Homework Question About Setting and Narrative

Choose one of the films studied so far and another film with an urban setting (any language) and show how the city is a defining presence in the narrative.

La Haine is set in 1995 and focuses alot on the setting and were the 3 boys come from, a suburban estate in the outskirts of Paris. The city is always constanly there within the film. There is never one shot at the begining of a scene to show where in paris they are, but instead we are constanly reminded of the estate, and even if the men do go out of the estate the camera/audience is always brought back to the same place.

London to Brigton was made in 2007 and follows the story of a woman called Kelly and her Pimp Derek and the story of a young girl who is living rough on the street. 12 year old Joanne has left home from her drunk father in search of a better life, but get caught up in the world of prostiting and trying to stop gettting killed within 24 hours. The film is first set in london, with just shots of a public toilet covered in graffit and set in the present time. As Joanne and Kelly begin to talk more you learn they are in the centre of London and planing to leave for Brighton. As they leave to get the train, there is a long shot of Waterloo station and you can clearly see where they are and the setting they are in.

Both films have very similar story lines, both are set over 24 hours, both are about people trying to get away from conflict but just can't for they are always brought back to it and can never just stay away. Similar in story lines and similar in the setting foucus. The setting of both films are almost not a place but almost set as a charcter, always coming up amongst the narrative and never just background filler.

London to Brighton is shown in the narattive through converstions on a train and a quick passing montauge. A part were this is especially true is when Kelly is trying to get some more money for her and Joanne, so she goes out in search of "work" while Joanne stays to go around Brighton pier and play on the arcades. There is just long and meduim shots of Joanne playing around Brighton and visting alot of well known parts. This is a really goo way to get the point across that they are in fact really far away from the city and in a more open part of the country.

Again, La Haine is very similar, for there are alot of shots to show and remind the audience within the narrative that they are in fact in Paris even though estate is not a famous land mark. When the boys are in Prais there is a really good shot were the Vertigo effect is used. This is were the camera moves back at the same time is Zooms in. So as the audience are given a good feel of how close to paris they are, yet the estate they live is made out to be so diffrent.

In conclusion, both films focus on the setting almost as much as a character. In the sense that instead of just a background setting (Like Sex In the City with just New York there as a name of the fashion captial city of the world) In London to Brigton and La Haine, they are treated more kindly and are seen as places that need respect.