Messages and Values in Opening Scenes in The Krays

Message:

The Krays believed themselves to be invulnerable. This is evidenced during the playground scene, this is because they are walking through the playground pushing people out of their way and just pushing people for no reason. Another piece of evidence to show their invulnerability is during the National Service scene, this is because they walk out of National Service and punch the Drill Sargent.

The Krays family are very close. This is evidenced within the opening scenes as each member of the Kray family including the mother and her three daughters all live on the same street in East London. Other evidence to show this is also during the opening scenes is when the twins run in between their home and their Aunt Rose's home. 

The twins are very close to Violet. This is evidenced within the film during the air raid scene when everyone is in the tube station and using it as air raid shelter, this is because when a bomb falls the twins run directly to their mother and she tells them "no one would dare hurt you, they wouldn't dare with me around'. Other evidence to show this is after the boxing match when their injuries are being cleaned up, Violet tell the twins they aren't to fight each other, and they both apologies by kissing her hand.

The Krays have a lack of male role models. This is evidenced within the film because during the film the twins are hardly ever scene with their father, the only time the boys are shown with their father is when he is hiding from the police constable and they tell him " Our dads not stupid enough to hide in the coal cupboard, is he?" Also, the twins only ever really have a relationship with their grandfather when he leads them astray during the boxing match.

Value:

When people fear you it's good because you can do anything. This is evidenced during the hospital scene as Violet Kray tells the doctor that she is taking Ronnie home from the hospital, showing that she can do what she wants because she made the doctor fear her by threatening him with one of her sisters. Another piece of evidence to show this is during the end of the playground scene as the children who are playing around them begin to move out of their way from being around the twins as if they were moving out of the way of something that was going to hurt him.

Women had the real war. This is evidenced during the opening scenes when the police officer comes looking for the twins father and Violet says to him "If you find him, tell me, I've got three hungry mouths to feed". This is also evidenced during the same scene when Violet's mother says "a women's work is never done, Constable" and then when Violet says "housework is a dangerous occupation".

Family comes first. This is evidenced within the film as Reggie feels as if he needs to help Ronnie with the business, this is shown that after the honeymoon Reggie leaves his wife (Frances) in order to be able to go to a meeting with his brother. It is also shown when Violet asks her sister May if she's lost Reggie now he's married, and May tell her "What Reg, you know you'll always come first". 

Messages and Values that are developed or developed further in later scenes:

Ronnie's insanity. Ronnie's insanity becomes apparent later on in the film, this is shown through the pleasure he gets from killing people or hurting people, this is shown during the film when he is killing someone and has a smile on his face and is breathing heavily which shows he is getting pleasure from this.

Reggie smothering Frances (male domination). This is shown later in the film as Frances mood about marrying Reggie deteriorates, leading to her killing herself, this is shown in the film when Frances is talking to Violet and is telling her that she doesn't even know what she likes anymore she only know what Reggie likes.

The failure of the police to control the criminal activity. The twins in the film never seem to be caught until the very end. The community never tell the police about the things the Krays did. An example of this is when Ronnie shot Cornel in broad daylight and was not caught, another example of this is when they take the machine guns into the pub in broad daylight and they are never caught.

Male/Female relations. Most of the women believe they had it worse during the war than men, Violets mother says "men are born boys and stay boys", she also says this after the boxing match when Violets mum is shouting at Violets dad about leading them a stray and causing them to fight each other. 

Ellie's Female Representations on The Krays

Female And Male Representations (The Krays)

Females:

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.

Female And Male Representations (The Krays)

Females:

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.

Male and Female Representations

Male Representations Within The Krays

Male:
Outline some of the main male and masculine stereotypes that exist in the media broadly.
Within the media today, the main male and masculine stereotypes that exist are that the main male roles within today's society is that males are the main provider (breadwinner) for their families, another media stereotype of males within today's society is that they are always the bosses of businesses and are always the highest earners. Another media stereotype of males within the media is that they are always the ones who manage the money of the households or manages the bills and financial elements. Also, a media stereotype is that males are usually the more dominant and assertive of the genders, who engage in violence or wagering and have more control over things rather that females. Also, a male stereotypes within the media is that within many horror, action or thriller films males are always shown as the hero of the hour and always save the day or save the 'damsel' in distress which are usually the female characters, showing the male dominance over women. A final media stereotype of males is that within the news most of the hooliganism or football fights are usually shown as being male, this is one of the main negative male stereotype that is shown within the media. 

How are Reginald and Ronnie (and other male characters) represented in The Krays? (Give specific examples)
Within the film The Krays, Reginald is represented as being very business orientate and being tough and still violent but not as violent as his brother, however Reginald is also shown as being very sensitive and emotional, within the film Reginald is also shown as being very protective over Frances. Reginald Kray is very influenced by his brother, but he is not as violent as Ronnie, Reggie only uses violence when he need to, he also seems to use crime as a business, as a way to make money, this is shown within the film when Jack McVitie scams the twins, and Reggie lets him off, whereas Ronnie would of murdered him, during this scene Reggie tells Jack that he's lucky he was dealing with him and not his brother. During his childhood, Reggie Kray was "mollycoddled" by his mother and his aunts, this has lead him to feel as if he is invulnerable or untouchable by people from society. Reggie Kray treats his wife Frances in the same way his mother treated him, he is very over protective Frances, he buys her the dresses he likes, within the film Frances is speaking to Violet and tells her that she doesn't feel like her anymore, she doesn't know what music she likes, what films she likes, she even says that some mornings she wakes up and has to question herself on her own age and the kind of things she likes. Within the film Reggie is shown as having a very sensitive and emotional side, this is shown within first within the film when he first meets Frances, this is shown because he seems to be in complete awe of her and never wants anything to happen to her. The next time within the film that we see the emotional side of Reginald Kray is when his Aunt Rose dies, when this happens he his on his honeymoon, but completely breaks down next to the car completely distraught. The third time within the film that we see the emotional side of Reginald Kray is when Frances dies, when this happens he becomes a shell of his former self until Ronnie snaps him out of it. The lats time we see he be emotional is when his mother dies right at the very end of the film as he has lost the most prominent female figure in his life.
Within the film The Krays, Ronnie is represented as being of a psychopathic nature, very violent, however Ronnie does show a emotional side within this film. We see Ronnie's emotional side when his Aunt Rose dies, during this scene he tells his mother to get Reggie off his honeymoon, whilst being distraught, then he goes outside and completely loses it, he kicks bins over and screams for Reggie. Within the film, Ronnie uses his criminal and violent nature to help him satisfy his psychotic needs as he seems to use violence as a form of pleasure and he uses the infliction of pain on people as a way of fun, this is shown in the film during one of the opening scenes when he is in the club and he is pushing the sword through the mans hand, whilst he is doing this he has a smile on his face and is breathing heavily as a sign of satisfaction. During the film Ronnie Kray also shows a  affectionate side, this is  when he comes into work and finds to homeless boys in his office. Ronnie gives the boys money and tells one of his gang members to look after the boys and make sure they're safe and have a place to stay.

From the representations do the twins challenge or follow the stereotypes
Reggie Kray does challenge the stereotype of the 'typical' gangster, he does not walk around beating up people for no reason, he only uses violence when he needs to and he uses the criminal community as a business, he uses it to make money but also uses it to up his social status. He also challenges the stereotype as he has the softer side which is not seen with gangsters, he is gentle, calm and loving towards his mum, and to Frances he is passionate and loving, but is overly loving and begins to smother her, which leads her to begin to have break downs which eventually leads to her killing herself.

Ronnie Kray follows the  stereotypes of a 'typical' gangster, he enjoys the violence and the crime, you can see this through the heavy breathing of enjoyment whilst slicing peoples mouths or pushing the knife through the  mans hand, he also uses these violent aspects to help feed his psychotic nature. Also, Ronnie challenges the stereotype of a homosexual man, the typical stereotype of a homosexual man is to be very calm, very gentle and not engage in much violence. However, he challenges this as he his a very violent person, who seems to love taking part in violence and also he enjoys to engage in fights or crime. 

The Krays

What words would you use to describe the atmosphere (environment and setting) in the opening scenes?
Within the opening scenes of The Krays there is a  idea of a very closely bound community as everyone seems to know everyone and knowing what everyone is doing. Also, within the opening scenes of The Krays it shows how the Ronnie and Reggie Kray (Gary and Martain Kemp)  have been brought up being 'mollycoddled'  by the most prominent female characters in their lives, the most prominent female character is their mother, Violet Kray (Billie Whitelaw) this is because during the film there is a scene where the entire community is in a tube station during a air raid, during this scene a bomb is dropped and the twins run to Violet for protection, she tells the boys that no one is going to hurt them, they wouldn't dare whilst she is around. Another way the main female  character the 'mollycoddles' the boys is their Aunt Rose (Susan Fleetwood) , this is because she cares for the boys as if they were her own, she does this so much that she and her sister Violet is leading the boys onto the path of invulnerability and believing that they were untouchable so no could hurt them, this leads into the ideology that this was one of  reasons the boys turned to crime as they thought no one would touch cross them, so they were able to get away with anything.

How is a sense of community represented in the East End of London?
The sense of community shown in The Krays is represented in the  East End of London the very first opening scene where Violet Kray is in labour and all her family and friends are around her during this time. Also, the community in the East End is shown when the woman from across the street is cleaning her front door step, everybody seems shocked and makes a comment about it. The sense of community is also shown when everybody is down in the tube station during an air raid, it is shown when a large group of people are sat crowded around Cannonball Lee (Jimmy Jewel) whilst listening to him tell stories of Jack the Ripper. Also, the sense of community within The Krays  is represented in East London when  the twins and their friends are at the fair, this is because during the boxing match the entire community is their to watch and show suppourt towards the contestants.

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 Kray twins personalities have been shaped by the events and circumstances that  happen in the opening scenes of the film. The twins ever since they were young boys have always been very close to each other, this helped shape their personalities because within the film it is shown that they are like two halves of a whole and need each other to be able to function, this is shown within the film during the hospital scene when Ronnie Kray is in hospital and Violet comes to take him home,  she states that it isn't the hospitals medicine Ronnie needs to get better, it's Reggie. As the twins get older it is shown that they believe they are strong together and  have invulnerability, this is because the women in  their lives, mainly their mum and aunts, have  protected them and made them feel as if no one can touch them, this is shown in two scenes, the scene within the tube where Violet tells the twins  that no one would dare touch them, not whilst she's around and also in the scene after the boxing match where she tells the boys that the family don't fight each other, they fight the people outside. Also, the twins have a very protective attitude towards their mum, this is shown in the scene when Violet is fighting with their father Charlie Kray (Alfred Lynch), the boys stand up to protect Violet when Charlie goes the hit her.  

Micro analysis

Micro-analysis Of A Film Sequence Essay

The film I am analysing is Inception. The film is the directed by Christopher Nolan; it was released July 8^th 2010. The film is about the main male character Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief with the rare ability to enter people's dreams and steal their secrets from their subconscious. The clip I am using is the dream collapsing scene. The clip I am using is 3:48 minutes long, this occurs near the beginning of the film. The micro-elements I will be analysing are sound and mise-en-scene.

Mise-en-scene

The first micro-element I will be analysing is mise-en-scene. The props that are involved within this scene are: envelopes, guns, statues, bath, suites, dresses, rubble and the chair. Within the scene the settings within the scene are also unusual, the first scene that lasts most of the way through the scene is an interpretation of a Chinese Temple, the second scene that is shown within the film is a hotel room and bathroom within the city of Mombasa.

Within the scene, one of the props that is used are the envelopes, within this scene there are two envelopes both are a gold-copper colour, one contains blank paper and the other contains the confidential documents. The significance of the first envelope is to act as a decoy to stop Mal (Marion Cotillard) and Saito (Ken Watanabe) receiving the information that in enclosed within the real envelope, the first envelope contains blank paper. This shows that it acting as a decoy and also Saito’s reaction from finding the blank paper also shows that he has been deceived by Cobb, and feels he needs to get the other envelope containing the real information as a matter of urgency. the significance of the envelope within the film is to show the audience that Cobb is unable to find the most important information in the second envelope, however Saito knows what Cobb is planning to find but he allows him to continue his work as he is auditioning Cobb’s team for hi inception, also the envelope contains the expansion plans for Saito’s company, however Saito left out key information because of the audition.

Dances with Wolves Film Task

Why is Dancers with Wolves a western film?

Dancers with Wolves is a western film because it contains a wide range of signifiers with imply that it is a western. One signifier that implies that this film is a western is the themes that run throughout the film, one theme would be good vs bad which is seen within the film as the Sioux Tribe vs the American Army or Sioux vs Pawnee,  and also Stereotype vs Reality, this is seen in the film as the main male character stereotypes the Sioux as being violent but in reality they are friendly, after going onto the frontier alone and then meeting the tribe and becoming one of them, another theme that is presented within the film is betrayal because the American soldier felt as if he had been betrayed by the American army as he was left alone at the fort, also another theme presented within the theme  is the fear of the un-known as the soldier was afraid of the Sioux Tribe. Another signifier that the film is a western is the setting of the film, the film is set in the southern states of America within very baron landscape, these landscapes would now be maybe a town in Texas etc. Also, a signifier which shows that this film is a western are the characters that are in the film, the characters within the film are the Sioux Tribe, the cowboy who took the main male soldier to the frontier but was murdered by another tribe called the Pawnee, and also the outcomes of the American civil War between the northern and southern states of America.

How are Native Americans and White Americans represented?

The Sioux Native American Tribe were represented within the film as being friendly and not as savage as many people originally thought as Native Americans were stereotyped as savage, violent people. The Pawnee Native American Tribe are shown as the stereotypical view of Native Americans as within the film they are shown as a violent, savage tribe who show no mercy to White Americans or anyone who is not a Pawnee Tribe member. The main male character within the film is a White American soldier and is represented as being alone and lost. Throughout the film the way he is represented changes as he becomes more open with the Sioux Tribe members, and by the end of the film he becomes a member of the Sioux Tribe. The other White Americans within the film are the American Army, they are represented within the film on two accounts as being reckless and wanting to take over Native American land whatever the consequences of this, nearing the end of the film the American soldiers capture the main male White American and show him no mercy as he is now part of the Sioux Tribe, they are represented within this part of the film as being merciless and violent towards anyone they believe to be a Native American, however at the very end of the film the American Army join up with the Pawnee to try and find the Sioux Tribe and the main male character.

Do the representations of different cultures and conflict hold any messages for us today in modern life?

Within today's society there are many different conflicts, within the film the representations of the conflict are that instead of fighting or having a war, the Sioux Tribe and the main male character sit down and talk, they have discussions over each others way of life and how they could live peacefully side by side, this could give today's society the message that sitting down and talking about things is usually better than beginning a war. Another message that can be taken from the film is the spirit of adventure or exploration, this is shown within the film because the main male character has a adventurous spirit and wants to explore the a new area of his country he has never been to The Frontier, this gives us the message that today we should be exploring and not being afraid to see new things. Also, a message that can also be taken from the film is helping the environment, this because within the film the Sioux Tribe live of the land, they only kill as much buffalo as they need and only when they need it, they also use every part of the animal, the message that this would give today's society is that we should only use the resources (eg; trees or coal) when we need them and only take as much as we need, also we should always reuse things as much as we can as this will help the environment replenish and will not cause us as many problems.  Another message we could get from this film is the stopping of prejudice, this is shown in the film because the main male character sets out the film with the prejudice that all Native Americans are savages, however throughout the film his prejudice changes as he begins to get to know the Sioux Tribe and comes to learn that they are friendly, the message that this gives to our society is that you should get know people before you make prejudice re-marks or views.

How does the film represent the three constitutive contradictions that Rick Altman discusses in the passages?

Within the beginning of the film its represents the first contradiction of individual freedom and community action, it does this because in the beginning of the film John Dumbar is a loner, on his own at the fort on the frontier waiting for the American Army, however throughout the film he becomes a part of the Sioux Tribe and is no longer a loner. Also, within the film there are two Native American tribes the Pawnee and the Sioux, the Pawnee are a savage, unforgiving tribe of people, whereas the Sioux are a friendly un-violent tribe of people.
Within the film it also represents the second contradiction of respect for the environment and industrial growth, it does this because during the film it shows the Sioux tribe travelling on horseback - so there are no cars polluting the environment, living in wigwams and using very basic weapons, also the film shows the Sioux tribe hunting buffalo - they only kill the buffalo that they need and they use every single part of the animal so that nothing is wasted. Also, within the film it shows the industrial growth of America during this time, it shows the building of towns at the beginning of the film and it also shows the new weapons that are created such as rifles and pistols, also the Sioux tribe hunted the buffalo for their hides and pelts so they were able to sell them. 
Within the film it also represents the third contradiction of reverence for the past and desire to build a new future, it does this within the film as the Sioux tribe remember their forefathers and continue to do the traditional hunting and farming methods and also the Sioux tribe follow the traditional way of life as they still continue within the film to live in wigwams. Also, within the film there is a desire to build a new future as the American Army are pushing westwards through the frontier, also its shows the building of American cities and the industrialisation of America. 

Genre Research Task

Genre Research Task 

The genre I have chosen to research is horror. 

One of the many generic elements within horror films is dark lighting that is used. Dark lighting is used within horror films to create the fear factor and to give the audience a sense of anticipation and a slight sense of mystery, a film that defies this element of horror films  is The Shining, which uses light, open areas and uses the element tension through nothing to create the 'scare' factor and a fear of the unknown. Another generic element that is used within horror films is shadowing of rooms, faces and objects. Shadowing is used within horror films to create mystery and to make the audience wonder what it is, shadowing is also used to shadow the face of the antagonist to give them a demeaning exterior. Also, another generic element shown within horror films is that the females present in these films always are the victims. The usual themes within horror films are good vs bad, killers and victims etc. 

Horror films, are created to get a reaction out of an audience through the use off fear, shock, graphic scenes and 'jumpy' scenes. Also, fear of the unknown gains a reaction from the audience as usually the masked killers within horror films are shown as a true life representation that death will come to us  at any time.

Some horror films cross over with other genres of films, such as musical (Phantom of the Opera), sci-fi (Alien)  and love (Dracula). Horror links into sci-fi well because it helps create and extend the fear of the unknown for the audience 

Examples of Horror Films;

• The Conjuring.
• The Babadook.
• The Shining.
• A Nightmare on Elm Street.
• The Exorcist.
• The Mist.
• The Woman in Black.
• Scream