Choose a 5 minute scene and analyze it through the lens of a cultural context of your choice. Be sure to cover 2-3 cinematic elements in your analysis.
Rififi was made after a five-year period in Jules Dassin’s career in which he could not find work because he was blacklisted in the United States. In the scene where Tony and Jo go to a cafe, the fact that Tony was in prison for five years is mentioned several times, making this a major narrative point. Dassin said that he threw away most of the book because he hated it, so this detail was most likely something he added in. During those five years in which Tony, an ex-con, was in prison, the rest of his gang hadn’t done any big heists. This mirrors how Dassin was unemployed and was unable to find any movies to produce in the first five years after he was blacklisted. In this scene, Tony and Jo, as well as Mario later on, discuss how they have planned a big heist that they are calling their comeback. Their comeback after five years is comparable to how Rififi was like Dassin’s “comeback” as a filmmaker. This scene’s relation to Dassin’s career is furthered by how Tony is presented. For a good portion of the scene, Jo’s face is hardly shown so the focus is on Tony. Tony is also the only one in the room wearing a hat. Wearing a hat indoors is not really something you’re supposed to do as a gentleman in the 1950s, so he stands out and looks visibly awkward. Tony stands out in the cafe and is not properly re-adjusted to societal customs, just like Dassin stands out in the same way in Europe. Overall, Dassin totally changed Rififi from the book it was adapted from, and intentionally shaped it to reflect his own experiences.
I chose the scene after they test the alarm, and everyone is getting ready to go and do the heist. To look at this in a political cultural context one must first consider crime in France. Organized crime was very prevalent in France throughout the 20th century. Additionally, the heist that takes place in the next scene is based on a real heist from 1899, so the film is rooted in real events. Throughout Rififi Jules Dassin is trying to show how you cannot escape your crimes and that there will be guilt and consequences. While this scene takes place before the big heist, the message is still there. First, the scene starts with the “Rififi” song being hummed as the different gang members leave their homes. The song is heard from location to location, so it is constantly heard and cannot be escaped. Next it shows Viviane humming and singing the song at the club with César watching. This is a direct callback to the earlier scene with her singing the song for the first time. Next it shows Tony leaving as the song plays softly in the background. When he leaves the house a different song starts to play very loudly, creating an overwhelming and disorienting effect because of how gentle the music was just before. This is where the cinematography comes into play as well, most notably the lighting. The lights surrounding him are very bright and almost blown out, making everything harsh and difficult to see. The night itself is very dark but all the street lights illuminate the car driving to the heist. Ideally when you are going to commit a crime you would want to do it under cover of darkness. However they are constantly lit up, adding a feeling of being watched. Since this scene takes place before the major crime is committed, it may not directly point to the guilt and consequences that follow a crime, but it definitely conveys the paranoia and lack of morals involved in preparing for a heist like this.
Rififi, directed by Jules Dassin, is a 1955 French crime film adaptation of a novel of Auguste Le Breton. The 1950’s in France were dubbed “the most unfeminist of decades”. After the WWII there was a reassertion of traditional gender roles as well as a decline of women in the workforce that didn’t begin to rise again until the mid 1960s. This culture in France at the time may have affected the way Rififi was produced. The costumes work by the women in the film fit the fashion of the time period as the reaffirmation of traditional gender roles had an influence on the the way women looked with more `feminine' look, stiletto heels, accentuated bust, narrow waist. This is seen in the scene beginning with Tony finding Mado at Grutter’s and ends with Tony pushing Mado out of his apartment. Marie Sabouret, who played Mado, is dressed in a black, relatively conservative dress and sitting a nice club, when Tony finds her. He drags her to his apartment and forces her to strip, as her clothing becomes more revealing, she is treated worse and worse, eventually being savagely beaten by Tony. Her costume and the events that occur highlight the expectation of women to be submissive as Mado is left defenseless. It also highlights how a woman’s worth was chalked up to her innocence instead of her as a person, Mado was treated like a lady while dressed conservatively and feminine, but when her outfit was more revealing she was beaten and thrown out by Tony.
The film "Rififi", was directed by Jules Dassin in 1955. In the film, the character of Tony brings together a group of highly skilled thieves to pull off the perfect jewelry heist. The heist is successful, however things fall apart when one of the crew slips up and gives the rest of them away to a group of dangerous gangsters. When Tony realises the betrayal that his partner has committed, he tracks him down and shoots him in what is one of the most powerful scenes in the film. The director of the film, Jules Dassin was an American director who left the country and fled to France after he was accused by fellow directors of being a communist. “Rififi” was the first film he made after leaving the United States and if one examines the scene in which Tony kills Caesar, his partner, through a social lense, much is revealed. Like Dassin, the character of Tony was exposed by a man he considered to be his friend. Tony is forced to kill him, citing “the rules” that thieves like them live by. This can be viewed as the directors not so subtle way of expressing his rage and hurt at his friends for their accusations against him. When Tony finally shoots his friend, it is shot from his POV, so we do not see the gun, only Caesar being struck by the bullets. This could be viewed as saying that violence can come from anywhere and may not alway be possible to spot, as it was for Dassin when he was shunned by the film community.
Rififi was a film made by Jules Dassin in 1955. It is the film adaptation of the book by Auguste Le Breton of the same name. It was his first film after a 5 year break because he was blacklisted for being called a communist. He was only given a small sum of money to work with because of his recent black listing so with his small amount of money he couldnt hire top actors so he had to work with what he could get. The sequence I would like to choose is the last five minutes of the film specifically the car scene. The context I would like to choose is social. This scene is really giving insight on how children were viewed, the kid in the car was not able to notice the death right in front of him because he was too busy playing showing how naive children were, also there was irony in the fact he was playing with a gun pointing at him unknowing of the impending death right in front of him. Also it plays on how adults view children because instead of bringing himself to the hospital he brings the kid home putting the kids momentary safety above his life.
The scene from “Rififi” (1955) I am choosing to analyze is the scene in which the gang is figuring out the alarm system and how to disarm it or get around it. In 1955, people were still recovering from world war too, and the cold war had just begun to escalate. Overall, world tensions were high and a sense of comradery wasn’t present. The us versus them mentality was rampant. The Cold War was a war centering around the containment and expansion of communism throughout the world. France, Spain, Italy,and Sweden (the nationalities of the members of the heist) were all countries that were against communism. Disregarding the fates of the characters, this film could be stating the importance of teamwork between countries to fight communism. Side note, this is ironic considering France left NATO ten years later. Anyways, so there is ample evidence of this previous claim in the scene spoken of. For instance, in regards to framing, when there are shots of more than one person (the majority of the shots), people are always evenly distributed in the frame, facing one another. This denotes talking on an even level and equality of thee nations in respect to one another. This, in juxtaposition to the narrative action happening, clearly demonstrated the prior stated point. The narrative action is literally them working together to eliminate the threat of the alarm. I am going to make a wild statement right here: let’s just say the bak represent communism, the police represent the rest of the world and the gang of robbers each represent a country. The countries are trying to best not alert anyone that they are messing with communism (as Spain and Italy had both done, and note these characters are the ones that are needed for the heist and came up with the highest respectively). Anyways, this would make sense with the end, a the characters/ countries are destroyed for messing with the bank/communism. Alright I’m done with my far fetched idea, I know I got off topic.
Rififi, directed by Jules Dassin in 1955, chronicles the jewelry heist attempted by Tony and his entourage of highly skilled thieves. They appear to pull off the crime successfully, but the aftermath is what gets the men into trouble. In one scene, Tony is shown interrogating one of his crew members, Caesar, before killing him. This scene is most likely a reflection of how Dassin felt after he had to flee the United States due to communist accusations from his fellow directors. This was the first movie Dassin made after returning to France, with definite influence from the Mccarthyism era and the troubled social context of the time. When Tony, confronts Caesar for ratting him out, it mirrors the betrayal Dassin felt towards his peers and those who unnecessarily accused him. He portrays Caesar as being weak and scared with his only intention to defend himself, just like how he feels of those who banished him. By depicting Caesar with his arms bound to the pole, it shows how Dassin’s peers felt like their hands were literally tied, as if this betrayal was their only option. When Tony murders Caesar, the camera only shows Caesar getting shot rather than Tony firing the gun. Perhaps Dassin chooses to portray this scene as he did to depict anonymity behind his harm, as to communicate one cannot always see who hurts them. By only switching between shots of the two men’s faces during this scene, Dassin communicates the importance of this interaction and how neither man can hide behind lies or accusations. This allows Dassin to construct the confrontation, as well as the revenge, he never got before leaving the country. Because the scene takes place around stage props and sets, it hints at the movie and media communities, once again tying the scene into the social context revolving Dassin and his peers in the movie business.
Rififi (1955, dir. Jules Dassin) is a French film that follows a group of men who plan to rob a jewelry store. It is adapted from a French novel of the same name, mainly staying faithful to the core plot events of the book. The most notable plot changes are the lengthening of the heist scene (which had less prominence in the novel, but is a quarter of the movie), and Tony’s decision to kill César after realizing that he broke the thieves’ code of silence. The addition of this scene is extremely important, as it serves as a direct reflection of the historical events happening when the movie was produced, as well as Dassin’s feelings about these events.
The Cold War was a period of hostility between America and the Soviet Union following World War 2. Essentially, America was determined to contain communism in order to preserve capitalistic ideals, leading to extreme prevention methods and, eventually, the second Red Scare, taking place during the late 1940s through the early 1950s. During this time period, citizens of America were encouraged to report communists and communist activity that they encountered, which led to the Hollywood blacklists of the late 1940s/early 1950s, during which actors and crew members involved in Hollywood productions were made to testify on communism and communists working within Hollywood. Dassin, although he left the Communist Party in 1939, was still named as a communist by directors Frank Tuttle and Edward Dmytryk, and blacklisted from producing films in America. His bitterness over the American government’s actions and filmmakers who were willing to accuse others is especially highlighted in this scene in Rififi. The extent of Dassin’s anger about this event is primarily conveyed through the cinematography, specifically lighting and framing.
After things begin to fall apart, Tony goes to the nightclub to look for Grutter, where he goes through a variety of empty rooms. Previously in the film, the nightclub had been shown as lively, which is sharply contrasted by the visuals of Tony, small in frame compared to many empty tables, reflecting both that Dassin felt isolated by the blacklist and that the American film industry suffered a lack of energy and creativity as a result of the second Red Scare. We are then shown a shot of César, tied to a support beam. There are multiple beams of light shed across his body, including across his eyes, which mimics the rope as well as contrasts the typical meaning of light in a narrative sense (being truth and moral righteousness). This is potentially a statement about how, during America’s search for the exposure of communism, the supposed “morality” of the event was really restrictive, with many negative effects. There is then a cut to Tony, opening the door to the room César is trapped in, with César taking up more than half of the foreground and Tony in the background, illuminated by the light of the door. The symbolic nature of light is completely different with Tony - unlike César, he is not trapped or covered by the light. Instead, he is backlit by it, making him more noticeable in frame despite taking up less framespace than anything else. This reflects that Dassin felt more morally sound than the American government that wronged him. However, César’s largeness in frame shows the power that the government still had over the film industry, despite being in the wrong. Tony crosses the room to César, during which he is cast in shadow and then back in light as he finally shares half the frame with César.
The shadow reflects the departure of a narratively similar reflection of what happened to Dassin - unlike Dassin in real life, Tony is able to gain power over César, while Dassin did have to leave America and was blacklisted. From this point onwards, the scene is more of an emotional reflection of Dassin’s reaction than a reflection of the blacklisting itself. Tony and César have a quick conversation, where Tony finds out that César talked, thus turning his back on his friends. Tony backs up, casting himself in shadow again (this time to reflect the dubious moral nature of the action he is about to commit), and we are shown a of cut of César, who grows smaller and smaller in frame, completely powerless and boxed in by the set around him, before he is shot and killed, completing Dassin’s revenge fantasy and displaying exactly how he feels about the American blacklist.
“Rififi” (1955), directed by Jules Dassin, is a film which describes a jewelry heist taken on by a group of thieves. Initially, everything goes without a hitch, with the men escaping with their prize, avoiding detection or arrest. Of course, the crime catches up with them, and the men are forced into confronting the consequences. This is readily apparent within a scene in which Tony, the seeming ring leader of the group, is forced to confront Caesar, a fellow thief, about his alleged snitching. The scene progresses with the continued interrogation of Caesar, which results in Tony executing him. This is a reflection of the director’s dissatisfaction with America and his former colleagues as a result of his blacklisting at the peak of Mccarthyism. The film itself marks Dassin’s return to filmmaking following his move to France, showing that the wound was clearly fresh. As such, the confrontation serves as a commentary on the uneasy state of America during the Mccarthyism era, as well as expresses Dassin’s personal vendetta against the colleagues who accused him. To support this criticism of his former peers, Dassin portrays Caesar as weak and spineless, reflecting his dissatisfaction with the weak wills of his accusers. The director also utilizes mise-en-scene to further this commentary, choosing a location filled with props similar to a movie set. This creates a target for Dassin’s anger, showing that he was truly hurt by his former industry. Furthermore, he chooses to show the conversation with a series of close up shots, which underscores not only the importance of the confrontation, but also the emotional and personal impact it has on the characters and possibly himself. This scene can be seen as a fantasy for Dassin, as it allows him to confront those who he was not able to before being deported.
In the scene in which Tony shoots Cesar for betraying Marlo, the filmmaker, Jules Dassin, was referencing his own life, as he was forced to move to France because he was accused of being a communist. He felt that he had been betrayed by the finger-pointer, and expressed his reluctant contempt for the traitor as he shot Cesar. The long shot between Tony and Cesar seemed to represent how far away emotionally Tony felt from Cesar, while the dark lighting seemed to emphasize the solemnity of the event. The mise-en-scene that placed Cesar in binds may represent how Dassin wished his personal traitor to suffer for his transgressions or pay recompense.
"Rififi" directed by Jules Dassin, is a pioneer of the typical modern heist movie. The cultural context of "social" is greatly present in the scene where they are actually pulling off the heist. All the men have a social understanding that this is all business and nothing is to be said or done wrongly during there duty. This is clearly presented as steady camera shots of the men breaking the floor without verbally communicating to one another. The lighting is soft with the whites and contains a lot of contrast with the blacks. This display's the calmness of the room around them and brings more focus on the characters and there reactions themselves. The camera is always showing what is going on and the suspense keeps on building throughout the duration of the scene. The men are all aware what to do as they practiced there roles already before hand. These men want only the riches and are only in it for the business together. This can be seen on how the men have no certain emotions for one another and are only concerned with getting there job done quietly and successfully.
Rififi was made after a five-year period in Jules Dassin’s career in which he could not find work because he was blacklisted in the United States. In the scene where Tony and Jo go to a cafe, the fact that Tony was in prison for five years is mentioned several times, making this a major narrative point. Dassin said that he threw away most of the book because he hated it, so this detail was most likely something he added in. During those five years in which Tony, an ex-con, was in prison, the rest of his gang hadn’t done any big heists. This mirrors how Dassin was unemployed and was unable to find any movies to produce in the first five years after he was blacklisted. In this scene, Tony and Jo, as well as Mario later on, discuss how they have planned a big heist that they are calling their comeback. Their comeback after five years is comparable to how Rififi was like Dassin’s “comeback” as a filmmaker. This scene’s relation to Dassin’s career is furthered by how Tony is presented. For a good portion of the scene, Jo’s face is hardly shown so the focus is on Tony. Tony is also the only one in the room wearing a hat. Wearing a hat indoors is not really something you’re supposed to do as a gentleman in the 1950s, so he stands out and looks visibly awkward. Tony stands out in the cafe and is not properly re-adjusted to societal customs, just like Dassin stands out in the same way in Europe. Overall, Dassin totally changed Rififi from the book it was adapted from, and intentionally shaped it to reflect his own experiences.
ReplyDeleteI chose the scene after they test the alarm, and everyone is getting ready to go and do the heist. To look at this in a political cultural context one must first consider crime in France. Organized crime was very prevalent in France throughout the 20th century. Additionally, the heist that takes place in the next scene is based on a real heist from 1899, so the film is rooted in real events. Throughout Rififi Jules Dassin is trying to show how you cannot escape your crimes and that there will be guilt and consequences. While this scene takes place before the big heist, the message is still there. First, the scene starts with the “Rififi” song being hummed as the different gang members leave their homes. The song is heard from location to location, so it is constantly heard and cannot be escaped. Next it shows Viviane humming and singing the song at the club with César watching. This is a direct callback to the earlier scene with her singing the song for the first time. Next it shows Tony leaving as the song plays softly in the background. When he leaves the house a different song starts to play very loudly, creating an overwhelming and disorienting effect because of how gentle the music was just before. This is where the cinematography comes into play as well, most notably the lighting. The lights surrounding him are very bright and almost blown out, making everything harsh and difficult to see. The night itself is very dark but all the street lights illuminate the car driving to the heist. Ideally when you are going to commit a crime you would want to do it under cover of darkness. However they are constantly lit up, adding a feeling of being watched. Since this scene takes place before the major crime is committed, it may not directly point to the guilt and consequences that follow a crime, but it definitely conveys the paranoia and lack of morals involved in preparing for a heist like this.
ReplyDeleteRififi, directed by Jules Dassin, is a 1955 French crime film adaptation of a novel of Auguste Le Breton. The 1950’s in France were dubbed “the most unfeminist of decades”. After the WWII there was a reassertion of traditional gender roles as well as a decline of women in the workforce that didn’t begin to rise again until the mid 1960s. This culture in France at the time may have affected the way Rififi was produced. The costumes work by the women in the film fit the fashion of the time period as the reaffirmation of traditional gender roles had an influence on the the way women looked with more `feminine' look, stiletto heels, accentuated bust, narrow waist. This is seen in the scene beginning with Tony finding Mado at Grutter’s and ends with Tony pushing Mado out of his apartment. Marie Sabouret, who played Mado, is dressed in a black, relatively conservative dress and sitting a nice club, when Tony finds her. He drags her to his apartment and forces her to strip, as her clothing becomes more revealing, she is treated worse and worse, eventually being savagely beaten by Tony. Her costume and the events that occur highlight the expectation of women to be submissive as Mado is left defenseless. It also highlights how a woman’s worth was chalked up to her innocence instead of her as a person, Mado was treated like a lady while dressed conservatively and feminine, but when her outfit was more revealing she was beaten and thrown out by Tony.
ReplyDeleteThe film "Rififi", was directed by Jules Dassin in 1955. In the film, the character of Tony brings together a group of highly skilled thieves to pull off the perfect jewelry heist. The heist is successful, however things fall apart when one of the crew slips up and gives the rest of them away to a group of dangerous gangsters. When Tony realises the betrayal that his partner has committed, he tracks him down and shoots him in what is one of the most powerful scenes in the film. The director of the film, Jules Dassin was an American director who left the country and fled to France after he was accused by fellow directors of being a communist. “Rififi” was the first film he made after leaving the United States and if one examines the scene in which Tony kills Caesar, his partner, through a social lense, much is revealed. Like Dassin, the character of Tony was exposed by a man he considered to be his friend. Tony is forced to kill him, citing “the rules” that thieves like them live by. This can be viewed as the directors not so subtle way of expressing his rage and hurt at his friends for their accusations against him. When Tony finally shoots his friend, it is shot from his POV, so we do not see the gun, only Caesar being struck by the bullets. This could be viewed as saying that violence can come from anywhere and may not alway be possible to spot, as it was for Dassin when he was shunned by the film community.
ReplyDeleteRififi was a film made by Jules Dassin in 1955. It is the film adaptation of the book by Auguste Le Breton of the same name. It was his first film after a 5 year break because he was blacklisted for being called a communist. He was only given a small sum of money to work with because of his recent black listing so with his small amount of money he couldnt hire top actors so he had to work with what he could get. The sequence I would like to choose is the last five minutes of the film specifically the car scene. The context I would like to choose is social. This scene is really giving insight on how children were viewed, the kid in the car was not able to notice the death right in front of him because he was too busy playing showing how naive children were, also there was irony in the fact he was playing with a gun pointing at him unknowing of the impending death right in front of him. Also it plays on how adults view children because instead of bringing himself to the hospital he brings the kid home putting the kids momentary safety above his life.
ReplyDeleteThe scene from “Rififi” (1955) I am choosing to analyze is the scene in which the gang is figuring out the alarm system and how to disarm it or get around it. In 1955, people were still recovering from world war too, and the cold war had just begun to escalate. Overall, world tensions were high and a sense of comradery wasn’t present. The us versus them mentality was rampant. The Cold War was a war centering around the containment and expansion of communism throughout the world. France, Spain, Italy,and Sweden (the nationalities of the members of the heist) were all countries that were against communism. Disregarding the fates of the characters, this film could be stating the importance of teamwork between countries to fight communism. Side note, this is ironic considering France left NATO ten years later. Anyways, so there is ample evidence of this previous claim in the scene spoken of. For instance, in regards to framing, when there are shots of more than one person (the majority of the shots), people are always evenly distributed in the frame, facing one another. This denotes talking on an even level and equality of thee nations in respect to one another. This, in juxtaposition to the narrative action happening, clearly demonstrated the prior stated point. The narrative action is literally them working together to eliminate the threat of the alarm. I am going to make a wild statement right here: let’s just say the bak represent communism, the police represent the rest of the world and the gang of robbers each represent a country. The countries are trying to best not alert anyone that they are messing with communism (as Spain and Italy had both done, and note these characters are the ones that are needed for the heist and came up with the highest respectively). Anyways, this would make sense with the end, a the characters/ countries are destroyed for messing with the bank/communism. Alright I’m done with my far fetched idea, I know I got off topic.
ReplyDeleteRififi, directed by Jules Dassin in 1955, chronicles the jewelry heist attempted by Tony and his entourage of highly skilled thieves. They appear to pull off the crime successfully, but the aftermath is what gets the men into trouble. In one scene, Tony is shown interrogating one of his crew members, Caesar, before killing him. This scene is most likely a reflection of how Dassin felt after he had to flee the United States due to communist accusations from his fellow directors. This was the first movie Dassin made after returning to France, with definite influence from the Mccarthyism era and the troubled social context of the time. When Tony, confronts Caesar for ratting him out, it mirrors the betrayal Dassin felt towards his peers and those who unnecessarily accused him. He portrays Caesar as being weak and scared with his only intention to defend himself, just like how he feels of those who banished him. By depicting Caesar with his arms bound to the pole, it shows how Dassin’s peers felt like their hands were literally tied, as if this betrayal was their only option. When Tony murders Caesar, the camera only shows Caesar getting shot rather than Tony firing the gun. Perhaps Dassin chooses to portray this scene as he did to depict anonymity behind his harm, as to communicate one cannot always see who hurts them. By only switching between shots of the two men’s faces during this scene, Dassin communicates the importance of this interaction and how neither man can hide behind lies or accusations. This allows Dassin to construct the confrontation, as well as the revenge, he never got before leaving the country. Because the scene takes place around stage props and sets, it hints at the movie and media communities, once again tying the scene into the social context revolving Dassin and his peers in the movie business.
ReplyDeleteRififi (1955, dir. Jules Dassin) is a French film that follows a group of men who plan to rob a jewelry store. It is adapted from a French novel of the same name, mainly staying faithful to the core plot events of the book. The most notable plot changes are the lengthening of the heist scene (which had less prominence in the novel, but is a quarter of the movie), and Tony’s decision to kill César after realizing that he broke the thieves’ code of silence. The addition of this scene is extremely important, as it serves as a direct reflection of the historical events happening when the movie was produced, as well as Dassin’s feelings about these events.
ReplyDeleteThe Cold War was a period of hostility between America and the Soviet Union following World War 2. Essentially, America was determined to contain communism in order to preserve capitalistic ideals, leading to extreme prevention methods and, eventually, the second Red Scare, taking place during the late 1940s through the early 1950s. During this time period, citizens of America were encouraged to report communists and communist activity that they encountered, which led to the Hollywood blacklists of the late 1940s/early 1950s, during which actors and crew members involved in Hollywood productions were made to testify on communism and communists working within Hollywood. Dassin, although he left the Communist Party in 1939, was still named as a communist by directors Frank Tuttle and Edward Dmytryk, and blacklisted from producing films in America. His bitterness over the American government’s actions and filmmakers who were willing to accuse others is especially highlighted in this scene in Rififi. The extent of Dassin’s anger about this event is primarily conveyed through the cinematography, specifically lighting and framing.
After things begin to fall apart, Tony goes to the nightclub to look for Grutter, where he goes through a variety of empty rooms. Previously in the film, the nightclub had been shown as lively, which is sharply contrasted by the visuals of Tony, small in frame compared to many empty tables, reflecting both that Dassin felt isolated by the blacklist and that the American film industry suffered a lack of energy and creativity as a result of the second Red Scare. We are then shown a shot of César, tied to a support beam. There are multiple beams of light shed across his body, including across his eyes, which mimics the rope as well as contrasts the typical meaning of light in a narrative sense (being truth and moral righteousness). This is potentially a statement about how, during America’s search for the exposure of communism, the supposed “morality” of the event was really restrictive, with many negative effects. There is then a cut to Tony, opening the door to the room César is trapped in, with César taking up more than half of the foreground and Tony in the background, illuminated by the light of the door. The symbolic nature of light is completely different with Tony - unlike César, he is not trapped or covered by the light. Instead, he is backlit by it, making him more noticeable in frame despite taking up less framespace than anything else. This reflects that Dassin felt more morally sound than the American government that wronged him. However, César’s largeness in frame shows the power that the government still had over the film industry, despite being in the wrong. Tony crosses the room to César, during which he is cast in shadow and then back in light as he finally shares half the frame with César.
The shadow reflects the departure of a narratively similar reflection of what happened to Dassin - unlike Dassin in real life, Tony is able to gain power over César, while Dassin did have to leave America and was blacklisted. From this point onwards, the scene is more of an emotional reflection of Dassin’s reaction than a reflection of the blacklisting itself. Tony and César have a quick conversation, where Tony finds out that César talked, thus turning his back on his friends. Tony backs up, casting himself in shadow again (this time to reflect the dubious moral nature of the action he is about to commit), and we are shown a of cut of César, who grows smaller and smaller in frame, completely powerless and boxed in by the set around him, before he is shot and killed, completing Dassin’s revenge fantasy and displaying exactly how he feels about the American blacklist.
Delete“Rififi” (1955), directed by Jules Dassin, is a film which describes a jewelry heist taken on by a group of thieves. Initially, everything goes without a hitch, with the men escaping with their prize, avoiding detection or arrest. Of course, the crime catches up with them, and the men are forced into confronting the consequences. This is readily apparent within a scene in which Tony, the seeming ring leader of the group, is forced to confront Caesar, a fellow thief, about his alleged snitching. The scene progresses with the continued interrogation of Caesar, which results in Tony executing him. This is a reflection of the director’s dissatisfaction with America and his former colleagues as a result of his blacklisting at the peak of Mccarthyism. The film itself marks Dassin’s return to filmmaking following his move to France, showing that the wound was clearly fresh. As such, the confrontation serves as a commentary on the uneasy state of America during the Mccarthyism era, as well as expresses Dassin’s personal vendetta against the colleagues who accused him. To support this criticism of his former peers, Dassin portrays Caesar as weak and spineless, reflecting his dissatisfaction with the weak wills of his accusers. The director also utilizes mise-en-scene to further this commentary, choosing a location filled with props similar to a movie set. This creates a target for Dassin’s anger, showing that he was truly hurt by his former industry. Furthermore, he chooses to show the conversation with a series of close up shots, which underscores not only the importance of the confrontation, but also the emotional and personal impact it has on the characters and possibly himself. This scene can be seen as a fantasy for Dassin, as it allows him to confront those who he was not able to before being deported.
ReplyDeleteIn the scene in which Tony shoots Cesar for betraying Marlo, the filmmaker, Jules Dassin, was referencing his own life, as he was forced to move to France because he was accused of being a communist. He felt that he had been betrayed by the finger-pointer, and expressed his reluctant contempt for the traitor as he shot Cesar. The long shot between Tony and Cesar seemed to represent how far away emotionally Tony felt from Cesar, while the dark lighting seemed to emphasize the solemnity of the event. The mise-en-scene that placed Cesar in binds may represent how Dassin wished his personal traitor to suffer for his transgressions or pay recompense.
ReplyDelete"Rififi" directed by Jules Dassin, is a pioneer of the typical modern heist movie. The cultural context of "social" is greatly present in the scene where they are actually pulling off the heist. All the men have a social understanding that this is all business and nothing is to be said or done wrongly during there duty. This is clearly presented as steady camera shots of the men breaking the floor without verbally communicating to one another. The lighting is soft with the whites and contains a lot of contrast with the blacks. This display's the calmness of the room around them and brings more focus on the characters and there reactions themselves. The camera is always showing what is going on and the suspense keeps on building throughout the duration of the scene. The men are all aware what to do as they practiced there roles already before hand. These men want only the riches and are only in it for the business together. This can be seen on how the men have no certain emotions for one another and are only concerned with getting there job done quietly and successfully.
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