The Spectacle of Violence in a Post-Chc Film

The Spectacle of Violence in a Post-cHc Film

During the era of classic Hollywood cinema, oftentimes the violence that was part of a film's narrative was often downplayed or even eliminated from the actual script and substituted by means of implication or through verbal narration. This was largely in part because of The Production Code which was enforced in 1934, which forced filmmakers to censor blatantly violent scenes. But later in that century, when American society is much more accustomed to, and even excited by, such violence, a new era of filmmaking began to emerge. It was the era of spectacle-centered, big blockbuster movies. A movie that I find to be very representative of that era is Die Hard. In this movie, the narrative is only second to the spectacle aspect of it, the stylistic flourishes that make it the action-thriller that is it. Action and violence are heightened in a way that classic Hollywood cinema had never experienced. I have chosen Casablanca to represent a cHc movie that, while it includes aspects of violence, is in no way centered around the violence as much as Die Hard is.

Although we have already been exposed to many gunshots and several occurrences of violence, the first scene in which John McClane becomes directly involved in the action and comes face to face with the terrorists is when they realize they are not only battling the building, but also someone else in the building who is working against them. The scene begins with John pacing the 32nd floor, preparing for a rescue, when you see a terrorist come into view holding a large machine gun. He steps in front of the camera, with the gun centered and in focus. After some fiery gunshots and a rough struggle, they both end up down half a flight of stairs and the terrorist is dead. This scene is shot with many short cuts with varied camera angles. In addition to the dramatic music that corresponds with each action, there are many grunts, shouts and heavy breathing coming from the two men, which show us the urgency of what is happening. This scene is very important to the movie's narrative, mainly because this is the first time when all the terrorists become aware that they are now fighting someone else in the building. And since Tony, the man killed, was the brother of Karl, one of the other terrorists, Karl vows vengeance and from this point on his sole motivation is revenge against McClane for his brother's death. He is no longer an active participant in Hans Gruber's plan, except when it intersects with his own goals.

The use of invisible editing in this scene, not to mention the whole movie, helps the viewer feel that they are right there in the middle of the action. Special camera techniques such as zooming and panning all help to capture the best angle of the action while not making it obvious that you are, in fact, seeing this through a camera lens and not your own eyes. There are lots of low and high-angle shots which might suggest that we are viewing the action from a "hidden" spot, and have a vantage point on what is happening. Match-on-action shots are also very important in showing the viewer critical moments of the scenes while giving them the best viewpoint.

I found a scene in Casablanca that I think while in some ways is very similar to the aforementioned one in Die Hard, is also very different. It is one of the very first scenes of the movie, where the plot is just being introduced. During a roundup by the French police, one civilian suspect with expired identification papers flees and the camera pans to close-ups of other civilians faces, who looked shocked and scared. Then it cuts to an extreme long shot of the man running with the officials chasing him close behind. He is then shot in the back and falls dead to the floor, beneath a giant wall poster of Philippe Petain, the dictatorial French leader of the Vichy regime in France, where it immediately cuts in to a close-up of Petain's face. The suspect dies clutching a resistance handbill bearing the Cross of Lorraine symbol - showing us and the officials his membership in the Free France Organization.

This scene is very important to the narrative of the movie in that it gives us an idea of how volatile and unsafe it is in Casablanca, whether it is "neutral" soil or not. It also foreshadows the idea that this is not just going to be a romantic drama, but one with a lot of political overtones and possibly danger involved. The music in this scene really plays along with the narrative and adds an element of suspense, and when he finally is shot the music slows down, suggesting at least a temporary end to the drama and gives us a moment to digest what happened.

The violence in both these scenes are important to the narratives of the movies, in that they are both critical catalysts that foreshadow and even spur on more violence later in the films. But while the scene in Casablanca might be critical to the story, it could have just as well been shot off camera and the actions narrated to us. However, the scene in Die Hard was imperative that it was shown, in that it began to show us that McClane would be a vital part in the outcome of that night's events, and also followed along with the action-movie form in there being an excessive amount of combat and bloodshed.

The next scenes that I have chosen to examine from both movies are the violent climaxes. In Die Hard, the movie comes to a close on the top floor of the building where Hans is holding Holly at gunpoint, and cuts in to several close-ups of her face, where you can clearly see the fear and desperation in her eyes. The lighting is kind of soft in this scene, with a red overcast from a smoldering fire nearby. Throughout the scene there are sparks and flames falling from the ceiling. These things, along with intense music, play into the idea that this is in a very suspenseful part of the movie, where the three main characters have all come face to face and their fates have yet to be determined. With John equipped with a "spare" gun taped to his back, he is able to shoot the two remaining terrorists while saving his wife. Hans, after being shot, falls backwards into a glass window, shattering it and falling out, but still hanging on to Holly's wrist. John rushes over, unclips the watch that is keeping Hans hanging, and all accompanied to dramatic music we watch as Hans slowly falls to his death.

Through this scene, John is completely covered in sweat and blood, the blood of the terrorists and mostly blood of his own. He is no longer wearing a shirt and his upper body is covered in wounds, while Hans Gruber, the main antagonist, is still dressed in his designer suit and still looking pretty clean cut. This shows us that throughout the movie John has been face to face with

...