.

But it’s not just the powerful narrative that makes La Haine a great movie, the film is also full of incredible camera work. Pay attention to the introduction of Said. He is introduced, facing forward, in the middle of the frame with the housing projects behind him. His eyes are shut, but as the camera zooms into his face, they open. The director cuts to a POV shot with only the back of Said’s head in focus. As the camera moves towards Said, it focuses on what he is looking at, a bunch of policeman who are as static as the birds in Hitchcock’s Birds. They are not here to serve and protect. This sets up the rising tensions between Said and his crew and the police.

For all of you who are familiar with New York City hip-hop, this paragraph is for you. For all of those who aren’t familiar with New York City hip-hop, go listen to Nas’ Illmatic and tell me if it could be a soundtrack to La Haine. Here’s my reasoning:

  • Hip-hop culture is prominent throughout the film, from breakdancing to DJing, it’s all covered.
  • The words “The World is Yours” (the main track on Illmatic) feature on a billboard which Said changes to “The World is Ours” to claim the streets and city which he lives in despite their disenfranchisement.
  • Both portray teenagers trapped within urban poverty and categorised because of it – there is no way out.
Conclusion

This film garnered so much critical buzz at Cannes and beyond. It is a timeless portrayal of disenfranchised teenagers growing up in the forgotten realms of cities. In addition, the camera work is extremely innovative. This might be the earliest film you’ve seen which uses drone cameras. In fact, apart from the appearance of Francs in the film (France’s old currency), I would have believed someone if they said that this film was made in the last few years.

(For an excellent piece on this film I’d recommend reading Indiewire’s review of the film 20 years on right here, although beware of Spoilers!)

3

Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Unless you’re an art fan, you might be reading the title and thinking, “why would I want to watch a film about an old artist?” Well this isn’t just a film about an old artist. This is a film about an innovator, someone going against the zeitgeist (the ideas and beliefs of the time). Along the way you can learn about Norwegian society, conservatism in Europe, sexism, and of course art!

Why Watch Edvard Munch?
  • You like really good biographical films that are re-enacted perfectly
  • Ingmar Bergman, the King of Swedish directing said this film was a ‘work of genius’
  • Find out what it is like to be an innovator – complete with depression, rejection, and more…
  • You’re an art or history student
The Breakdown

Edvard Munch opens with a woman whispering into Munch’s ear, “you can meet me after dinner.” We later learn that the seductive woman is the elusive Miss Heiberg. However, instead of scenes of Munch with this woman, the director cuts to poor people dying of consumption in 19th Century Kristiana (the old name for Oslo). We find out that consumption is widespread in the city and that the poor work 11 hours a day.

The director (Peter Watkins) then juxtaposes the horrific life of the poor in Norway with the middle class. The middle class rules Norwegian society and are strongly conservative and protestant and seem to have a lot of free time. Munch is from the middle class, so understanding the lower classes sets a framework for us to judge him and his peers from.

The style of this docudrama is what makes it great. It compares to the great cinema verite classics like Battle of Algiers and District 9. Firstly, there are interviews with some of the minor characters, snippets from art critics that lambasted Munch, and a narrator. This matches the usual layout for the documentary genre. Secondly, Munch looks at the camera all the time, making it seem that he knows that he is being filmed for a documentary, which makes it feel more real. Lastly, everything looks as if the film was filmed in the late 1800s. The costumes are great, the buildings fit, and the actors play everything perfectly. You could be forgiven for thinking that this was a real documentary.

The film also amazingly depicts the process of creating a piece of art. Watkins reveals Munch’s emotions whilst he paints and scratches the canvas through montages of old and new memories. As a result, we can see what Munch is trying to express with his painting, allowing us to understand him, unlike his shallow critics.

Conclusion

Edvard Munch is a great film. I love a good docudrama (Battle of Algiers and District 9 are two of my favourite films) and this is no exception. In addition, Edvard Munch takes us into the world of an artist. We see the creative process right from it’s original inspirations. Munch’s paintings are bleak and violent, and Watkins reveals why. This is where you learn about late 19th century Norwegian society and how it rubs off on an innovative artist.

4

In Vanda’s Room

In Vanda’s Room Film Difficulty Ranking: 5

“Our country is the poorest, most pathetic of all”

The Lisbon that you will find here In Vanda’s Room is a Portugal you haven’t seen. It is a Portugal which resembles a third-world country. It will expose you to the city’s poorest residents that are all hidden away in the darkness, away from the eyes of tourists. Watch on for Lisbon’s realist version of Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting. Or, for something a little more upbeat, watch Aniki Bobo for your Portuguese film fix.

Why Watch In Vanda’s Room?
  • For an introduction to Pedro Costa and his critically acclaimed depictions of the marginalised people of Portugal
  • Meet some of the poorest people in Lisbon
  • It is currently available here on YouTube
  • Who needs a front door when you have a window?
The Breakdown

The film begins in Vanda’s room, where Vanda and her friend are sitting on a bed smoking heroin. The room is very dark, but you can make out the dirty green walls behind them and the layers of dark blankets covering the bed they sit on. Vanda inhales some smoke and coughs violently until her throat is cleared. She then viciously wipes her mouth on her sleeve. The lack of light, coughing fits, and drug addicts aren’t what you think of when you think of Lisbon. But Costa has a knack for revealing the hidden people of Portugal.

The next scene shows someone washing themself with a bucket of water in a dark derelict house. Bits of furniture and mess are cluttered around the place and there is still no sign of sunlight. Our first shot outside matches the mess inside the buildings as puddles mark the unpaved streets. A BBQ with a few pieces of wood burns to provide some light for the street which daylight does not seem to reach.

In this neighbourhood there is nothing to do. Vanda sells cabbages and another character tends parked cars, but otherwise there is no sign of business. So the character’s we see are usually hidden away in the dark and out of sight. Is this the life they’ve chosen or the life that they have been forced to live? That is a question that Costa looks to us to decide. However, they cannot prevent the bulldozers that are tearing down their neighbourhood. These bulldozers shed light on Lisbon’s poverty stricken residents, just as his film reveals their existence.

Conclusion

In Vanda’s Room is a solemn portrayal of Lisbon’s poorest residents. As a docufiction, this film does not show any bias towards or against the drug addicts who await eviction. Costa’s role is to reveal their existence for us to make our own judgement.

For more Portuguese film, check out Tabu for an alternative depiction of Lisbon (and the old Portuguese colonies in Africa).