International Film

Question 1

Ida - Context

Answer 1

. 1960s Poland: Western influence meant to be muted, strong cinema culture - ‘Nouvelle Vague’ = new wave
. Strongly Catholic country, historically anti-semitic
. Nuns: enter novitiate as trainees, take vows after 2yrs
. Soviet forces ‘liberated’ Poland in 1945

Question 2

Ida - Pawel Pawlikowski

Answer 2

. Left Poland as teen 1970s, now settled in Poland
. First film in Polish: 4:3 ratio and B&W reflect mems, TV of time, and oppression of space above
. Influence by: photographer Cartier-Bresson - ordinary scenes using single light source - metaphysical sig
- dreyer: the passion of joan of arc (1928) sparse mise en scene and close ups
- bergman: the virgin spring (1960) b&w, religious

Question 3

Ida - Ida dances with the saxophonist

Answer 3

. Arch of cavern: resembles arches found in Churches - this life would be an alternative to religion/nun
. Medium 2 shot: growing intimacy blossoming
. Key light to the left privileges Ida’s face: saxophonist is irrelevant
. Solid brick structure: real world blocking out spiritual

Question 4

Ida - Ida comforting Wanda

Answer 4

. Medium 2 shot, eye level angle
. Ida is maternal, Wanda is vulnerable
. Triangular composition: unity, stability
. Ida looks down, paying respect
. Wanda looks straight ahead: trauma, guilt, grief
. Establishes close bond

Question 5

Ida - Walking into the Forest

Answer 5

. Extreme long shot, eye level
. Farmer takes lead, Ida follows, Wanda far behind: reluctance
. Light outside vs harsh dark forest - represents guilt of those who killed Jews they were hiding
. Naturally occurring light

Question 6

Ida - Opening shot

Answer 6

. Close up: only see face and space above = God
. Light present, no source = God
. Performing naturally, not to the cam
. Locked down shot, Ida moves but cam doesn’t follow
. Spartan life at nunnery: stripped back, strict
. Untrained blank affect: expressionless, passive

Question 7

Ida - Sequence in the Cowshed

Answer 7

. Cowshed reminds us of nativity
. First arched window since shot in convent
. Stained glass window; light source - God
. Flare; brightest in middle of stained glass, spiritual sig: Ida’s mother made it - her presence?
. Light shines on Ida, Wanda arrives: she is mother figure
. Farmer symbolically gatekeeper to sequence + farm

Question 8

Ida - Wanda’s Suicide

Answer 8

. Round of self med: drink, smoke, sex
. Long shot: can’t see Wanda’s face in detail, she’s made up her mind
. Locked down shot: leaves it by jumping out of window . Darkly comedic: puts on a coat for warmth but no shoes - won’t be walking anywhere
. Light shining through window: Wanda goes into the light, very sudden, no build up or drama
. Climax of guilt and grief over son and Ida’s parents

Question 9

Ida - Montage after Wanda dies

Answer 9

. Shoes on: stepping into Wanda’s shoes for the night
. Clumsy walk: uncertain step into Wanda’s life, looks down at feet, mirrors looking down in prayer
. Smoking: canted angle, suggests instability, looks in mirror, can see bed = vanity and sexuality
. Drinking: close up, focus on her disgust
. Curtains: drunkenly wrapping herself up and falling: cocoon, rebirth? A few hours have passed

Question 10

Ida meets Wanda

Answer 10

. Establishes them as opposites
. Ida: bland, grey, spartan, simple clothes
. Wanda: dark robe, informal clothing
. Sink full of dirty plates, Wanda doesn’t care anymore
. Wanda is slumped, Ida is sat straight
. Ida faces Wanda while Wanda faces away (trauma)

Question 11

City of God

Answer 11

. Meirelles, 2002
. Retrospective narrative vs exploratory in Ida
. Non-linear: some events are anticipated, some are watched in flashback or as they happen
. Rocket is homodiegetic narrator: inside most action
. Outside of action as reporter
. First person narration challenges truth: verisimilitude

Question 12

CoG Narrative devices

Answer 12

. Non-diegetic info includes super-imposed titles setting up episodes as chapters
. Diegetic info supplied through devices eg newspapers, TV interviews, music
. Info also given through montage sequences + split screen

Question 13

CoG Genre

Answer 13

. American film: Goodfellas
. Latin American film: Amores Perros (which also has episodic structure)
. Ghetto film: masculinity, guns, poverty, violence
. Gangster genre: rags to riches, corrupt police
. Coming of age: Rocket
. Tarantino arguably: episodic but Mereilles says he doesn’t exploit violence for fun

Question 14

CoG Narrative Structure

Answer 14

. Plot begins near end of story
. Poignancy enhanced - based on true story
. Gaps in stories filled in as they are returned to later#
. Time manipulated and mixed around: short tales, moving back + forth, episodic, events accelerated, skipped over, ellipses (gaps)

Question 15

CoG Setting

Answer 15

. Authenticity central
. Real slum dwellers contributed
. Improv during rehearsal: ‘70% of cast were themselves’
. Actor playing Rocket was given camera at end of film to film what he saw
. Favelas housing 20% of Rio’s 5.5mil inhabitants by mid 1990s in 560 crowded favelas

Question 16

CoG The Three Stories

Answer 16

. The Story of the Tender Trio: 1960s, nostalgia, golden light, slower, more humorous - lyrical/poetic
. The Story of Lil Ze: evolution from sadistic child to ruthless killer - ‘the complaining phase’
. The Story of Knockout Ned: brutality escalates, Ned goes from law-abiding to vengeful tragic hero - the fight for affirmation and pride

Question 17

CoG opening sequence

Answer 17

. Everything in context of violence: knife sharpened
. Handheld: low angle for chicken looking up, the hunt
. Cut to black after knife sharpened: tension
. Blue tint: chiaroscuro, over 60 shots in a min
. Jumpcuts + hectic cam w Lil Ze: threat, chaos
. Loud knife heard over crowd - music gets louder
. Layers of diegetic sound establishing life
. Gang are indistinguishable: collective threat
. Blood is brightest thing, shots establish favela

Question 18

CoG 70s back to the 60s

Answer 18

. Medium long shot of Rocket crouching from behind
. 180 degree shot pans around Rocket
. Disorientation: attention on dilapidated building
. Scenery alters to stretch of empty land - 1960s
. Cold blue tint to warm oranges and yellows in 60s
. Nostalgic, happier time in 60s vs grim present (70s)
. His crouch becomes a crouch to guard a goal
. Crouch in the 70s to avoid gunfire
. Sound of clock ticking - gets faster for tension
. Rocket main character, narrator: centre of frame

Question 19

CoG Blacky’s Apartment

Answer 19

. Apartment: microcosm of drugs trade
. Flashback sequence: episodic for diff owners
. Super impositions + fades for smooth transitions
. Zelia: patterned curtain, food on table, warm light
. She tears table cloth as she’s removed: femininity lost
. Utensils gone only a mug - loss of normal domesticity
. Rack focus and camera at eye level
. Drugs on table, room becomes darker + colder
. Cooker is messy, ruined furniture, male context now

Question 20

CoG Shooting of Lil Ze

Answer 20

. POV shot through viewfinder of Lil Ze + police
. Seen behind grille - voyeuristic, in Rocket’s shoes
. Distancing effect: Rocket’s opportunity to leave CoG
. Handheld cam - reality of favelas
. Lil Ze dehumanised, framing just shows his feet - no longer a terrifying presence
. See Lil Ze through viewfinder, then as part of Rocket’s roll of film - Rocket’s journey out of favela, more and more distance from Lil Ze - reduced to an image
. Runts take over: next generation of violence