Ideology: A Plan

How valuable has ideological analysis been in developing your understanding of the themes of your chosen films?

Introduction –

• Ideology is a set of beliefs that fit together to form a person’s world view
• Often, large groups share the same ideology and this can be affected by the culture one has and the society that they live within
• As an audience, we usually expect to see our own ideologies reflected back to us on-screen, particularly in mainstream cinema; however, independent film seeks to challenge the audience and therefore may present a different ideology for us to engage with
• Ideology is influenced by our experiences and interactions, which is true of filmmakers, leading to their individual approach to storytelling and often films that are guided by their ideology
• La La Land is a studio-funded Hollywood film, but in a niche genre, and Chazelle’s freedom when making the film, as well as it being his long-time passion project, means it likely follows his ideology
• As an independent film, Beasts of the Southern Wild has more aim to challenge audience ideology, which Zeitlin does by presenting a community not usually seen in mainstream cinema

Beasts of the Southern Wild –

It is an independent film, which means it has an element of risk and artistic vision as a project and is not solely a profit-making mission. Zeitlin made Beasts of the Southern Wild because he “live[s] in New Orleans and was interested in telling a story about people who are staying in South Louisiana and why they’re holding on.” Inspired by the community around him, Zeitlin reflects their ideology on-screen, which is a challenge to the capitalist, family-dominated society in contemporary America.

Audience:

• Beasts of the Southern Wild was on the festival circuit and won lots of awards, so was able to obtain a release in 318 cinemas, making it available to a wider audience
• A festival audience is more likely to be open to different ideologies portrayed on-screen, but the film’s cinema release meant a more mainstream audience could experience it
• Zeitlin wanted to make the film accessible to all, even those who don’t believe in climate change, and he counters that the film has an intentional political message; however, by presenting the struggles Hushpuppy and her community face, he challenges the dominant ideology of capitalism – they survive as a collective, not individuals striving for success, forcing audience members to re-evaluate
• Zeitlin doesn’t lead the audience to an easy ending, either – it is tinged with sadness at Wink’s death, though remains optimistic and open-ended about Hushpuppy’s future

Filmmakers:

• Through his backdrop of the Bathtub community, Zeitlin applies Marxist film theory by praising their community and the nature around them – close-up shots of nature like in a documentary. This also fits with the ideology of Italian neo-realism (along with use of non-professional actors, real locations, and conversational speech), although the fantastical element of the aurochs contrasts this realism
• The film challenges the dominant ideology of contemporary capitalist society by showing it as a threat to the Bathtub community – they are forcibly removed from their homes and then separated at the hospital
• Hushpuppy is put into a dress and shoes – making her conform to the dominant ideology of what a girl is

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• Hushpuppy challenges what society expects of a child and a girl – she is independent and strong (could fit with a feminist interpretation) – shown by the wide-shot near the end, which contrasts the size of her with the massive aurochs, suggesting they are the powerful beasts, but then the auroch stops moving whilst Hushpuppy holds her position. After that = close-ups of Hushpuppy’s face as she addresses the aurochs, like a leader instructing others – screenplay reads “Hushpuppy raises her chin in confident defiance” and “the aurochs lowers her head with respect”
• However, Wink reinforces stereotypes of female weakness and presents strength as a masculine quality that he encourages Hushpuppy to display – arm wrestling competition, “Hushpuppy you the man” vs “that’s just a side effect of being a stupid little girl”

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• Some of Zeitlin’s decisions do not fit with Marxist film theory – the film is focused on Hushpuppy as an individual, rather than allowing the audience to choose their focus
• He manipulates audience attention through editing – majority of the shots include her, even scene of Wink’s death has a lot of close-ups on Hushpuppy because we are encouraged to feel empathy towards her rather than grieve at Wink’s death
• The use of Hushpuppy’s voice-over particularly contributes to the subjective nature

La La Land –

It is a mainstream Hollywood film, funded by a big studio, but was Chazelle’s passion project even before he made Whiplash, which made him more recognised, and is a niche genre film, giving more flexibility in the ideology it portrays on-screen.

Audience:

• The film challenges the audience’s expectations of main characters in a Hollywood film – they are not heroes who get a happy ending, they are realistic: we follow their struggles, relationship, success and sacrifice
• However, they fit with the dominant ideology of the American Dream, that anyone can achieve success if you keep striving and don’t give up
• Additionally their success is marked by what they achieve in their work lives, not personal lives – they both achieve their dream careers

Filmmakers:

• It shows a typical heterosexual relationship and the woman seems more passive in the relationship – Seb goes to Mia’s workplace and asks her out
• Throughout the film, she acts as an audience member, watching Seb perform (when they meet in the restaurant, at the party, at his and Keith’s concert)
• Seb seems to be the one with artistic integrity – trying to preserve ‘pure’ jazz, unable to force himself to play basic Christmas carols at the restaurant
• He teaches Mia about jazz – superior knowledge, fits with patriarchal ideology

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• However, a feminist interpretation suggests Mia is the focus of the film and it shows the development of her as an artist – the film initially positions us with her and we learn about her dreams and struggles
• Even though she watches Seb perform and he fails to turn up to the opening night of her one-woman show, the shots stay focused on her reaction, rather than the actual show performance itself, e.g. concert with Keith’s band has prolonged shots on Mia’s face as she dances in the audience
• Anna Leszkiewitz argues that “We rarely see [Seb] perform if not through [Mia’s] gaze, and we see her emotionally develop through her evolving reactions to his music.”
• Mia ultimately creates something new, whereas Seb stays stuck in the pastt

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• Mia and Seb are treated largely as equals in the film, which contrasts typical Hollywood films where the woman is just a love interest for the heroic male
• When Mia enters the restaurant hearing the piano playing, we expect the male gaze to be subverted as she looks at him; however, Chazelle cuts away before we see Seb and we follow his perspective until they meet with their gazes locking as equals
• Chazelle also subverts expectations of a typical ‘meet-cute’ because Seb barges past Mia instead of talking to her in the restaurant
• Arguably the two switch roles in the film – at the start, Seb drives away from Mia after the traffic eases (he is more driven in his goals), but at the end, Mia is the active one who walks out of the bar, whilst Seb sits there gazing longingly after her

Conclusion –

The two films are very different in the ideologies they portray on-screen: a Marxist interpretation can be applied to Beasts of the Southern Wild, whereas La La Land fits very nicely with the dominant ideology of the American Dream in the capitalist society. Both challenge stereotypical portrayals of women – Hushpuppy is independent and Mia can be seen as the true artist over Seb, because she innovates whilst he continues to recycle and live in the past. As an independent film, Beasts of the Southern Wild has more room to challenge ideologies, which it does through representation of a different community to what is usually shown in mainstream cinema. Though La La Land does offer some variation in the ideology it portrays, it still overwhelmingly fits with the dominant representation of a heterosexual, white couple portrayed on-screen, perhaps due to the nostalgia of the film that pays homage to the Golden Age of Hollywood where this was the expectation. Both films use implicit ideology that is presented through the worlds they create or reflect, rather than making explicit statements on the dominant ideologies they challenge.

La La Land – Deep Dive

Context –

La La Land was produced by Summit Entertainment for a modest $30 million in comparison to the $200 million budget for Rogue One released in the same year. However, the budget was a big step up for Chazelle, who first directed Whiplash in 2014 with a $3.3 million indie film budget in order to establish himself and gain funding for La La Land, his passion project. Chazelle and his college roommate Justin Hurwitz wrote the script and score for La La Land first, and after the success of Whiplash were able to secure Lionsgate’s support. The film was an unusual proposal for a big Hollywood studio and Chazelle was given artistic freedom, shooting it on location in Los Angeles in 42 days.

La La Land is a nostalgic musical genre film, looking back on early jazz and Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Its release in 2017 perhaps reflects or offers the desire to escape during the Trump presidency, much as musicals were at their height as escapist entertainment during World War II. The film uses intertextual references, such as Sebastian swinging round the lamppost like Don in Singin’ in the Rain’, which evokes fond memories of the films and the period of cinema in which they were created. Chazelle also utilises the cinematography of the film to pay tribute to musicals, filming big musical numbers in seemingly one take (there are a few hidden cuts) just as classical Hollywood musicals did.

The film’s nostalgia has been criticised for its erasure of black influence on jazz and racial conflicts that are tightly linked with the genre. Additionally, the desire to look back is usually associated with conservatism, which is what contributed to the election of Donald Trump, with his slogan of ‘Make America Great Again’. Therefore there is an odd irony in the nostalgic sentiment the film conveys that reflected contemporary feeling, and the escape into the past that it provides from a turbulent time under the Trump administration.

Chazelle uses a 2:55:1 Cinemascope ratio in the film, which mimics the style of ‘Fred and Ginger’ musicals in the 1930s, but is rarely used today. This serves to display the vastness of Los Angles in addition to referring back to classical Hollywood. The film shows off LA in iconic locations, such as the Griffith Observatory, although the interior location had to be shot on a designed art noveau-style set because the real Griffith Observatory had undergone renovations which made it look too modern and did not fit the dreamy, nostalgic feeling Chazelle was aiming for.

Aesthetics –

La La Land blends the past and present in its aesthetics, from the use of the 2:55:1 aspect ratio, to the props and costumes. Apart from Seb’s 1982 Buick Rivera, most of the cars are modern including Mia’s Prius, which forms part of a visual joke about everyone in LA driving a Prius, but there is also the inclusion of some 1960s French and Italian cars to hint at the past.

The costumes in every scene are bright and colourful, from the variety in the opening ‘Another Day in the Sun’ scene to Mia’s bold blue dress for the party and her iconic yellow one. This shows the vibrancy of the people in LA and allows them to stand out from their backgrounds.

However, the backgrounds are also made beautiful, despite being typically bland locations, like the Freeway 105 in the opening number. The regular locations root the film in reality, but are coloured and lighted to give a more ‘fairytale’ feeling. This fits with Chazelle’s aim of making a “love song to Los Angeles” in the same way as other films have done to New York or Paris, for example, with their more recognised and typically beautiful setting.

A particularly aesthetically striking scene is the dinner at Sebastian’s apartment, with very dark lighting and green tones, which create a claustrophobic feel and reflects the intensity between the two characters, who are having an argument. Throughout the film, Chazelle straddles the line between reality and fantasy, using the film’s aesthetic to manage this. Particularly, the editing affects the response to the different scenes, with long takes in the musical scenes to allow the expansion of the film as it bursts out on the screen. In contrast, the more mundane, everyday life scenes have a much faster pace of editing.

Representation –

Age: Originally cast with Emma Watson and Miles Teller, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling eventually ended up playing the parts of Mia and Sebastian, which changed the ages and perspectives of the characters. Instead of being fresh-faced, idealistic young adults, they became more weary and experienced. Sebastian particularly has a jaded and cynical perspective on life that would have not been possible with the younger Miles Teller. Similarly, Mia became more of a struggling actress who is fed up of the constant rejections rather than someone new to the game. This change in casting gives more urgency to the characters’ dreams, as they have spent (or wasted, as they sometimes feel) so much time on them already to the detriment to the rest of their lives.

Gender: The film has a male and female lead, which should provide balance, although there is some criticism that Mia is a passive character, fitting with typical portrayals of women in media and relationships. Sebastian takes charge by finding Mia to ask her out, persuading her to write and perform her show and driving her to her big audition. Additionally, she is encouraged to admire and support his artistic pursuits, as he teaches her to love jazz and she repeatedly watches his performances, whilst he fails to show up even for her opening night.

However, it is arguably Mia who drives the narrative, as we are first positioned with her and then follow the story of her success and fulfilment rather than Sebastian’s. The story explores her birth as an artist, as she ultimately creates something new with the film that breaks conventional casting and writing processes and makes her famous. In contrast, Sebastian is stuck in the past, recycling the old and only remixing when forced to by his friend. Therefore, it is Mia who achieves most success and is able to walk away from Sebastian with her new family and life at the end, rather than live in the past.

Ethnicity: There has been significant criticism for the lack of African-American representation in the film, especially with its focus on jazz which is historically rooted in black experiences. The only major black character in the film is Keith, played by John Legend, who is criticised by Sebastian for not staying true to what jazz really is. This is highly problematic for a white character to try and protect ‘pure jazz’, whilst suggesting his black friend has sold out to become commercially successful. Sebastian is also presented as the one to teach us and Mia about jazz, which is similarly problematic as he passes over the black influence on the genre.

Ideology –

Mainstream Hollywood films often present dominant ideologies, reinforcing societal expectations, often in terms of gender, relationships and power. La La Land initially seems to fit with the dominant ideology that heterosexual romance is most common and men are more active than women in striving for their dreams. Additionally, the idea of the American Dream plays a big part in the film, where both main characters believe they can achieve their high aspirations and they ultimately do, although as is typical for presentations of the American Dream, it fails to acknowledge whether everyone really can achieve this, including minorities. For example, whilst Keith is very successful with his modern jazz band, we see his success through the eyes of Sebastian, who views it as selling out and not a pure love of jazz, therefore this challenges the notion that Keith is happy, fulfilled and has achieved the American Dream.

The film does show a problematically nostalgic return to the past, glazing over racial discrimination, homophobia and gender inequality whilst it focuses on its white, heterosexual leads. It is almost self-consciously apolitical, and seeks to return to a world where this was accepted; Sebastian’s protection is of a jazz that was not political and not engaged with the Civil Rights movement.

However, through the character of Mia, the film is able to challenge the idea of nostalgia and question the benefits of living in the past. Although she has been criticised as a passive character and seems to fit with dominant ideology when she finds success, but also settles down with a family at the end, we can apply a feminist interpretation to her, which critics such as Anna Leszkiewitz have promoted.

The film initially positions us with the character of Mia as we discover her dreams, ambitions and struggles in life, whereas Sebastian only first appears as a main character after 17 minutes of the film. Additionally, Mia is always the audience member watching Seb, which contributes to the idea that she is passive, yet the camera is more often focused on her reaction to what she is watching, rather than the performance itself, suggesting her importance. Leszkiewitz supports this by arguing that “We rarely see [Seb] perform if not through [Mia’s] gaze, and we see her emotionally develop through her evolving reactions to his music.”

The first time Mia and Seb actually meet is in the restaurant where Seb is playing piano. Mia enters the restaurant whilst we are positioned with her, and the audience expects to see Sebastian through her eyes, thus inverting the male gaze; however, Chazelle cuts away before we see him and positions us with Sebastian in his car, taking us through his perspective before returning to the restaurant, where Mia and Seb’s gazes meet as equals.

Spectatorship –

Audiences respond differently to films based on factors such as where they watched the film, age and gender, all of which can have an affect on how they interpreted La La Land. In particular, the gender and racial criticism of La La Land shows that people can take an oppositional reading, where Sebastian’s obsession with jazz is self-indulgent and self-righteous, compared to Keith’s innovative and exciting take on jazz. The film has also been criticised for appearing a male fantasy about artistic integrity, in which Mia is a passive audience member, who supports him but fails to actively pursue her own dreams.

However, the film challenges what it is to be the audience: its intertextual references make the audience conscious that they are experiencing a film and creates an active role for them to spot the references. Similarly, in the film, Mia is a consumer of art and enjoys jazz, cinema and theatre, but goes on to be active in her role towards them; for example, she continues the movie date by taking Sebastian to the location in Rebel Without a Cause and uses the setting for her own purpose, rather than just mimicking the film. Mia is ultimately the one with the dream-life at the end of the film, we follow her from her house on her journey and then as she stumbles across Seb’s bar and whilst she again watches him, she is the active one able to walk out and back into her real life as a movie star, not just Sebastian’s girlfriend. This is perhaps not the preferred meaning of the text, which focuses on the relationship between the two and the dreams that drive their life, but the sacrifice that has to be made.

Beasts of the Southern Wild – Deep Dive

Context –

Beasts of the Southern Wild is an independent film, as it is funded by non-Hollywood financing, has elements of risk-taking, and has a personal vision that values art over money. The focus of the film on poverty and natural disasters does not align with mainstream cinema output and it only had a limited release in four US cinemas, having been produced by Court 13 for $1.8 million and funded mostly by Cinereach, a not-for-profit organisation. The film went on to gross $21 million worldwide, although the motivation for making the film was driven by the desire to tell the story rather than profit, which can be seen by the exploration of a character (Hushpuppy) above pure action and entertainment. Additionally, the film forgoes a typical Hollywood happy ending, instead opting to leave the viewer questioning the fates of the characters in their world.

Beasts of the Southern Wild focuses on a natural disaster and the impact this has on its main black characters, reflecting the reality of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, which disproportionally affected people of colour and those in poverty. New Orleans particularly felt the effects and Zeitlin “live[s] in New Orleans [so] was interested in telling a story about people who are staying in South Louisiana and why they’re holding on.” The governmental response to Hurricane Katrina was criticised for being slow and ineffectual in a way that it might not have been had the demographic of those affected been different. Zeitlin claims he did not intend the film to be a political one, but it certainly resonates strongly today in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The film was very well received at Sundance Festival, and has won 74 awards, which generated enough publicity to warrant its screening in 318 cinemas. In addition to its festival awards, Beasts of the Southern Wild was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress, making Quvenzhané Wallis the youngest nominee in history at just age nine. The announcement of Oscar nominations caused a rise in box office takings, acting as great publicity for the film.

In order to aid a wider release, Beasts of the Southern Wild was distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures, part of the Fox conglomerate. Using a major studio for distribution means the film’s release benefits from their experience and resources, so Beasts of the Southern Wild was able to attract audiences on the big screen and encourage press reviews. The blu-ray and DVD release, also by 20th Century Fox, then took an additional $11 million.

Aesthetics –

Zeitlin’s aesthetic inspiration comes partly from documentaries and he wanted to utilise close, detailed shots of nature to mimic a child’s fascination with the world around them. He also takes opportunities in the film to create beautiful shots without the need to drive on the narrative; for example, when Hushpuppy looks for her mother in the Elysian Fields scene, there are soft twinkling lights to create a beautiful yet strange environment, reflecting Hushpuppy’s wonder as she enters.

Representation –

Age: The focus of the film is on Hushpuppy as a child of six, compared to the adults around her, including her father. She respects his authority and follows his example, shown by her referring to what “Daddy says” in her narration as she grows up with him as her only parental influence. Wink is shown to be important in the community, as he instructs on how to blow up the levee and is central to the community. As a father, Wink shows two sides: he teaches Hushpuppy how to survive, but also has angry outbursts as a result of his illness, which Hushpuppy does not fully understand. For a child, she has a lot of independence, even having her own house and cooking, but she desires a closer bond with her father and her mother who she does not know. Hushpuppy takes on leadership from her father at his death and she is the one to stand up to the aurochs without fear.

Gender: Wink reinforces the idea of strength as a masculine quality to Hushpuppy and taunts her for “being a stupid little girl” at times, instead praising through calling her “the man” when she accepts his challenges of strength. Hushpuppy engages in an arm wrestle and learns skills from her father, such as catching and gutting fish and is influenced by his promotion of strong masculinity, feeling uncomfortable when dressed in a stereotypically feminine way in the hospital.

Ethnicity: The film offers representation of a community which includes black people and everyone has the same experience. However, there has been criticism of the film for its use of troubling stereotypes, made worse by the fact that Zeitlin and co-writer Lucy Alibar are both white. bell hooks’ criticises the child version of the ‘strong black female matriarch’ that Hushpuppy represents and argues that Wink embodies all the racist stereotypes that media presents as part of black masculinity. All the inhabitants of the Bathtub are presented as poor, dirty and animalistic, unwilling to be helped by ‘civilisation’, as represented by the hospital. The adults are drunk, aggressive, angry and inattentive, which is a concerning portrayal particularly of the black characters.

A positive aspect of the film is the casting on non-professional actors to play the roles. Dwight Henry plays Wink and personally experienced the impacts of Hurricane Katrina, making him a suitable choice to portray a character who endures a similar catastrophe as he “understand[s] a lot of what the people in that movie, who live on that island, what they go through.” Similarly, Quvenzhané Wallis is naturalistic in her performance because part of her personality and world-view were incorporated into the character, which means the characters are more reflective of real black people and their experiences.

Ideology –

As an independent film, Beasts of the Southern Wild does not necessarily reflect the dominant ideologies of American culture, such as capitalism and emphasis on family above community. Therefore, it is interesting to apply a Marxist lens to the film, which encourages a challenge to Hollywood’s traditional narrative structure and advocates for the freedom of the viewer to interpret the film as they choose.

In some ways, Beasts of the Southern Wild does not adhere to Marxist film principles, as Zeitlin positions the audience with Hushpuppy and encourages a certain emotional response to her through his shot choices; for example, close-ups of her face when her father is dying. Additionally, the Bathtub community takes a somewhat background seat to the relationship between Wink and Hushpuppy, which fits with dominant American ideology of family over friends.

However, the film overall addresses the situation a specific community is going through and their shared experiences, using Hushpuppy as the connection between the audience and this community. The film challenges accepted society by showing it as a threat to the Bathtub community, such as the forceful removal of them from their home, when they are taken to the hospital and made to conform with Hushpuppy wearing a dress that makes her uncomfortable.

Throughout the film, community and nature are praised instead of capitalism and wealth, which fits with the desires of Marxist theorists. In fact, the two worlds are separated, both literally, with “the wall that cuts [Hushpuppy and her community] off” and societally. The Bathtub community has low income and living standards, which challenges what portrayed on-screen in mainstream cinema. This representation is particularly important in the modern world, where Trump’s presidency sought to exploit social divisions rather than ease them. We are encouraged to support the ‘underdog’ community and admire their survival in the challenging situations, although audience perspective can vary based on personal experience.

Spectatorship –

Independent films often aim to challenge the viewer more, which fits with them as an active spectator, who is able to take away a different reading of the film. Zeitlin’s focus on character rather than action creates more of an emotional connection between the viewer and Hushpuppy, which influences their interpretation. Some audience members take an identification view, where they are able to imagine themselves in Hushpuppy’s situation and empathise with her, whereas others may have an assimilation view, where they are only able to feel sympathy, not empathy, and have to witness the character from an external position.

This can also lead to asymmetry of emotional response, as the viewer is unlikely to feel the same level of emotion as the character; for example, Hushpuppy’s grief in Wink’s death scene is far more extreme than the audience could possibly feel towards that event. Our position with Hushpuppy throughout the film makes us more likely to feel a response towards Hushpuppy’s grief than a direct response to Wink’s death.

The focus on Hushpuppy is central to the film and Zeitlin employs to keep her at the centre of our attention, noticeably through her voice-over, but also in lengthy close-ups on her face with shallow depths of field to encourage our empathy towards her. Although the introduction of the fantasy aurochs could disrupt the audience’s immersion, they allow the audience into Hushpuppy’s imaginary world, making us even closer to her. Additionally, the use of handheld camera, non-professional actors and genuine locations all make the film feel more real and can intensify the emotional response for the viewer.