Drive (Nicholas Winding Refn 2011)

By Rosie and Miriam

The 2011 neo-noir film directed by Nicholas Winding Refn tells the story of an unnamed male character – the driver (played by Ryan Gosling) – and his struggle within a post metropolis downtown Los Angeles.

Following on from the 40s and 50s Noir genre, the neo-noir genre shifts subtly with a focus on alienation, separation and paranoia. Neo-noir holds the tradition of depicting instances where ‘happy endings’ are unattainable. Neo-noir portrays the effects of de-regulation and privatisation of the city, aiming to hold a mirror to the neo-liberalist government. The film Drive pays homage to earlier 1980s neo noir through various aspects of the film, the opening titles share the same font as those of ‘To Live and Die in LA’ (1985) and the retro-feeling soundtrack in a conscious nod to the 80s.

Downtown LA was transformed during the 2000s; the addition of high rise buildings and large numbers of real estate led to the Manhattanization of this area. This transformation of a previously neglected area brought higher number of people to live and work in the area, between 2000 and 2009 the population of downtown LA grew by 40%. The changing dynamics of the city transformed LA from a reluctant metropolis to a centripetal metropolis – a city with urban heart and soul. The reappraisal of downtown LA shows a desire to humanise the city and renovate downtown Los Angeles into a place of connection. Alongside this, central LA transforms to a vehicle mobility led city – this is reflected within the film Drive. The use of cars within the film is another example of the change within Downtown LA, it invites the viewer to a different perspective of the city. The hermetic bubble of the car is a usage of continual, monotonous distraction where the driver is passively watching the city – and not within it.

Drive acts as an example of neo-noir cinema depicting the urban changes of downtown LA, using the postmodern discourse of the city and departing significantly from previous depictions of Los Angeles. For instance, the film differs from earlier 1980s neo-noir as it shows the opportunity and possibility to build human relationships within this urban environment unlike its predecessors. The opportunity for driver to build a relationship is reflected in his longing for his neighbour Irene and her son and his attempt to protect them from urban crime that they are surrounded by.

The film focuses on the everyday life of the characters, with scenes of putting children to bed and carrying groceries. The driver is bewitched by the domestic life of his neighbours and the promise of potential warmth and human connection, engaging in short lived moments of genuine human connection represented alongside an electro-punk soundtrack and emphasis on repeated the repeated lyrics of ‘a real human being’. This optimistic narrative almost overtakes the noir genre within this film, however is eventually shown to be unsustainable and unrealistic in the extreme violence of the films ending. The driver’s regular, unhinged violence creates a barrier for human intimacy and is typical of the Noir genres fatalistic outlook.

 

 

 

Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011)

By Heather

Drive is a neo-noir crime thriller film starring Ryan Gosling as an unnamed stunt driver who also works as a getaway driver in Los Angeles. Repeating aerial shots of the LA skyline at night time is shown which highlights the city as a classic metropolis. However, despite this, the city is unrecognisable because there is little portrayal of landmarks and the buildings shown are very old and falling into ruins. This suggests the city as a place far from which the original American dream can be realised, instead the city is a place wrought with violence and hopelessness.

 The driver himself is alienated by his environment because much of the film is shot through his perspective that is framed by his driver’s seat window. The audience only sees unrecognisable roads and buildings through this framed window as he drives rapidly through the streets because he is enslaved by the fast-moving pace of a city driven by greed. This is similar to ‘Point Blank’ as Walker is alienated by an indifferent city where there is nowhere to hide because the city never ends just as the long roads of which the driver constantly speeds through.

The movie also attempts to humanise itself through the romantic connection between the driver and Irene. The scenes between the two characters are mostly shown in warm lighting and framed by a gentle music score that hints at a promise of hope for the driver to escape his isolation and loneliness. This is further emphasised by the romantic kiss which stands in stark contrast to the background of where it takes place, an elevator, a negative space often portrayed as monotonous and unfeeling. This implies that despite the movie’s attempt at humanising itself, the characters themselves cannot truly escape the violence and corruption which lies at the heart of the feral city, a trait often portrayed in the neo noir genre as highlighted by Davis in The Ecology of fear. This is further demonstrated by the fact that the romantic moment is interrupted by ensuring violence because the driver is forced to commit acts of violence to survive.

  Finally, despite the pessimistic portrayals of isolation within the movie itself, there is a sense of hope of human connections which suggests that LA is more than just a city of indifference and separation.

The Dual City: Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)

By Olivia and Dom

Requiem for a Dream (2000, Darren Aronofsky) is a film set in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. The film portrays the intersecting stories of four characters; Harry Goldfarb, his mother Sara, his girlfriend Marion and his friend Tyrone. The overarching story is one of addiction as the film stylistically shows each characters growing dependence on a substance as an escape of reality. For Harry and his friends this addiction is to the illicit substance heroin. However for Harry’s mother it is TV and prescribed diet pills. Although these addictions are viewed different socially, ultimately they lead to the same dire consequences. Harry loses a limb, Tyrone loses his freedom, Marion loses her dignity and Sara loses her sanity. Each character having tried to succeed to make a better life for themselves are thrust deeper into becoming outcasts of society. It is the illusion of the American Dream.

Underlying the narrative of the film, the social restructuring of the city is visible. New York can be described as a post-industrial ‘dual city’. The decline of manufacturing jobs and thus the traditional working classes have been replaced by an expansion in high and low socio economic areas, giving way to a polarised global city. In New York the corporate sector became the biggest industry of the city located in Manhattan, the centre of the city, driving the poor to live on the outskirts in places like Coney Island. The film could be seen to be a critique of the results of such a polarisation and the neoliberalism inherent within this kind of society. Nobody exemplifies this more than Donald Trump, a man who rose to power in the 1970’s New York fiscal crisis, given millions in tax breaks by the city government and famed for his entrepreneurship. The film shows the idea that anyone can become successful, perpetrated by elites such as Donald Trump, is a false one. This is seen in Sara’s unhealthy obsession with being on a self-help TV show, Harry and Tyrone’s attempts at becoming entrepreneurs in a drug underworld and Marion’s failed attempt to be a fashion designer.

Jock Young however, disagrees with such a defined version of the dual city, arguing a global city like New York is not as polarised as one may think. He uses the term ‘bulimic city’ to describe the dispersal of the city and argues the poor are culturally included but systematically excluded. The poor are in close proximity to the world of the elites, they get a glimmer of what the American dream can offer. Yet they are excluded from the resources of the rich such as housing, schools and healthcare. This is shown in the film as Sara cannot afford proper medical care and so eventually is admitted to hospital and given electroconvulsive therapy. This osmosis is also one sided as the wealthy never enter the poverty stricken world of the poor, excluded from the spoils of the city located on the peripheries.

 

 

 

 

Hegemony and the Organic Crisis – Babylon (1980) and Pressure (1975)

by Rebecca and Emma

In the late 1970s and the early 80s there was shown to be an organic crisis, in which was said to be a decline in the whole system, which led to a severe breakdown in solidarity for cultures that were separated due to social issues. This was brought to a head in 1981 when the notorious Brixton Riots occurred, the impact was destructive and created tension that was vicious as well as emotionally traumatising for all those on the opposite side of the hegemony who had to live their lives in fear of the consequences of simply their racial identity.

A knock-on effect from this was the form of ‘counter-cultures’, these were expressed through art and musical forms. They helped ethnic minority groups (in particular the black community), find peace in standing for what they believe to be a foundation for their own culture. The aesthetic for these cultural forms showed to be threatening to those who were outside or even within the community that they resided them. With reference to Pressure (1975)–released before the Brixton disturbances– we see Tony torn into between two situations; one where his parents believe in the good that the contemporary society has to offer and another where his surrounding peers are pressuring Tony with political ways out of the repression he is experiencing.

In 2017, Brixton still has this essence of culture throughout the streets of South-East London. Where many cultures thrive and radiate roots that were being represented back in the 1970-80s but without the repercussions of the fear of violence and intimidation from the hegemonic class.  However we see examples of gentrification that symbolise this hierarchy in similar but different ways, due to the representation of class difference and segregation. In terms of social-economic status that allows you access to these areas that are now highly desirable to live in.

 

 

Superfly (Gordon Parks, 1972)

By Victoria and Duncan

Superfly (directed by Gordon Parks in 1972) is a Blaxploitation film, which follows Youngblood Priest a cocaine dealer as he plans to make one last deal before leaving the game for good. Blaxploitation can be defined as the film genre that saw the mass production of movies by black directors and producers for the black audience within America that had been long neglected by Hollywood. The majority of these film roles exploited and exaggerated the stereotypes associated with African Americans such as heavy drug use and violence.

The theme of ‘reality vs. fantasy tension’ is quite a big one within Superfly. Scenes from the movie that depict this tension include the one when Priest and his partner, Eddie are caught with 1 kilo of cocaine by corrupt police officers and asked to be their new representative within the ghetto. With this new opportunity Eddie is now reluctant to get out, criticising Priest and his plan as he makes it clear to him that African American individuals within their society cannot make it (survive) without hustling as pimps or drug dealers, it is merely a dream that is not for them. This is also connected with the scene where Priest is talking to his girlfriend Georgia, explaining how he still needs to make enough money through illegitimate means as he would not be able to get a job as a civil servant or in the army and isn’t ready to work long hours for ‘chump change’.

Superfly is a film that is designed to enthuse young African-Americans. The film does this by presenting the audience with a criminal who wants to escape the gangster lifestyle and make a better life for himself. Superfly takes the audience on the journey of Priest’s realization that drugs and violence is not how his life should be lived and therefore a section of the audience where this lifestyle is a very real prospect get to share this epiphany with him. Superfly therefore conveys a serious message to the African-American community (especially the youth) about the negative impact of pushing drugs and the benefits of not being involved in crime.

Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (Melivin van Peebles, 1971)

By Alice and Yi-Hsuan

Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song was directed by Melvin Van Peebles and was arguable the first film in the blaxploitation movement of the early 1970s. It became one of the highest grossing independent films of the time, and supposedly led Hollywood to discover the potential profits in targeting the black American audience, in its period of so called economic crisis. The film follows the life of ‘Sweetback’ as he is chased by the LAPD through the urban mise en scene. His character symbolizes blaxploitation’s over blown fantasies of black power and heroism, challenging previous images of passive and weak black protagonists. The film identified with reality for the black community that was so long ignored by Hollywood, yet inevitably became the object of debate about whether, as the first film in the movement, it was revolutionary or simply exploitative in the sense that it reasserted and exemplified the stereotypes that white people already held about the black community.

 

 

The director deliberately chose to include the “black community” in the credits as if they were a character within the film. The fact that the film was shot on location in Los Angeles means that it shows a true depiction of the realities of inner city life for African Americans. Through the “exploration” of the black ghetto, the city is no longer a passive background, instead, it actively shapes the narrative of the film. The neighbourhood of the black ghetto in the film to an extent interacts with the black audience, it not only simply represents the reality of the life that most of the African Americans experienced but also mirrors the fantasy of power and the desire of escaping reality and to a world they had dreamed of. The scenes in which Sweetback is running away from LAPD can be seen not only as a physical escape but also a psychological freedom for those within the ghetto community. Although Sweetback was eventually able to escape to Mexico the film promises his return. The ongoing struggle to escape the oppression of the police for the African American community, highlights the tensions between fantasy and reality. Their lived environment will continue to constrain their mobility and ultimately their power.

 

 

Blaxploitation

By Alice and Hannah

Blaxploitation films were a small collection of action films, made specifically for black audiences, in the 1970’s. In this time, these films were the first of their kind as Hollywood was dominated by white actors, directors and filmmakers. Because of this post war time period, an economic crisis affected America and this extended to Hollywood. Hollywood were then looking to expand their audience to counterbalance this economic crisis and so to ensure they were making as much profit as possible. This opened a window for black filmmakers and directors to enter Hollywood as the previously white dominated Hollywood was interested in opening its doors to black audiences. Prior to this, black cinema did exist, in the form of integration pictures, these looked to portray the problem of racial integration. In these films, the main protagonist was an ‘ebony saint’ who was a black character seen as non-threatening to predominantly white audiences. These characters were often high achieving, non-violent and long suffering and so fit in with the racial stereotypes of how whites in society viewed black ethnic minorities. The purpose of these films were to reassure white audiences that integration was a good thing and that African Americans did not pose as a threat to white dominated societies.

 

With this understanding of the time, we can see how Blaxploitation films challenged the patterns of ‘black films’ previously seen in cinema. These films showed African Americans in new lights to audiences. Instead of the traditional ‘ebony saint’ protagonist we were shown tougher and more confident black protagonists. We can see this well in films such as ‘Shaft’ and ‘Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Song’ by looking at the way that these characters move and hold themselves and interact with other characters. Because of this these films were very much a hit with black audiences as they could now relate more to the main characters in films as how they viewed themselves and others in their community. The black audience were somewhat empowered.

 

In these films, female characters are usually passive and secondary to the main character, they are seen as traditional stereotypes of black women who are depicted as objects of desire. However, there is also a selection of Blaxploitation films with black female protagonists, such as ‘Coffy’ or ‘Foxy Brown’. These characters challenged the stereotypical roles of black women in this time period as, for the first time on screen, they were seen as dominating and powerful yet demonstrative and able to use their sexuality to get what they wanted. These female characters were shown in this light again due to the post war time period, in which many women were left to fend for themselves and become the main breadwinner of the family. This was shocking to the white world as African Americans were already seen as an inferior race, especially in terms of women, and so these characters challenged stereotypical views of African Americans of the time.

 

Due to these new representations of black characters, black audiences were able to relate more to these films and so they became a big hit. Hollywood succeeded in expanding its audiences to include a wider array of ethnic minorities in society.

 

 

The Krays, the Godfather Parts I and II, and Mean Streets

By Helen, Olivia and Chelsea

One of the main themes that recurs through these films, along with the gangster rhetoric and crime, is one of nostalgia for community and previous urban landscapes.

The Krays (1990), directed by Peter Medak is set in London’s East End during the 1950’s and 1960’s. The film is based on the life of the Kray Twins, notorious gangsters and part of The Firm, known for their life of glamour and crime. The Krays reflects a family melodrama more than a crime or gangster film. This is shown through one of the main story lines being the relationship between the strong working class-mother Violet (Billie Whitelaw), a key trope to British national identity and her monstrous sons. Violet adapts a Thatcherite stance on success, believing reward will come to those who succeed through individual initiative, and this is reflected in the actions of her sons. The film follows a chronological structure using dates on screen to trace key moments of The Kray twins lives. The way in which nostalgia for community is shown is not only through the mother-son relationship but also through the story of the twins’ lives. It is told and set through a combination of culture and location. For example through the terraced houses symbolising matriarchy and the enmeshment of this with iconic East End tales: that of the Blitz and Jack the Ripper. The images of Bethnal Green tube station is a symbol of cockney resistance during the Blitz, which is one of the most significant images of British national identity during that time. Nostalgia for community is further enhanced during a scene in which the twins grandfather is telling them stories of Jack the Ripper and how the bloodstains from his hands still persist on the streets of the East End. However, we know that as a result of city money and tourism and the legends of Jack the Ripper and the Kray Twins, gentrification and the valorization of London’s ‘dark heritage’ has made the prices soar.

Nostalgia for community, specifically ‘Little Italy’, is also shown in the Godfather Part I. The Godfather (1972), directed by Francis Ford Coppola puts emphasis on family, ethnicity and class. Part 1 tells Don Vito Corleone’s story who is the boss of Mafia family and has great power in the community. The film starts with a notion ‘I believe in America’, with the black scene background. This shows that the story is based on ‘darkness’; with themes of crime, gangster and drug culture. The interaction between Corleone and Bonasera takes place in the beginning of the film; Bonasera is asking for help in order to fight against American Justice system and give his daughter equal treatment. Because his daughter was beaten by her American boyfriend, the American only received a suspended jail sentence. The Godfather promises to use ‘Sicilian justice’ to punish the American, which links them with the old country and shows nostalgia. ‘Sicilian justice’ takes place many times in the film. Corleone helps his son-in-law who is a singer in a band to stop the contact relationship with the bandleader through threatening the bandleader. This process is similar that with which he helped Johnny get the chance of acting in a Hollywood movie. The theme of nostalgia is also expressed in other scenes. The Godfather met four people that day and three of them are seeking help of Corleone. Corleone promises to help all of them because of the Sicilian custom that he should accept any requirements on his daughter’s wedding day.

Similarly to the the previous films, Mean Streets (1973), directed by Martin Scorsese, depicts a time of nostalgia. Mean Streets is filmed in a documentary like style and the majority of scenes take place in the church, Tony’s bar and of course, the streets. Unlike The Godfather and The Krays, Mean Streets is not a typical gangster film, it is set in the time of early neo-liberalism (whilst deploying Italian neo-realist techniques) and focuses on the day to day lives of the characters and the social/cultural climate in which they live. The San Gennaro Festival (see above) holds a big importance in Little Italy, it was a place where people could gather, creating a sense of community identity and cohesion. The festival is shown in both The Godfather and Mean Streets, with the scene in Mean Streets being set roughly half a century later; there are similarities but the image of the festival shows the degradation of public urban space and ethnicity is depicted almost as a factor of trade within the market as it is looked upon touristically, thus highlighting nostalgia for ethnic cohesion and previous ways of life. Neither of the characters Charlie or Michael Corleone are able to achieve a sense of community, a loss of family and ethnic cohesion. Throughout all the films here is the underlying theme of postmodern market trade taking over any sense of community, which in turn leads to nostalgia.

 

The Krays (Peter Medak, 1990)

By Katie Sheehy and Rosie Poliquin-Hill

The Krays, directed by Peter Medak in 1990 gives a nostalgic portrayal of East end London during the 1950’s and 60’s. Ronnie and Reggie Kray were crazed white working class boys who turned into gangsters controlling all of East London.

 

While the film shows the violent exploits and criminal activities of the twins, the film also focuses on the nostalgic longing for the close knit working class community, that once occupied the vast terraced streets of the East End. The entirety of the film set is based on the terraced slums that once stood before they were destroyed during urban renewal projects in the late 60’s. The film tries to capture the sense of community spirt and solidarity that once thrived here under the Krays rule and the longing to return to those glory days. Although the Krays reputation is notoriously violent they both have a very strong sense of family loyalty and protection, especially regarding their mother, Violet Kray. The film portrays Violet as a devoted mother with unconditional love for her monstrous sons.

Ronnie and Reggie were a symbol of working class social mobility as they were able to mix with the elites of society including politicians, films stars and club owners. The twins were able to portray themselves as local celebrities or sports men rather than criminal gangstas. Their criminal undertakings seemed legitimised due to their image as protectors of the poor and their community. While their violence remained discrete they were tolerated by the police for nearly 17 years until this came to an end when mental illness and homosexuality became very apparent, which was unacceptable for the time. The twins were able to enforce an informal but pervasive form of social control over London. The film reduces the conflict within the working class Kray community and shows the majority seemingly content with their social position without any rebellion against the Krays, which was unrealistic.

LEGEND vs The Krays

By Sev and Lea

The Krays (1990) vs Legend (2015): two films that are not only cinematically complex but sociologically interesting. The gangster is a symbol of class mobility. The gangster is a symbol of class movement that rejects the powerful elites and plays its own game. The gangster puts family first. And women? They’re left out of the wars.

Based on the infamous Kray twins, Legend (2015) and The Krays (1990) explores the workings of Ronnie and Reggie Kray in 1960’s East London. Both films open to the voice over of a sad and yet proud woman, setting the story that is about the unfold. In Legend, this voice says:

“London in the 1960s. Everyone had a story about the Krays. You could walk into any pub to hear a lie or two about them […] Gangster princes of the city they meant to conquer”.

It is later revealed that this is the melancholic voice of Shea Frances, Reggie Kray’s love. However, in The Krays the voice is of their mother – Violet. A woman strong in her love for her children. She says:

“[…] My dream? […] I looked after this egg and kept it safe […] out came two boys and they were mine.”

Both films explore the opposition of the traditional working class male to the acceptance of homosexuality and modernity of the 60s. By adhering to the traditional expectations of a powerful, gangster male, they fulfilled a relatively accepted role in society. Yet, homosexuality and mental health always created a dark shadow over their reputation.  In both films, homophobia and homosexuality come into play. Mental health and institutionalisation also takes a significant role in the building and solidifying of Ronnie’s character. And the thirst for power and male domination continuously teases the fine line Reggie creates between his love for Shea and his love for his throne as one of the princes of London in leged, and the love he has for his mother in The Krays.

Both films highlight male domination and the power of twiness. As Jenks and Lorentzen (2007) highlight, “only the Krays possessed the primal bond of absolute complementarity and allure” (p. 91). This is something only twins can have, and these twins held a myriad of power, allure and ultimate “oneness” (ibid., p. 92).  And thus, the power of the gangster is highlighted with Reggie and Ronnie’s sameness – they are one to force to reckon with.

Relating to this unbreakable bond between the twins, power is also portrayed in a number of ways that strongly relate to gender, as well as class. Violet (The Krays) is shown to be one of their most important influences throughout the movie yet she is almost never depicted outside of the walls of her home. All her power seems to stem from her identity as a mother, and this is in line with the rest of her female relations, who all seem to adhere to matriarchal hierarchy. However, Shea (Legend) is continuously depicted outside of the home, and has no influence over Reggie and Ronnie’s activities.

In contrast, in both films, the twin’s power exclusively originates from violence and is continuously portrayed as always trumping the power that the women have, if they hold any. Yet the violence of their actions in East London, which the movie hardly leaves at all, is contrasted with the image of benevolence that the brothers seem to carefully craft and maintain through seemingly acts of paternal care towards the people in the East End if they side with them in their ruling of London.

It could be argued that the Kray brothers had such success, because of the structure which their power adhered to, as well as the extent of their violence. It seems that their criminal activities were tolerated as long as they fitted within the understanding of how a working class male from east London should behave. To conclude, the gangster is a symbol of class mobility. Matriarchs are worshipped and wives left in isolation. Twins dominating the East End, The Krays and Legend highlight that it’s a dog eat dog world, hurting anyone as long as they have each other.