Definition of Film Theory - Movie Review Example

FILM THEORY By Introduction Film theory in an academic context defines the exploration in essence of film/cinema and establishes strategies to make understandable the relationship of the latter to real life, to viewers, and to the general society. Concisely, it is the study of the relationship of film to real life. The theory bases is concepts on the notion that nothing comes from nowhere, and for that reason, there must be some influence that leads to production of a film or cinema. This text will focus on film theory regarding its role in highlighting key consequences post-colonialism with regards to warfare and feminism. It will discuss both the negative and positive depictions and understanding of the period as film portrays it, and what effects these had on real life. The post-colonial film theory looks to investigate on how a film bases its development of a context of the colonial past, in addition to how the understanding of the past works in creating an understanding in the real world. In short, it is the study of how colonialism in different cultures influenced and still influences “ideas” used in creating film or cinema. For instance, it may highlight how the cultures in the west view eastern cultures. The Battle of Algiers effectively exhibits a perfect representation of post-colonialism theory in film, basing this fact on that it represented the Algerian War of nineteen fifty-four to nineteen sixty-two that spiraled between the Algiers and (colonialist) French Government in the North African state. The film, directed by Gillo Pontercorvo takes the viewers through Algeria’s battle against the French into independence, and specifically when the colonizers tried to regain power. The Algiers employed guerilla fighting strategies whereas the French used mainly paratroopers in the gruesome standoff (Solinas n.d., n.p.). It is however not clear what the filmic representation wanted to highlight although many reviews highlight anti-guerilla tactics, use of torture, counter-terrorism measures, or generally the as-it-was scenarios in colonial times. According to Kaufman (2003, n.p.), the ancient film portrayed mainly two aspects of warfare, and that is radicalism as used in terrorism, and use of torture in countering the vice. Reflecting on how children and women were employed in executing the French, this is being referred to modern day’s terrorist tactics which according to Kaufman is “… a people’s war where fighters emerge from… ordinary lives to mount attacks… then retreat to the cover of their everyday lives.” In countering this, the French employed ground surveillance to gather intelligence on impending attacks and that is how they were able to subdue their rival Algiers. Apart from highlighting the anti-guerilla tactics, The Battle of Algiers film addressed the issue of torture or excessive force, brutality, and outright murder as used by the French (Rothbart 2000, n.p.). The argument is that bearing in mind that they were invaders, why would the French apply such cruelty in crippling a state in its own shell? The film highlights this by showing tank fires, bombings, civilian torture and mass killings in a rather inhumane manner (Crowther 1967, n.p.), events that sparked scandals back in France, tarnishing the dignity of the French army, and world states coming in to support the liberation of Algeria. In support of the same, Freund (2003, p.1-2) brings in another perspective of what war should not be. It agrees to the fact that the French might have won the war against the FLA but they were later driven out of the territory, translating to their losing the battle. In a real life scenario, it aims at explaining that whereas war against vices such as terrorism require action, using terror might not work, but may lead to losing in fighting them. Rather, it suggests, decent and strategical tactics such as the explosion of spontaneous collective resistances by the Algiers that drove out the French are the key to winning. Away from torture and terrorism, The Battle of Algiers film brought into focus a new perspective of the female figure, prompting a more positively vivid and stronger face of feminism. Similar to all other pre-colonial eras, women (females) always took to domestic and other “light” tasks, with much complex and “tougher” tasks being reserved for their male counterparts. Concisely, she was the passive gender. However the film surprises many when Algerian women took part in the standoff where the men could not do without their help. This was after French forces setup security check points to screen for Algerian rebels thus prevent surprise attacks on their strongholds. The women decided to feign European looks so they could gain access to the European bases, which they easily did by dyeing after cutting their hair to look like the western ladies. This saw many dense-traffic areas and settlements go up in explosions from bombs planted by the women. In addition, they served in non-military tasks by nursing the wounded, as laundresses, and cooks to the Algerian fighters (Jos 2009, n.p.). This depiction of the female figure as transforming and matching roles with their male counterparts is supportive that this film was conscious of post-colonialism with a significant regard for the feminist film theory. Hayward (2000, p.127) acknowledges that film indeed popularizes the theory, and that Western influences commencing from the nineteen-eighties are responsible for the new trends. This, she adds, has seen otherwise undermined feminine cultures especially in Asian and Black contexts take to embracing the elevation of the female figure in film. She states, “… black and white women are being heard and seen on the screen… in growing numbers. In conclusion, Hayward however calls for more to be done in dealing with the cultural and social experiences that women go through. Rohloff (2012, p.5) argues that despite the fact that femininity acquired some elevated role in the film such as women taking place in real standoffs and supporting the men, the outdated notion of them being unequal to men still exhibited itself in The Battle of Algiers. In support of this, she states that one, the airplay allocated to the said female ‘heroic’ roles was too minimal as compared to the men’s, in addition to that much of the conversations involved men, and not women. In addition to these, she claims that when some women had university-level education, this was not highlighted in the film, as seen in the case of Hassiba Ben Bouali, a female activist who achieved such. This, she concludes, was sufficient evidence that despite the film’s effectiveness in elevating a positive feminine perspective, that was a missed point that almost cost it that special attribution. Conclusion In summary, and according to Lapsey and Westlake (2006, p.6-7), film depends on theory for it to succeed in the director’s and viewer/ audiences’ part as well. From the above discussion text, the film is seen representing current issues borrowed from ancient age occurrences, which in this case is the Algerian War. The film borrows themes from a real event, and goes on to create itself on an almost-similar platform. The derivation from this is that all film has to come from an occurrence, thus theory, which the creator bases his/her arguments on. In addition to the director’s explanation thus storyline of a film, the viewer or audience’s perspective applies as well. What this means is that how the viewer interprets the film on the screen will rely on their internalized beliefs towards a similar occurrence, and this enables them to see some sense in the film. In conclusion, it is correct to state that film theory is that concept in the director through which a film is created, and also that belief of the viewer that makes them see what sense the film portrays. In a nutshell, film theory gives understanding, thus sense, to a film. Bibliography Crowther, B 1967, “The Battle of Algiers”, The New York Times. Available at http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F05E7DF1238E53BBC4951DFBF66838C679EDE [Accessed 9 March, 2014]. Freund, CP 2003, “The Pentagon’s Film Festival”, Slate. Available at http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2003/08/the_pentagons_film_festival.2.html [Accessed 9 March, 2014]. Hayward, S 2000, Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts. Psychology Press. Jos 2009, “Women and revolutionary violence in the Battle of Algiers and Inglorious Basterds”, Feministing. Available at http://feministing.com/2009/09/16/women-and-revolutionary-violence-in-the-battle-of-algiers-and-inglourious-basterds/ [Accessed 9 March, 2014]. Kaufman, TW 2003, “What Does the Pentagon See in ‘Battle of Algiers’?”, Rialto Pictures. Available at http://www.rialtopictures.com/eyes_xtras/battle_times.html [Accessed 9 March, 2014]. Lapsley, R., & Westlake, M. 2006, Film theory: an introduction. Manchester, UK, Manchester University Press. Rohloff, C 2012, Reality and Representation of Algerian Women: The Complex Dynamic of Heroines and Repressed Women. Illinois Weslayan University. Rothbart, D 2000, Gillo Ponte and the Cinema Revolution, Available at http://semioticstreet.com/pontecorvo.html [Accessed 9 March, 2014]. Solinas F n.p., “The Battle of Algiers”, The Daily Script. Available at http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/boa.html[Accessed 9 March, 2014]. Read More