First of all, our thriller shows a traditional representation of gender due to the male characters being in power and dominance leaving the female character as a victim, out of control. So instead of challenging the conventions of gender in thriller films we have conformed to them, showing men as the violent and strong characters and the women as the victim.As the two male characters in our thriller, Blake and Peter are shown as the murderers of Tiffany.Both of the male characters in our thriller whatever class are represented negatively due to the violent and immoral events they are caught up in. Therefore, the female character is shown as their victim, she is therefore shown as vulnerable and unequal to the men.
This references the dominant and powerful male characters in "Once Upon a Time in America" where they shoot a female character, leaving her dead. This is also shown in our thriller were the male characters team up to murder the female character, however it is unclear as to who actually murdered her.Therefore, our thriller portrays women as unable to protect themselves showing that they are weak compared to men. This attitude towards women has been challenged in other thrillers, for example "Thelma and Louise" where Louise shoots the rapist red neck Harlem. Ridley Scott therefore challenges the passive representation of women in this thriller,so instead of showing them as unable to protect themselves he shows them as more powerful and just as violent and strong as men.
The current mood of contemporary Britain is represented clearly in our thriller due to the issue of the youths being out of control and the idea that Britain is becoming unsafe because of this. An example of how our society is becoming out of control is shown in the violent riots that took place in London during the summer of 2011. This shows the young adults of today in desperation showing Britain's current mood as pessimistic and anxious. This is due to the bleak future for the youths and there little hope of getting a job. This anxious and pessimistic mood is similar to those in noir films in post war thrillers showing a bleak future for society.
The BBC news website raised the issue of why these rioters got so out of control, which was due to the lack of opportunities for them in the future, and how the younger generation are suffering from various cuts. The hoodie/yob stereotype is shown in our thriller through Blake who clearly has no conscience and is put at the lower end of the scale.This is evident in Britain today which unfortunately portrays a negative representation of all youths who wear hoodies to be thugs and no better than animals, therefore these dangerous prejudices given from the media dehumanise social groups leading to dangerous outcomes, as shown by the riots. During The Third Reich the media compared the Jews as no different to vermin, which isolated them from society meaning it was easy for them to be targeted and exterminated because they were not seen as equal to humans. So our thriller communicates the deep anxiety and vulnerability of what it is like to be a young man in Britain due to the lack of opportunities and bleak future they may have ahead of them due to that.
Both characters Blake and Peter represent two different classes, Blake representing social class stereotypes and Peter middle class. This is due to Blake wearing a hoodie showing that he is a anti social working class thug, this is a correct representation due to the events he is involved in. Confirming the youth stereotypes of today Blake is shown as a dangerous thug who you wouldn’t want to get involved with. Whereas the other male character Peter is represented as a middle class young boy who is riddled with guilt about the events that have occurred. His social class is shown through is costume, a smart black coat which looks a lot more expensive than the cheap looking hoody worn by Blake. So therefore Peter’s costume suggests he’s from a wealthy background, as he is wealthy he must come from a well paid job meaning that people of his class are suggested as being more intellectual than working class people. Also throughout the thriller Blake is the one doing the dirty work for Peter, suggesting that Peter may have paid Blake to do it. This shows their lack of morals, also Blake’s anti social behaviour and how far he would go to possibly get money, confirming a working class stereotype of them being the lowest in the capitalist system. Furthermore, working class is shown as being alienated from society.
Whereas Tiffany's costume suggests she is from a middle class background due to her contemporary high street fashion of a bright orange duffel coat which you could buy from high street shops such as Topshop. The red connotes danger signifying the danger she is in, this references to the film "Schindlers List" where the little girl's red coat is the only colour in the scene making her stand out from the crowd. This suggests that Tiffany is singled out from society, this could be why she got to where she is now.
Ambiguity and a sense of enigma is surrounding the two male characters in our thriller due to the question of who really committed the crime? Peter has a spilt personality as at one point he is shown caring for Tiffany and holding her arm as if he does have empathy. However, the fact she is in her bath poses the question of was he behind the whole thing? Peter's psychotic behaviour relates to the murderer Louis from "Jackie Brown" as one minute he is having a fairly normal conversation with a female character Melanie in a car park, then suddenly she is shot dead by him. Also, as it is in a normal environment where anyone can witness what's happening this shows that if he's in the wrong frame of mind he will show murderous behaviour without really thinking about it.
The binary opposites theory is also shown in the two characters, as Blake is shown as the large, dominant man which contrasts to Peter who is shown as a small troubled young man sinking in distress. The high angle shot of him on the phone shows his vulnerability, although he is not the victim he is failing to face up to the reality of what's happened. His body language shows him clutching onto his hair, stressed and panicking about the consequences of his actions. The aspects of Peter's body language and psychotic personality are similar to those of Norman Bates from Psycho who is a killer with a spilt personality leading him to do horrific things. 
An intelligent and strongly proficient response with a developing confidence in the understanding of representational issues in contemporary film.
ReplyDeleteTo further strengthen the representation of contemporary Britain would be useful to include and indicate your film is an example of the current mood in contemporary Britain. For example I've included the following in a student's blog in the other group.
You could also mention that your film represents contemporary Britain as unsafe and its youth out of control and out of touch with mainstream society, for example many commentators came to this conclusion after the summer riots.
Another areas to explore with regard to representation of place is that like noir films which were made during the war and in the post war period (The Third Man) your film has a pessimistic anxious mood thus reflecting the current mood of austerity Britain and the anxiety of young people whose future at the moment appears bleak and with little hope of a job. A discussion such as this would strenthen your grade and also suggest you are able to think out of the box. For example there is a schizophrenic aspect in your representations of masculinity and social class in your film.
You have the traditional stereotype of the hoodie/yob who has no conscience thus indicating that those at the lower end of the social scale are not much better than animals. A rant that the news media pumped out particularly after the summer riots. Once the media dehumanise a specific social group then dangerous prejudices with even more dangerous outcomes are possible. The Third Reich during the war through the media compared Jewish people to rats, thus it made it easier to herd them together and exterminate them because this group were not seen as human.
Interestingly in your production you have the binary opposite of the contorted guilt ridden young man who has aspects of the body language of the psychotic split personality killer Norman Bates in Psycho.
Thus your film represents young men as unstable and suspicious thus as in the noir tradition where war time and post war thriller represented a deeply pessimistic and anxious mood, one could say your film communicates the deep anxiety, vulnerability and fears of what it's like to be a young man in austerity Britain, where jobs are few, well loved institutions are being privatised and the future seems bleak. In a sense the working class and middle class boys represent confusion and alienation, a mood much discussed in the broadsheets, and in today's Observer and Independent.
Some added commentary suggesting how your film represents the condition of contemporary Britain would lift your response to a strong Level 4.