(I do have to quibble with Criterion for translating “Astérix” and “Obélix” as “Charlie Brown” and “Snoopy”; that comparison is a stretch. Small details that still resonate with me: the clear discomfort of the rookie cop getting mentored by the guy torturing Saïd and Hubert; the Russian roulette; the bad way they learn of Abdel’s fate. Unlike most recent films in the same genre, La Haine is shot in black and white. May watch it again…. One could look from a broader perspective and see that La Haine reflects an older tradition of shooting social realist dramas such as A Taste in Honey in black and white. They, rightly, don’t trust anyone. No longer are the streets catwalks for expensive jewelry and clothing. However, what is most striking about this film is the psychological violence done to the boys. La Haine, which is shot in washed-out black and white, won the directing award at Cannes, and Kassovitz is indeed a natural behind the camera. Black and white is a great description of the streets and the attitudes of those who inhabit them. All the cast are superb particularly Cassell – the French De Niro. Gun: only one of them, adds more value To enhance a sense of realism by linking it with the real footage from news reports shown in the opening credits. Non mainstream black – not into violence, takes a subdued, pacifistic approach. Also started a real love for world cinema. Filming in black and white, 28 year-old Director Mathieu Kassovitz gets credit for containing the contrast. "We are all children of 'La Haine'," he told AFP. But the riots and the violent confrontation between the police and young people is placed within a much longer socio-historical context. Shot in stark black-and-white, La Haine shows us a much harsher side to Paris than the romantic visions we’re used to seeing in Hollywood movies. He described how his friend went for a shit when allowed off a train during the deportations of World War 2. Alain Juppé had the right idea. The film depicts approximately 20 consecutive hours in the lives of three friends in their early twenties from immigrant families living in an Absolutely stunning film. His imitation of De Niro’s Travis Bickle is hilarious and sobering as he experiences the limitations of his idealistic views of masculinity. Sometimes the power of understatement is what it takes to point out something so egregious that it would be far better if it weren’t true. La Haine achieves this 'Jewish' self-reflexivity most effectively by highlighting the problematic relationship its arguably most fully realized character, Vinz (a working-class Ashkenazi Jew), entertains to his more visibly ethnic friends Saı¨d (an Arab) and Hubert (a black African). The use of a multicultural minority cast allows for the film to address … To enhance a sense of realism by linking it with the real footage from news reports shown in the opening credits. We must remember that there are always children watching. It removes the romanticism of the City of Lights. However, La Haine uses black and white cinematography to enhance this realism by linking it with the real footage from news reports shown in the opening credits. One of my best French cinema movie of all time. It operates independently with the writers collaboratively building and maintaining the platform. Have you watched Engrenages? Close up, juxtaposed with temporal reflexivity and confused facial expressions. Reversal of Stereotypes. Sometimes the power of understatement is what it takes to point out something so egregious that it would be far better if it weren’t true. 5, 1995. This could be a procedural about the French police force’s endless crusade against crime in the suburbs around Paris. The scenes with the police were undeniably hard to watch. It also adds to the bleak, dull life that the youths enrol More striking and less emotional . “Said isn’t a french name” Arab sympathise with him most, outsider. Each of these scenes is brutal, but lack the Michael Bay flair of loud explosions and death defying stunts. Leahy, J., "The Children of Godard and ... Kassovitz' choice to shoot the film in black-and-white is appropriate, as the lack of an on-screen color palette helps to stress the bleakness and sterility of his characters' surroundings. The film was shot in black and white, which immediately gives La Haine a sense of authenticity with a gritty and realistic look. It’s a testament to the inevitable that occurs when anger takes over at nearly every social level and how using hatred as a retaliation just causes a cycle…of hatred. Kassowitz wanted the film to … ), lemme ftfy, the film’s title is “A Taste Honey” -falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus. Then, there is the retaliation by Hubert, revolver in hand. Costume – youths are wearing tracksuits whilst others in smart formal wear. The color of the streets matches the way that the boys view their home, not a sanctuary or a shining beacon of culture, but a place of struggle and sharp divisions almost as distinctive as the colors black and white. Unlike most recent films in the same genre, La Haine is shot in black and white. Kassovitz is re-releasing the gritty black-and-white film about three young men from the high-rises -- which launched the career of Vincent Cassel -- next month in France as the country grapples with another spate of police brutality cases. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Violence affects everything that happens to people in the suburbs, and it’s cost is staggering. There is no place for these boys in French society, and they know it. As Kassovitz’s film gained awards from the highest echelons of the cinematic world, he received constant criticism for being “anti-police”, going so far as to antagonize one of the most powerful people in France, President Sarkozy. There’s no need for special effects. There is no escape from the violence in the streets, in the mind, and in the eyes of others. I remember it being a superb and electric film when I saw it, but my guess is that it’s all a bit rap video these days (films about youth culture and by youths usually have a short shelf-life). If one is to avoid such blindness, films like La Haine should be praised not put down. Set in outskirts of Paris – Les Banlieues  (urban estate). Yet, it’s three ordinary boys living the slums near Paris who take the stage in the film. First off, the decision to shoot the film in black and white has meaning. Even the title–“the hate”, an unnatural, albeit unusually understandable, phrase in English–conveys volumes about the language these characters use, how it shapes their culture, and how their culture shapes it. This caused Riots throughout France – which are shown in the opening scene of La Haine. Like Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing (1989), La Haine was born from real-life injustices – the deaths of young ethnic-minority men at the hands of police. It’s real, it’s happening, and people are dying. Excellent film. Active Oldest Votes. There’s the less than gentle hassles with the police as well as the torture in the police offices. And blamed because it’s easy and they don’t fight back (that hard anyway). I haven’t seen this film and infact I have never heard of it. In most films, present action supersedes future consequence. Studied this for AS level French and had to right a piece on it and how the French government should look to this, as well as music (Disiz La Peste) and listen to what these communities were crying out for. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In France, Mathieu Kassovitz's "Hate" ("La Haine"), is the best-known and most successful of a new genre known as "banlieue" films, a reference to their settings in … A superb film. It’s only grown on me since I first saw it, and it’s only dated better (speaking from the American perspective). I have worked with street people for decades and everything to them is black and white. and great to see it has a greater urgency and meaning behind it, rather than just being someone’s personal political vision. Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by … A far cry from the golden City of Love we normally see on the big screen, “La Haine” captures the urban realism of its setting through stark black-and-white cinematography… But I am now definitely going to find it and watch it. My own opinion is that it represents the idea of seeing the world in black and white. It would be a good movie for today’s twitter morons to watch because everyone seems to think that there needs to be a bad guy, usually the cops. I saw this at the Ritzy in Brixton in 1995. Watched it again not long ago. French fella here! La Haine has its moments of physical violence. One of the few films I have seen at the cinema where everyone leaves in silence after being blown away. Great movie, watched it when I was about 15 a year or two after its release. Don’t take their work seriously enough, Police shown to have more power – looking up at them as they stand, “Said is not a french name” – isolation and racism, Abusing power and responsibility – both youths are innocent. Animalistic, Police: able to arrest innocent people and kill them – abuse their power, Rich: They have more power than ethnic minorities – art gallery, Hubert: May be seen as most powerful out of the 3, alpha male and mature, Les Banlieues: Graffiti on walls, empty and lifeless, Isolation: The youths have nothing to do all day – slow narrative emphasised by clock that appears on screen, No education:”I didn’t go to school, I was brought up on the streets”, Resulting into crime to provide : Hubert drug dealing as well as Said stealing hotdog, Rich vs Poor: Art Gala scene is very aggressive “troubled youths”, Internal conflict – drug dealing and Hubert. Definitely opened my eyes to social issues and got me interested in politics. Prove you are human, type cats in singular form below: How Time Loop Movies Have Avoided Their Own Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation: The Sounds of Silence, Hollywood’s Fascination with Silence and Horror, Cinematic Vampires: From Shadows to Spotlight, Maternal Horror Films: Understanding the ‘Dysfunctional’ Mother. But La Haine was not dry sermonising, it was a proper coup de cinéma. The only stunt is the struggle to survive. S hot in black and white, La Haine, Mathieu Kassovitz’s 1995 film, follows the listless routine of three friends over a 19-hour period. A line-by-line linguistic analysis of this would be well worth reading. Artily shot in black and white, La Haine showed what immigrant life was like beyond the chic arrondissements – and it became a cult classic. The movie’s called HATE for a reason. There is constant rejection from high society in Paris, whether in the museum or in the street. From shooting on location in France, the audience can really get a feel for the living conditions and increases the believability and realism dramatically. It also adds to the bleak, dull life that the youths enrol More striking and less emotional. Rather, their unnatural ability to see through the structures of society is gained earlier than most. There are no shootouts or last stands. The suspicion of others causes them to be doubly careful. My late French professor, Mr. Kight, who turned me on to this, confessed to the class that even he had to watch this with subtitles. Impulsive Behaviour –  always on edge. A Jew, a Muslim Arab, and a Black African are born into a traditionally European, White, and Catholic community; such is the premise of La Haine (“Hate”), a film by French actor, producer, screenwriter and director Mathieu Kassovitz. It explores similar themes to those any follow up to La Haines would. It features steadicam movement with long flowing shots following characters through their environment. … When police go too far, people in the suburbs (that's where the projects are in France’s cities) riot. Following a major riot in which a local teenager, Abdel, is critically wounded by the police, Vinz, the most volatile of the group, vows that if Abdel dies he will kill a cop to get even. As Kassovitz stated in an interview with The Guardian, “La Haine is about police brutality.”. Interesting article, good read. An incendiary cinema experience. When a young Arab is arrested and beaten unconscious by police, a riot erupts in the notoriously violent suburbs outside of Paris. It was impactful to see both how the boys reacted to the story, and to the old man specifically, and the applicability of the old man’s story to the boy’s lives as well, which is of course his intention, as he overheard them in the bathroom while they were arguing. Instead of a consistent theme of polemics, he shoots a grayish, subtler shading. We know that they do not belong here… Conflict will occur. The film tells the story of three The violence in La Haine doesn’t need special effects to prove a point. One of the more immediate effects of the monochromatic … Art Gallery – associated with high culture, upperclass people. “Hatred breeds hatred,” so Hubert says. Think I’ll go out and buy it for myself now. When there is another shooting or stabbing in the slums of our own societies, one is left to wonder, how did we fail to see it coming? One of the more striking aspects of the “hood” or banlieue film, La Haine (literally, “the hate”), is the choice of protagonists. La Haine uses black and white cinematography to enhance a sense of realism by linking it with the real footage from news reports shown in the opening credits. Battle Royale & The Raid round out my top three. Cinematically Mathieu Kassovitz brilliantly reflects and enhances the narrative of La Haine. Within French society, French police have been known to kill innocent, young, French minorities by accident. The train went off without him and he froze to death. The windows lose their luminescence, and more importantly, the boys are in clear view, just wanderers in this bleak place. I really need to see it again some time soon. I love the descriptions of the social environment of La Haine. Le Haine is an excellent film, a follow up would be interesting, especially if it explores the Islamic angle. Vinz would no doubt would be a fan of the handsome John-Waynesque cowboy of Westerns. One of recent cinema’s best executed time bombs. La Haine came out in 1995 and it is extremely realistic IMHO. This is only one possible reason for the choice. Follows Vinz and Hubert as an annoying little brother, Audience positioned behind the police – safety NOT TRUE, “Justice for Makome” – graffiti on wall Social Context, Represents the ethnic minorities as antagonists, Bob Marley “Burning and Looting” – Non diegetic sound track fits well with scenes being shown, Police are protected with weapons and government, Introduces the theme of conflict and power, Cinematography: Zoom in on Vinz’ face through mirror from behind his shoulder, Reference from Taxi Scene starring Robert De Niro INTERTEXTUALITY, Obsession with the gun – thinks it will solve all his problems, Editing – sound of gunshot creates tension and shock to audience as it is unexpected, Wearing nothing but a chain around neck and silver watch – gangster like impression, Lack of cuts in scene = freedom, fluidity and safety, as well as realism, minimal editing and lots of camera movement – less of a construct, Said steals hot dog – poverty cant afford one buck. The stir La Haine caused was, in part, due to its controversial subject matter - les banlieues (the suburbs) - which had, since the 1980s, become synonymous with France's major problems of unemployment, social exclusion, racial conflict, (sub)urban decay, criminality and violence. One of the most heard about cases is Makome M’Bowle, a young back man who was “accidentally shot” whilst in police custody, chained to a radiator. Stand out a lot, Performance: Sitting on floor slouching on art work, don’t know how to behave, When in food table, they eat the food fast, as if they are starving. "We succeeded in making a film about society," he said. It seeps through the boys’ identities and lives. The scene with the decks set up at the window and the camera flyover is unforgettable. Black and white is the color of glamour cinematography. The Artifice is an online magazine that covers a wide spectrum of art forms. There’s the fight with the skinheads in the street, where Hubert and Said are beaten by maniacs. The film opens to the cry of “Murderers!” as documentary footage records a protester’s front line confrontation with riot police. They don’t have the luxury of ‘maybe’s’ or ‘I suppose.’ Punching bags I see as more of a metaphor for life on the streets, and being at societies mercy, being blamed for the ills of the city or of the neighbourhood. It was also due, in part, to its negative portrayal of the police who, with the exception of one officer of North African descent, are … What is the place of psychological horror and thriller in a world gone ‘mad’? The police can’t be trusted. Stuck in a cycle of crime – can’t escape no matter how hard he tries to leave. That only Vincent Cassel became a household name after this is criminal. Themes in La Haine. Within France, there is a split division between the rich and the poor. There’s nothing funny or glamorous about death. For some reason, the strange anecdote told by the old man in the pub toilet has stuck in my mind. La Haine was to some extent based on an actual event: the death of an 18-year-old black youth shot dead during interrogation by police in 1992. It is or it isn’t. 13. This could be an investigative journalist’s moment to expose the lies about the despair of the mostly displaced refugee communities outside of the city, Spotlight style, with all the glam and glitz of All the President’s Men. Frances Ha was filmed digitally (Color) and in black and white, and was done in b&w to evoke reminisces of movies such as Woody Allen's Manhattan, or works by Truffaut. No escape, Vinz talks to Hubert about jail and help – Vinz feels he doesn’t want to do community service as community don’t help him, Vinz gives gun to Hubert – responsible and may need it more in his new business, Hubert is forced into violence – inevitability like KON, Gun = power being handed over Hubert is alpha male, deep focus and no cuts ‘ build up of tension, Tracking hot of Hubert – as he moves quicker so does the camera bilding up dramatic tension, Narrative shock – Vinz getting shot – audience left speechless TARANTINO, Mirrors the innocent deaths of other minorities by police in France, Ambiguous ending, Non Mainstream – audience left to decide for themselves  who was shot, Said squints his eyes –  childish waiting for an end, Deep focus on police – showing they are ever present, objective viewpoint – forced to watch and be on the police’s side  HELPLESS, Poster on walls of semi naked women, as well as beer bottles in the police office – informal and unprofessional. One of the more immediate effects of the monochromatic choice of colors is the more serious tone of the film. The cinematography in La Haine is poetic; the black and white makes the film an artistic interpretation of what could be called a “Hood” film. Want to write about Film or other art forms? La Haine is an expression of Kassovitz’s attitudes towards social class, economic and political ideologies and the rift between figures of authority and individuals in the deprived banlieues of Paris. Converted to elegiac black-and-white in post-production, quoting brass-balled Hollywood movies such … Vinz, Saïd and Hubert speak largely in “verlan”, a French vernacular that functions on switching syllable orders. Home > A Level and IB > Film Studies > La Haine - Why Black and White and The Issues Raised La Haine - Why Black and White and The Issues Raised 1.0 / 5 based on 1 rating La Haine is set in les banlieue, in the suburbs of Paris. 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