Cinema Club Keeps the Love of Film Alive at York Prep

La Haine, meaning “the hate,” is a beautiful French movie by Mathieu Kassovitz concerning three friends who explore Paris with heavy hearts after their friend is shot by a police officer the day before. The friends are an irrepressible bunch: Saïd, Vinz, and Hubert, all of whom live in the suburban projects. They share similar experiences, feelings, and hardships as they try to navigate life in the ghetto while getting back at their oppressors. Vinz, a young Jewish man, is especially keen on getting revenge on the police for their ill treatment, tight grip on the projects, and suppression of the residents’ freedoms. Filled with bloodlust, Vinz is convinced that in order to get back at all the brutality, he must kill a cop himself.

 

I feel like we have all felt like Vinz and his friends in one way or another: the feeling of rebellion or taking some form of vengeance due to anger. What made me sad to watch Vinz be so angry as to kill someone was that he would just be portrayed as some crazy thug by the French media, to whom Vinz’s true pain doesn’t matter. And of course, resorting to murder will just make Vinz a criminal. When you’re from the ghetto, the ghetto stays with you. You can be loyal to the ghetto and fight for it, but people higher up than you may make you into the image that they want to see. At the same time, it doesn’t mean that people higher than you aren’t low themselves.

—Miranda Catus, 11^th grade

 

This expressionist crime thriller was crafted by German director Fritz Lang. The work is well done, the shots are solid, the acting well-performed, and the effects are an interesting timepiece. In summary, I liked it: it was somewhat thrilling and certainly interesting. And what it has going for it lies outside the theater, too. The cultural as well as the historical aspects (if the two might even be separated) of this feature are the fascination for me. The title character, the insane Dr. Mabuse, who writes a manifesto from an asylum, is an obvious stand-in for Adolf Hitler, who wrote Mein Kampf while imprisoned in Landsberg for an attempted coup. Like Dr. Mabuse’s “testament,” Hitler’s book later became the bible of the Third Reich. Both the Dictator and Doctor use voices to dictate their disgusting orders: in Lang’s film, via spooky ghost chicanery, and in real life, the Führer, like many leaders, spoke in radio broadcasts. Overall, this knowledge enlightened the viewing experience and remedied a film somewhat lacking in color.

 

Even more interesting, perhaps, is the reaction of Joseph Goebbels, the Minister of Propaganda under Hitler. In the final seven minutes of this interview with Lang, the film’s creator describes the events that resulted in The Testament of Dr. Mabuse being banned from Germany until 1961. The synopsis is such: walking into the German Ministry of Propaganda, Lang was told by Goebbels that he could not have his film shown in the Nazi state. Goebbels said he liked the film, and in fact all of Lang’s work, and offered to give him a job making propaganda for the government. But Dr. Mabuse is an obviously anti-Nazi film, and so after the meeting, Lang immediately fled for France (and eventually, the United States). This context is the most interesting thing pertaining to the film, and why it is necessary to consider history, cinematography, and the story together: to shine light on issues needing their color shown.

 

—Smith Pingree, 10^th grade

 

Adapted from the original 13-minute short, this feature is Wes Anderson’s directorial debut, as well as the acting debut of Owen Wilson, who wrote the film with Anderson. Wilson and his brother Luke star in the film, along with Robert Musgrave and veteran James Caan. Early in the film, with the help of his friend Dignan, a character named Anthony escapes from a mental institution. This is ironic because the institution is minimum security, and patients can pretty much come and go as they please. Soon after, Anthony learns of Dignan’s plans to embark on a career of crime. The pair recruit their neighbor, Bob, to assist in their criminal exploits. Later, they embark on a road trip to find Dignan’s previous boss, Mr. Henry. Several minor storylines are explored for some of the main characters. For example, Anthony falls in love with a Spanish-speaking maid, Inez, and Bob’s relationship with his older brother is developed. Ultimately, however, the group realizes that they have no real talent for robbery. Bottle Rocket is an entertaining film with a fun, and carefree mood!

—Jonathan Farnsworth, 10^th grade