Messages and Values in the opening scenes of Harry Brown

Message: Loneliness of old age.
For example: When Harry Brown wakes up he turns round to his wife's pillow and touches it. He then looks at the photograph of his daughter who died. Once he gets up and gets ready, he has his breakfast and sits staring at the chair his wife would be sitting on.

Message: Criminality spiralling out of control.

Message: Lack of respect. 

Message: Appearance and reality. 

Value: Importance of human life (difference).

Bullet Boy Questions - Show me task

An example of how gun crime is represented as an important social issue is in Rio and Curtis' reaction to finding a gun, it is treated like finding a toy. This highlights how normal gun crime is in their everyday life. It also shows the availability of guns and how guns can be found almost anywhere.

Gender representations in Bullet Boy

Beverley:

• Strong mother of Ricky and Curtis
• Single parent 
• Selfless
• Works hard despite the struggles of living in an environment where there is a lack of ambition. 
• Cares about what is best for her children. 
• Example: She kicks Ricky, her older son, out of the house to give Curtis, her younger son, a better chance at life. 

Shea:

• Cares about Ricky and wants him to stay out of crime 
• Strong character
• In the end she can't cope and has lost patience with Ricky's involvement in crime. 
• Example: Towards the end of the film she breaks down crying and shows her frustration as she doesn't let him in her house because she has had enough of him and his involvement in crime. 

Ricky:

• Highly involved in crime
• Ex convict 
• Loyal to his friend Wisdom 
• Wants to get away from crime but he can't. 
• Reluctant to carry on participating in crime.
• Example: Talks to Shea, they plan to get away together so they can have a new start in life without being involved in crime. 

Wisdom: 

• Depends on crime subconsciously. 
• Struggles to escape from the life of crime.
• Doesn't know anything else but crime.
• Example: In the garage scene Ricky tells Wisdom he needs to get away, as they are in trouble with Godfrey. However, Wisdom doesn't realise the other options he has, he just stays in crime and thinks there is no way out.  

Themes and issues in The Krays, Bulletboy and Harry Brown

The Krays

•       Organised crime

•       Gun culture

•       A life of crime (i.e. crime as a profession)

•       Honour among villains

•       Loyalty and brotherhood

•       Gritty and realistic depictions of crime

•       Failure of law and the police

•       Appearance and reality

Bullet Boy

•       Poverty and deprivation

•       Gang crime

•       Gun culture

•       A life of crime (i.e. falling unwillingly into crime)

•       Desire to break away from criminal influences

•       Access to guns, especially for youngsters

•       Youth, the pressures on youth and a lack of opportunity, especially for black working class youth

•       Gritty and realistic depictions of crime

•       Innocent victims

•       Breakdown of the family

•       Strong female characters

•       Failure of the justice system

•       Under-privilege/disadvantage

Harry Brown

•       Drug abuse

•       Gang crime

•       Gun culture

•       Housing estates and the failure of social housing

•       Age (old age in particular)

•       Honour among criminals (how does this compare to The Krays?)

•       Gritty and realistic depictions of crime

•       Fractured British Society

•       The professionalism of the police

•       Strong female characters

•       Innocent victims

•       Breakdown of the family

•       Ineffective law enforcement and the failure of society to hold it to account

•       Sexual abuse

Bullet Boy Characters

Character: Ricky (Ashley Walters)
Character details: Main character.
Relationship with crime: At the beginning of the film he is in prison, he is involved with crime throughout the film but wants to get away from it, he states how he wants to turn his life around and get away from crime but in the end he doesn't have a chance to.

Character: Curtis (Luke Fraser)
Character details: Rickys little brother.
Relationship with crime: Largely involved in crime but doesn't intend on being, he shoots his friend by accident when he finds the gun stored in his house.

Character: Wisdom (Leon Black)
Character details: Rickys bestfriend.
Relationship with crime: Got differences to be solved against Godfrey and his gang. This results in him being shot.

Character: Rio (Rio Tison)
Character details: Curtis' friend.
Relationship with crime: Victim of accidental crime, shot by his friend Curtis when playing around with a gun.

Character: Beverley (Clare Perkins)
Character details: Mother of Ricky and Curtis.
Relationship with crime: Has to witness both of her sons somehow involved in crime although this is the last thing she wants for them. Has to cope with one of her sons being a victim of crime at the end of the film when he gets shot by Godfrey and his gang.

Character: Shea (Sharea Samuels)
Character details: Ricky's girlfriend.
Relationship with crime: Not directly involved with crime yet has to watch her boyfriend be involved in crime which causes her to be unstable.

Character: Godfrey (Clark Lawson)
Character details: Gang member.
Relationship with crime: Greatly involved with gun crime, shoots Ricky and Wisdom within the film.

Bullet Boy Questions

To which character does the title refer? 

The title could refer to any of the four characters: Ricky, Wisdom, Curtis or Rio. Firstly, the 'Bullet Boy' could be Wisdom as the gun originally belonged to him before Ricky has possession of it, Wisdom also gets shot during the film which is yet another reason why the title 'Bullet Boy' may refer to him. However, the title could also refer to Ricky as he brings the gun into his family home and is the reason why the following events occur. On the other hand, the title could refer to Curtis as he is the one who gets hold of the gun which is hidden in his house and shoots, Rio, his friend. This leads to yet another idea that Rio could in fact be the 'Bullet Boy' as he is the character which takes a bullet when he is accidentally shot by his friend.

What are the main messages, values and social issues in the film? 

One of the main social issues in the film is the consistent theme of gun crime. Throughout the film most of the characters come into a problem involving a gun. For example: Curtis shoots Rio, Wisdom and Ricky both die due to being shot, Beverley has to cope with her younger son being involved in gun crime at a young age. Gun crime is the biggest social issue that effects the most people within the film.

A main value in Bullet Boy is loyalty. This is shown through Ricky and Wisdoms friendship. Throughout the film hints are made to suggest that Wisdom once saved Rickys life. So now that Wisdom has got into trouble with Godfrey, Ricky stays loyal to him and becomes involved even though he is trying his best to turn his life around and not be involved with crime.

One of the main messages in the film is that black youths are associated with high incidences of social deprivation and criminal activity. This is shown through the lack of morals that the black youths have in the film and the amount of crime, particularly gun crime, that they are involved in.

How are the people and places represented in the film? 

Consider: 

-Whether the film offers a realistic view of London. How this representation differs from other common representations of London. 

-How the characters challenge and fulfill stereotypes. 
London is commonly represented as a place of tourism, drawing in people from around the world to visit the famous landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, The Tower of  London and The Big Ben. Also for the high streets and shopping centres. From this aspect, London is represented in a positive light. However, Bullet Boy offers a more negative yet realistic representation of what life is actually like in London. The film is set in North East London in an area which can be referred to as the 'murder mile'. This setting and the estate which Ricky lives on helps to give a representation of the high number of incidents which occur in modern day London, mostly involving guns. Another way in which London is represented realistically in the film is through the use of camerawork. The film is shot in a Super 16 film format which adds to the realism by making it look more like a documentary rather than a film.

Within Bullet Boy, Ricky both challenges and reinforces the stereotype of black youths. He reinforces the stereotype as he is involved in crime, handles a gun and has been in prison. However, throughout the film it focuses upon Ricky and his desire to change his life around and build a new start for himself which challenges the stereotype. Ricky's mum, Beverley, challenges the stereotype of black people because even though she is a working class mother she makes sure that she has time for her children and only does what is best for them and their futures. Within the film Curtis reinforces the general stereotype of black youths as he handles a gun at a young age and although it is accidental, he commits a crime.


                 

Messages and Values developed later in The Krays

Message - Ronnie is insane.
Out of control at times, no one attempts to control him. He does extreme things, shoots Cornell in the head in the pub and cuts into a member of his gangs mouth.

Message - Reggie smothers Frances (male domination)
Frances wears the gloves because Reggie likes them. Frances says she doesn't know what she likes anymore, she only knows what Reggie likes. She doesn't go shopping herself, Reggie buys her clothes that she doesn't chose herself.

Message - Mental illness and crime doesn't mix, can have catastrophic consequences.
Ronnie: enjoys harming others due to mental illness.
Frances: harms herself due to mental illness as she can't cope with crime.

Message - The failure of police to control the criminal activity.
Ronnie shoots Cornell in the pub with many witnesses surrounding them. Nothing reported, no police action. The Krays don't hide, everyone knows where they live, police never go for them.

Message - Ronnie is jealous of Reggie.
When they are in the club and Ronnie lashes out to get Reggies attention, as Reggie is across the room speaking to a girl (Frances).

Message - Reggies loyalty lies with his brother.
When Frances meets Reggies family, he leaves Frances to go for a meeting with his gang rather than sitting with his wife. He then goes out with them and leaves her with his family at the house. Frances is clearly uncomfortable with this.

Message - The Krays are invulnerable.
They become more powerful throughout the film and aren't scared of anyone or anything. They don't face any consequences to their actions.

Messages and Values in the opening scenes of The Krays

1. Message - The Krays believed themselves to be invulnerable
Evidence - At a young age they have a fight against a crowd of children in the school playground. Also, as they get older and they are in the national service scene they decide to punch the drill sergeant and leave.

2. Value - When people fear you its good because you can do anything.
Evidence - When Ronnie is in hospital she decides she doesn't want him in there anymore as all he needs is Reggie, even though she isn't allowed to take him out of hospital she does as the doctor fears her.

3. Message - The east end was a place poverty.
Evidence - Housing is very poor, dark and dingy in the middle of a row of terraced houses. Women scrubbing door steps.

4. Value - High value is placed upon family.
Evidence - They all look after each other in times of need and are a close family. Violet tells the twins that no one will harm them when she's around.

5. Message - The community sticks together and looks out for each other.
Evidence - All the sisters come out in order to try and keep the constable away so that their father can hide.

6. Value - Women have had to work hard and struggle through the war in a male dominated world.
Evidence - Violet says to the police man 'If you find him tell me I've got hungry mouths here to feed' which shows the struggle she is going through. Also she says that 'Housework is a dangerous occupation'.

7. Message - The Krays never had a male influence/ dominant figure in their life. 
Evidence -  Lack of relationship with Dad. Furthermore, their Grandad leads them astray when they end up fighting each other. 
   

Female and male representations in The Krays

Males:

1. Outline some of the main male and masculine stereotypes that exist in the media broadly. 

There are both positive and negative stereotypical views of males. One of these stereotypes is dominance, some people believe men are in charge and have power over females. Men are also seen as more likely to cause disruption and be involved in anti social behaviour as they are expected to be more violent, which is a negative stereotype of men. Men are often represented as strong and also involved in business. 

2. How are Reginald and Ronnie ( and other male characters ) represented in The Krays.

In the Krays, Ronnie is represented in different ways. Firstly, he is homosexual and has a boyfriend within the film yet is still represented as a strong, invincible man. Ronnie carries out violence in order to satisfy his needs, whereas Reggie carries out violence for business reasons in order to achieve something. Reggie again is represented as a strong, invincible man. During the film he smothers his wife, Frances Kray, and makes her unstable.

3. How do these representations challenge or reinforce these stereotypes. 

The fact that Ronnie is homosexual yet represented as invincible challenges the stereotypes of homosexuals as they are thought to be passive, gentle and friendly towards men however Ronnie is the complete opposite as all the people he shows violence towards are men. Although in other ways the homosexual stereotype is reinforced as he is represented as very fashion and image conscious in the film. Reggie smothers his wife, Francis, this reinforces the stereotype of dominant males.

Females: (completed by Ellie) 

1.Outline some of the main female stereotypes that exist in the media broadly

There are both negative and positive stereotypes of females, however most broadcasted in the media tend to be rather negative. Such as; women are seen as sex objects and their purpose is to provide for men in the home by doing the housework, cooking and cleaning etc. Furthermore a very typical stereotype of women is that they are inferior and may need a man to 'look after them'. However in modern society there are much more positive messages and stereotypes being broadcasted about females, such as: feminism, many females are strong independent and believe heavily in girl power.


2.How are Frances and violets (and her sisters) represented in the krays? (give specific examples) consider how their gender affects their experiences.

Frances (Reggie's wife) is represented as an unstable person, she's not suited to the limelight lifestyle that she is thrust into by Reggie. She has her individuality taken away from her as Reggie metaphorically suffocated her with affection to the point where she didn't even know what she liked herself- only what reggie liked. She is a weak character and completely in contrast with violet, Reggie and his family attempt to mould her like Violet however it became too much as she was a completely different type of person. Violet and her sisters were completely different to Violet. Violet Kray was the matriarch of the Kray family, she mollycoddled the twins and instilled a sense of vulnerability into the twins, furthermore made them extremely close. She represents the 'rock' of the family, as the Kray's father wasn't very involved or much of a strong character in their life. Therefore violet actually took on both roles and was very well respected. Also the Kray twins Aunt Rose was another main mother figure in their life, much like Violet she was also a strong independent women who cared for their twins as though they were her own and empowered them by telling them that they're invincible.


3.How do the representatives challenge or reinforce these stereotypes? (or do they?)
Frances very much fits the old stereotype of females that they are inferior to men and need to be 'looked after', Reggie seems to think that showering his wife with so much love and affection and gifts that it will keep their marriage strong, when in matter of fact it actually weakens it, and actually weakens her, to the point where she actually takes her life. In comparison to Frances, violet is the complete opposite and challenges this stereotype as she is a strong matriarch in a patriarchal time era.

However she does fit the stereotypical housewife, violet covers both the female and male roles in the household, whilst bringing up her children and doing household chores she also raises the children single handedly and covers everything that a father figure should have done for the twins.

The Krays Opening Scenes

What words would you use to describe the atmosphere/setting/environment in the opening scenes?
The setting in the opening scenes seems to be very dull which reflects the period of time as the war was taking place.

How is a sense of community represented in the East End of London?
A sense of community is represented through the Kray family. It is set during the war meaning that the family don't have much and purely live by supporting each other. All of the family, even the aunties, have close relationships with each other as they need to stay together in order to get through the struggle of the war and make the most of what they have. A sense of community is also shown in the opening scenes when one of the women from across the road is cleaning her doorstep and within seconds all the other women on the street are out and commenting on it as though they are shocked. Another part of the opening scenes which represents a sense of community is during the air raid when all the women and children are down in the tube station crowded round whilst listening to Cannonball Lee tell stories.

How have the Kray Twins personalities been shaped by events/circumstances. Consider:
Their closeness to each other
Their attitude towards weak and vulnerable people
Their feelings of strength and invulnerability

The twins from a young age have been close to each other and throughout the film we realise that they are like one person and need each other to survive. This is also shown in the opening scenes when Ronnie Kray is in hospital and his mother, Violet Kray, takes him home stating that Ronnie doesn't need any hospital treatment, all he needs is his twin Reggie. This shows the strong bond that the twins have. From birth, Violet Kray has looked after and protected the twins. During the air raid we hear Violet say to her twins that no one would dare touch them while shes around. This attitude that she had towards her twins clearly instilled a sense of invulnerability into them which is why they have grown to be not afraid of anyone or anything. Also, after the boxing match has occured and the twins are sat at home with their mother she tells them that they don't fight each other, they fight the people outside. This is another event which has shaped their personalities, they are being taught to fight those who are on the outside otherwise known as the weak and vulnerable people.

Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves is set in Southern and Western States of America during the 1860s, these states consist of prairies, deserts and wide open spaces which are all typical of a Western film. There are many signifiers that show it is a Western, for example the characters and the themes throughout the film. In the film there is a Sioux tribe, a Pawnee tribe, a soldier who is a loner, a cowboy and calvary soldiers which are all typical characters for this genre. One theme which permeates the film is discovery. The soldier,  John Dunbar, wants to discover more about the frontier and to find out about the Sioux tribe. He is successful in this as he results in becoming part of the Sioux and discovers a new way of life. We also see the theme of discovery when Another theme which is present in the film is betrayal. John Dunbar feels betrayed by the White American soldiers as he realises how they are ignorant of the native way of life.

The representation of the Native Americans in Dances with Wolves challenges the stereotype that many other Western films set. Stereotypically, the tribes would be savages and have no loyalty. However, in this film the Sioux tribe are portrayed in the opposite way. They are presented in a positive way as they are willing to learn to communicate and allow John Dunbar to become part of the tribe. They are very family orientated, friendly and forward thinking which is not expected for the Western genre. Although, in the film there is another tribe called the Pawnee who are represented as the typical stereotype of savages. This recognises that the Native Americans are split into different groups that have different ways of life and are not all the same.

The representations of different cultures and conflict hold messages that could apply for us today in modern society. Firstly, in Dances with Wolves we see the Native Americans respecting their environment as they use the natural resources when they need it, they don't exploit it. This could be a message for our society today as the world is in danger of running out of certain natural resources. Furthermore, in the film John Dunbar has a spirit of discovery as he goes to the frontier to find out about the Native Americans and how they live. This spirit of discovery is needed in our society today so that things can be found such as the cures to diseases and the discovery of space. Also, John Dunbar breaks down the barrier of ignorance with the Sioux tribe by showing an interest in them. They learn to communicate and discover each others different ways of life. If this could be done in our society today it would release tension that is set between different ethnic groups and religions. One final message that can be found in Dances with Wolves is when John Dunbar goes to the frontier expecting the Native Americans to all be savages, as they are stereotypically made out to be. However, after meeting the Sioux tribe and learning to communicate with them he realises that they are in fact the opposite of their stereotype. This could be a message for our modern society today to get to know people and their beliefs before judging them on their ethnic group or culture.

Dances with Wolves represents the three constitutive contradictions that Rick Altman discusses. The first constitutive contradiction is individual freedom and community action. Individual freedom is represented by John Dunbar as he goes to discover the frontier on his own and the community action is represented by the Sioux Tribe. The second contradiction is respect for the environment and industrial growth. In the film the respect for the environment is shown through the Sioux tribe respecting their land and only killing buffalo when they need it. The industrial growth is shown when the Whites kill the buffalo simply for their pelt in order to make a profit. The third contradiction is reverence for the past and the desire to build a new future. The Native Americans have very traditional ways such as their clothing and ways of living for example living in Teepees/Wigwams. They also make references to the past during the film. The White Settlers come with the desire to build a new future and introduce new ways to replace the Native American way of life.

Genre research task

My chosen genre is Horror which has many different repertoires depending on the sub genres. Horror films are used to scare, thrill and entertain the audience. They do this through a number of themes. One theme which permeates all horror films is fear. The purpose is to instill fear into the audience and keep them on the edge of their seat throughout the film by the use of sound, characters and setting.

The genre Horror is split into many sub genres that have their own repertoire of generic elements. One example of a sub genre for Horror is Slasher films. These normally involve a psychopathic killer, a sequence of killing several victims, lots of violence and blood. An example of this is 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. Another sub genre is Action Horror, this involves combining the intrusion of evil with gun fights and frantic chases. An example of this would be 'Dawn of the Dead'. Comedy Horror is yet another sub genre. This is when a film combines elements of comedy with horror fiction which can be seen in 'Scary Movie'.

A horror film is usually set in an abandoned house, a lonely forest or a ghost town in order to represent isolation as this heightens the threat and the sense of fear that the audience will feel. However, some horror films challenge this stereotypical idea of being in an isolated place and in fact are set in a normal everyday life. We see this in the film 'The Shining' as it is set in a brightly lit hotel rather than a dark abandoned house.

We can recognise a Horror film simply through costume and props used. Usually the props used are ones that indicate evil, death or pain such as: guns, knives, axes, chainsaw and different types of masks. These are used to make it more realistic for example in a gun shot scene seeing a gun will heighten the effect on the audience. Furthermore, specific costumes can be used in a horror film, for example in a vampire film the costumes would usually be black and red as they are both colours which have connotations of blood and death, they would also have capes and fangs. Whereas in Psychological Horrors costumes can be normal everyday clothing. This again shows that the signifiers differ for Horror depending on its sub genre.

Breakdown

The genre of the film 'Breakdown' is action. Firstly, the non diegetic sound which is used within the film is fast making everything seem as though it is going at a fast pace and there are also high pitched parts of the music which create suspense as the action takes place. Furthermore, the editing is fast as scenes go quickly from one to another spending no time focusing on one certain thing so there is always something happening.

This film tells the story by following McKee's five part narrative theory. Firstly, there is an inciting incident which sets things going, which in this film is the break down of the couples car. Then progressive complications begin to take place. The wife (Amy) goes with a passing trucker in order to seek help and arranges a meeting place with her husband (Jeff) at the cafe just down the road. Minutes after Amy has left in the truck, the car starts again so Jeff goes to meet her. Upon arrival he realises the truck is not to be seen and soon finds out his wife is not in the cafe and that she is now missing. The next part of the narrative is the crisis, where things get worse and come to a head. Jeff finds out that Amy is not only missing, but that she in fact has been kidnapped therefore he does everything he can to rescue her. Following from this is the climax of the film, the moment when the two opposing forces come head to head. Jeff takes on the four men who have kidnapped his wife which surprisingly results in him killing them all and surviving himself. Finally comes the resolution of the narrative. Jeff and Amy are reunited and safe as all of the kidnappers are now dead. The main issues have been resolved and things can begin to return to normal although things will never return to how they was before.

Enigmas are riddles or mysteries which help to move the narrative along as they keep the audience interested and guessing what is going to happen next and they are used throughout the film Breakdown. We see enigmas right from the beginning of the film when Jeff and Amy have a long conversation about specifically 90,000 donuts. We wonder why so much emphasis is placed on the donuts then later in the film we find that the term '90,000 donuts' is the one thing which ends up saving the couple. More examples of enigmas are when the audience is left wondering where Amy has disappeared to, also towards the end of the film when Amy is locked in the cellar as it leaves the audience wondering how she is going to get out and question if she ever will get out.

Personally, I feel that parts of this film are predictable such as the couple being reunited in the end. However I didn't expect Jeff to have killed all four of the kidnappers, at times I thought that Jeff would have been killed by the kidnappers.

Film and Me

I enjoy watching films that appeal to the female target audience such as dramas, ‘chick flicks’, and romance comedies. Aswell as this, I also enjoy watching films that involve a mystery or which create suspense.

1. Focus - I like this film as it keeps the audiences attention all the way through, all of the film has to be watched in order to understand the overall plot. There are also hidden messages throughout the film which create suspense.

2. Taken - In this film there is always something going on it is filled with action and suspense is built up throughout the film.

3. My Sisters Keeper - This film is guaranteed to make the audience emotional and somehow relate it to their life. In some ways it is quite uplifting. 

4. The Notebook - This film is easily followed and keeps you intrigued all the way through using some good quotes throughout the film.

5. 50 First Dates - I like this film as it is a romantic comedy with Adam Sandler as one of the main characters.

5. White Chicks - I like the comedy aspect of this film as men try to play the role of women, it keeps the audience entertained all the way through.