I wanted to find out just how popular this year's three Mexican films were with audiences and so I decided to send out a post on the message board for each one, asking people to say which film they liked the best out of the three. I also then asked which director they preferred to see who was generally the most popular. I hoped this may give me an insight into what it was people liked / disliked about these films. The results so far are as follows:
"Children of Men" proved to be the most popular film - also the most widely seen film
"Pan's Labyrinth" was close behind in terms of popularity, however, it had had the least viewings
"Babel" was the least popular (many were very critical of it, surprisingly)
Alfonso Cuaron was also the most popular director, largely due to the fact that he had made a variety of different films
Guillermo Del Toro was not far behind, however, not everyone was a fan of the fantasy / horror genre
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu was the least popular - criticised largely for using the same idea too often - with "Amores Perros" regarded as his best
The results show that audiences seem to prefer Cuaron's movies the most - perhaps because the other two directors use very extreme styles, where as he is a kind of in-between - however, the fact that he has come into Hollywood, and really made Hollywood movies, whilst still applying his Mexican style, has proved to have been a success. Cuaron appears to make movies for audiences - ensuring that they will appeal to whoever he is targeting. Del Toro was not far behind Cuaron in terms of popularity, maybe because he too has made Hollywood films, however, unlike Cuaron, Del Toro tends to stick to the fantasy / horror genre. Therefore, there are a segment of people who do not like his films as this genre has no appeal to them. Inarritu, like Del Toro, also sticks to one genre, however, he also uses the same ideas each time - and this has been his downfall. Of all the directors, Inarritu is the least Hollywood-like, sticking to his roots, and refusing to adapt to Hollywood conventions as much as the others (except for the casting of a few Hollywood stars) - which is not neccessarily a bad thing. It is not that a film such as "Babel" wouldn't go down well in Hollywood - it is just that people are getting tired of the same ideas - and "Amores Perros" is still clearly regarded as his best.
Tuesday, 8 May 2007
Tuesday, 1 May 2007
Theorist
http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/spanish/staff/pjs1001/
Link to the contact details for theorist Paul Julian Smith (writer of "Amores Perros (BFI Modern Classics)" book and "Y tu mama Tambien" article in Premiere Magazine).
Link to the contact details for theorist Paul Julian Smith (writer of "Amores Perros (BFI Modern Classics)" book and "Y tu mama Tambien" article in Premiere Magazine).
Thursday, 26 April 2007
Primary Research results - Questionnaires
Having sent out a number of questionnaires to people of a variety of ages, and different genders, I recieved 21 replies. I divided my replies into two different categories; one for people under the age of 20, and one for those who were over this age. This helped me to distinguish the different trends and preferences of different age ranges as I felt that they probably would differ. I also wanted to do the same between the opposing genders, however, surprisingly I did not find much difference in the results.
The teenage audience came to an average age 17.25. All of them were of middle-class backgrounds, however, this is the primary market of cinema-goers so I felt it needed to be done this way - despite this, there was a mix of ethnicities. They all displayed typical teenage interests of music, films, sports, fashion, reading, socialising and alcohol.
They all claimed to watch a movie once every week or every two weeks, and the most popular genre of film appeared to be comedy, with every single person saying that they watch this type of film. Ironically, however, no one actually named a comedy as their favourite film, instead either choosing more serious films such as war and sci-fi, or a film that reflected their personal interests, such as a musical or a sports movie. When asked why they liked these films, they said that they either liked the message behind it, the strength of the characters , or the ability to become involved within the story itself. Crime, drama, action and horror films were the second most popular group of films behind comedy.
3/4 of the group claimed that they had seen a foreign film before in their life. These were mainly Japanse animation / martial arts movies, however, there were two girls who said they had watched Latin based films. Half of the group could name at least one Mexican film and the same percentage claimed to have seen at least one. These people could also name at least one director / actor / actress.
When asked which of films they had seen out of the list of films I have been studying, the most commonly seen film was Alfonso Cuaron's "Harry Potter 3", which only one person had not seen. This was followed by "Children of Men" (from the same director) which half the group had seen. A couple had seen "Hellboy" and "Blade 2" by Guillermo Del Toro and only one had seen "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" by Robert Rodriguez, or Del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth". No one had seen, and hardly any had heard of Innaritu's movies. The early films of other directors also proved to be widely unknown.
Despite not seeing many of these films, their opinion if the ones they had seen was quite positive in that they either regarded them as satisfactory or found them really enjoyable. When asked which of these films they would be interested in seeing, the top two results were "Babel" and "Pan's Labyrinth" as they had recieved high critical acclaim this year. The latter two films from the "Mariachi" trilogy were second on the agenda with "The Devil's Backbone" and "Hellboy" getting one mention. Strangely, no Cuaron movies were picked out in this section, despite his films being the most well-known.
At the end, the audience were asked what they look for in a film. The general reply was that they look for a good storyline, strong characters whom they can relate to, laughs, something that is original, something that is thought-provoking.
The adult audience came to an average age of 35. Again, they were all from middle-class backgrounds, with a mix of ethnicities. Their interests were much less general than those of the teenage audience and they appeared to be a lot more personal. They tended to either like things or they didn't.
They claimed to watch a movie pretty much once every two weeks on average, however, the results were very jumpy. People either watched films often or they barely watched them at all; in a similar way to the personal interests. The most popular genre of film was again comedy with over half of the sample saying that they enjoyed watching these. This was closely followed by action films and thrillers. Strangely enough, again no one listed a comedy as their favourite film, and prefered to choose more serious films; particularly dramas and thrillers. When asked why they liked these films they answered that the message of the story was good, the characters were interesting and the storyline was gripping.
6 out of the 13 people claimed to have seen a foreign film in their lifetime, with a few of them being Japanese martial arts movies. However, three of the people listed Latin based films; two of which displayed a stong interest in Spanish / Mexican cinema. (As it turned out, one of them had a wife from Argentina, and one actually taught Spanish cinema at A level for this World Cinema topic!) However, just under a third of the sample said they had heard of at least one Mexican film, and the same percentage had seen at least one. However, only two could name a Mexican director / actor / actress.
When asked which films they had seen from the list of my principal texts, the most widely seen film was again "Harry Potter 3", however, only just over half of them had seen it. One vote behind was "Blade 2", shortly followed by the two latter "Mariachi" movies and "Hellboy". Surprisingly, "Children of Men" and "Pan's Labyrinth" were not so well known amongst the adult audience, however, every single film on the list had been seen by at least one person. Mainly the older films were the least heard of.
The opinions on the films were again either that they were satisfactory or that they were really enjoyable. "Babel" was top of the audience's wish-to-see list with "Pan's Labyrinth" closely second. The rest named "Hellboy", "Children of Men", "Desperado", "21 Grams" or none.
Finally they were asked what they looked for in a film and the response was pretty much identical to that of the teenage audience. However, there was one rather interesting answer in which a man who said he had not seen, heard of, nor was interested in seeing any Mexican movies, had at the end, when asked what he looked for in a film, responded with the answer "gritty realism". Ironically, that answer pretty much summed up Mexican film itself - it just goes to show how little some people know about the industry.
Overall, I feel that my questionnaires were very useful in providing information, however, the relaibility of them may not be so strong in that that the samples could of perhaps been bigger (there was only 8 in my teenage audience group). However, the results proved to be difficult to analyse altogether at the end and it was a very time-consuming process so I know that this may not have been possible. Perhaps, I should have tried to incorporate more number based, or tally style answers in the questionnaire itself, in order to make the analysing easier.
The teenage audience came to an average age 17.25. All of them were of middle-class backgrounds, however, this is the primary market of cinema-goers so I felt it needed to be done this way - despite this, there was a mix of ethnicities. They all displayed typical teenage interests of music, films, sports, fashion, reading, socialising and alcohol.
They all claimed to watch a movie once every week or every two weeks, and the most popular genre of film appeared to be comedy, with every single person saying that they watch this type of film. Ironically, however, no one actually named a comedy as their favourite film, instead either choosing more serious films such as war and sci-fi, or a film that reflected their personal interests, such as a musical or a sports movie. When asked why they liked these films, they said that they either liked the message behind it, the strength of the characters , or the ability to become involved within the story itself. Crime, drama, action and horror films were the second most popular group of films behind comedy.
3/4 of the group claimed that they had seen a foreign film before in their life. These were mainly Japanse animation / martial arts movies, however, there were two girls who said they had watched Latin based films. Half of the group could name at least one Mexican film and the same percentage claimed to have seen at least one. These people could also name at least one director / actor / actress.
When asked which of films they had seen out of the list of films I have been studying, the most commonly seen film was Alfonso Cuaron's "Harry Potter 3", which only one person had not seen. This was followed by "Children of Men" (from the same director) which half the group had seen. A couple had seen "Hellboy" and "Blade 2" by Guillermo Del Toro and only one had seen "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" by Robert Rodriguez, or Del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth". No one had seen, and hardly any had heard of Innaritu's movies. The early films of other directors also proved to be widely unknown.
Despite not seeing many of these films, their opinion if the ones they had seen was quite positive in that they either regarded them as satisfactory or found them really enjoyable. When asked which of these films they would be interested in seeing, the top two results were "Babel" and "Pan's Labyrinth" as they had recieved high critical acclaim this year. The latter two films from the "Mariachi" trilogy were second on the agenda with "The Devil's Backbone" and "Hellboy" getting one mention. Strangely, no Cuaron movies were picked out in this section, despite his films being the most well-known.
At the end, the audience were asked what they look for in a film. The general reply was that they look for a good storyline, strong characters whom they can relate to, laughs, something that is original, something that is thought-provoking.
The adult audience came to an average age of 35. Again, they were all from middle-class backgrounds, with a mix of ethnicities. Their interests were much less general than those of the teenage audience and they appeared to be a lot more personal. They tended to either like things or they didn't.
They claimed to watch a movie pretty much once every two weeks on average, however, the results were very jumpy. People either watched films often or they barely watched them at all; in a similar way to the personal interests. The most popular genre of film was again comedy with over half of the sample saying that they enjoyed watching these. This was closely followed by action films and thrillers. Strangely enough, again no one listed a comedy as their favourite film, and prefered to choose more serious films; particularly dramas and thrillers. When asked why they liked these films they answered that the message of the story was good, the characters were interesting and the storyline was gripping.
6 out of the 13 people claimed to have seen a foreign film in their lifetime, with a few of them being Japanese martial arts movies. However, three of the people listed Latin based films; two of which displayed a stong interest in Spanish / Mexican cinema. (As it turned out, one of them had a wife from Argentina, and one actually taught Spanish cinema at A level for this World Cinema topic!) However, just under a third of the sample said they had heard of at least one Mexican film, and the same percentage had seen at least one. However, only two could name a Mexican director / actor / actress.
When asked which films they had seen from the list of my principal texts, the most widely seen film was again "Harry Potter 3", however, only just over half of them had seen it. One vote behind was "Blade 2", shortly followed by the two latter "Mariachi" movies and "Hellboy". Surprisingly, "Children of Men" and "Pan's Labyrinth" were not so well known amongst the adult audience, however, every single film on the list had been seen by at least one person. Mainly the older films were the least heard of.
The opinions on the films were again either that they were satisfactory or that they were really enjoyable. "Babel" was top of the audience's wish-to-see list with "Pan's Labyrinth" closely second. The rest named "Hellboy", "Children of Men", "Desperado", "21 Grams" or none.
Finally they were asked what they looked for in a film and the response was pretty much identical to that of the teenage audience. However, there was one rather interesting answer in which a man who said he had not seen, heard of, nor was interested in seeing any Mexican movies, had at the end, when asked what he looked for in a film, responded with the answer "gritty realism". Ironically, that answer pretty much summed up Mexican film itself - it just goes to show how little some people know about the industry.
Overall, I feel that my questionnaires were very useful in providing information, however, the relaibility of them may not be so strong in that that the samples could of perhaps been bigger (there was only 8 in my teenage audience group). However, the results proved to be difficult to analyse altogether at the end and it was a very time-consuming process so I know that this may not have been possible. Perhaps, I should have tried to incorporate more number based, or tally style answers in the questionnaire itself, in order to make the analysing easier.
Wednesday, 25 April 2007
Title expanded
What key aspects led to the resurgence of contemporary Mexican Cinema and in what ways have they made an impact on the Hollywood industry?
Focus Group session
Start off by showing them a clip from "Children of Men". Discuss what they like / dislike about what they see. Compare to other Hollywood movies. Are there any similarities / differences? Is there anything that makes the film unique?
Now show them the scene from the "Pan's Labyrinth" DVD entitled "The Second Task". Compare it to "Children of Men", which was released the same year. Discuss what they like / dislike about this film. How is it different to the types of Hollywood films we are used to seeing? How did they feel about having to read subtitles?
Thirdly, show them the opening scene of "Amores Perros". Despite it being an older and lower budget movie, how did the action in the opening scene compare to typical Hollywood movies? Would audiences be prepared to watch this kind of thing? What are the likes / dislikes on it?
Finally, show an action scene from "El Mariachi", and if there's time compare it to a clip from "Once Upon a Time in Mexico". Rodriguez is a highly regarded Hollywood director nowadays. What was it about his first film that led to his success?
Overall, what are the key elements of these films that have allowed these directors to make their mark in Hollywood? And how strong have they made their mark? Do you think many people would still go and see these films? What are the limitations? Does Mexican cinema have a potential to challenge Hollywood?
At the end, make note of any other films they may have seen by the same directors, or using any of the same actors / actresses. Organise time for one-to-one interviews with one or two.
Now show them the scene from the "Pan's Labyrinth" DVD entitled "The Second Task". Compare it to "Children of Men", which was released the same year. Discuss what they like / dislike about this film. How is it different to the types of Hollywood films we are used to seeing? How did they feel about having to read subtitles?
Thirdly, show them the opening scene of "Amores Perros". Despite it being an older and lower budget movie, how did the action in the opening scene compare to typical Hollywood movies? Would audiences be prepared to watch this kind of thing? What are the likes / dislikes on it?
Finally, show an action scene from "El Mariachi", and if there's time compare it to a clip from "Once Upon a Time in Mexico". Rodriguez is a highly regarded Hollywood director nowadays. What was it about his first film that led to his success?
Overall, what are the key elements of these films that have allowed these directors to make their mark in Hollywood? And how strong have they made their mark? Do you think many people would still go and see these films? What are the limitations? Does Mexican cinema have a potential to challenge Hollywood?
At the end, make note of any other films they may have seen by the same directors, or using any of the same actors / actresses. Organise time for one-to-one interviews with one or two.
Monday, 23 April 2007
Study Guide Online
http://www.cornerhouse.org/media/Learn/FM%20PANS%20LABYRINTH.pdf
An online study of world cinema with "Pan's Labyrinth" as its case study.
An online study of world cinema with "Pan's Labyrinth" as its case study.
Thursday, 22 March 2007
Pan's Labyrinth
"Pan's Labyrinth" (otherwise known as "Laberinto del Fauno, El") was a film I had been waiting to see for a long time, having heard many great things about it. It was voted second best film of 2006 by Empire Magazine, recieved six Oscar nominations and won three awards, and even picked up a supposedly twenty minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival - therefore, it had to be worth watching.
The film is directed completely in Spanish by Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro ("Blade 2", "Hellboy") as it is set during the Spanish Civil War. With it partly being a war film, "Pan's Labyrinth" obviously contains that background context and Del Toro sets up a scenario in amongst all that is going on where a brutal Falangist Captain is tasked with routing out the remaining leftists from the woods and hills of Northern Spain. However, 12 year-old Ofelia(played to absolute perfection, by the then 11 year old, Ivana Baquero) is brought to the camp under is power when her pregnant mother agrees to marry him, as well as carrying his son. Ofelia is uncomfortable with her new surroundings, suspicious of her stepfather and desperately concerned about the worsening condition of her mother; particularly when realising the sheer monstrousness of her new stepfather. In dealling with the situation, she uncovers a strange alternative world, and the chance to escape forever the pain and uncertainty of her everyday life.
I was actually surprised by the amount of violence and brutality that the film contained; half-expecting it to be aimed at a slightly younger audience due to it's make-believe, fairytale-like story, however, I thought that the contrast set up by the graphic violence against the beautifully magical creatures of the Labyrinth was a really nice effect. The film alternates between the world of Civil War Spain and the strangely mysterious world of Pan's Labyrinth which succeeds in becoming increasingly bizarre as the film progresses. This corresponds with the increasingly corrupt outside world - as reality worsens so the Labyrinth becomes more beautiful.
Huge emphasis is placed on the stark victories of the child which are heightened by the failures of the adult world. This idea of youth and innocence is a recurring theme throughout; not only is the film seen through the eyes of a child, whose duty is to protect another child (her yet-to-be-born baby brother) but even the entrance to the Labyrinth resembles the shape of a womb. The contrast between this childhood dream-world and the film's brutal imagery of the Spanish Captain massacring people - many whom are innocent - is very powerful and allows us to sympathise with young Ofelia, to the point at which we prefer imagation to reality.
Unsurprisingly, this is a film in which imagination really does prevail, with the mind of Del Toro being explored at its fullest. There are indeed Narnia-like qualities to its set up, however, there is a lot more realism about it in the sense that the Labyrinth is not neccessarily portrayed as actually being there. We are shown it through the mind of the young girl, however, whenever any other character is brought within its territory we suddenly are reduced to an image of nothing. This allows the character's who appear within the Labyrinth to be a lot more striking and in many cases personal. Del Toro, who supposedly hallucinated Fauns when he was younger, uses the Faun as almost a mentor to Ofelia, in fact claiming to be her father. He sets her challenges to be fulfilled in which she encounters other fascinating and terrifying creatures, including the wonderfully disturbing Pale Man who I felt was more frightening than most things seen in horror films these days. However, what we do realise is that the Labyrinth is a world set up for Ofelia, after losing her father, preparing her for the eventual death of her mother at the end of the film, and eventually herself. Sad as this may seem, the film's ending is in fact shown in a positive light, with her re-united with her family in what seems to be a heavenly extended version of the Labyrinth. She is now living in her imagination for eternity.
I would agree that this is probably one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, despite its graphic brutality, which I felt was well reflective of the period of time in which this was set. As I concluded when anylising "Amores Perros" and "Children of Men", the trademark of a Mexican director is to depict a great deal of realism in the film's they direct, and here I believe the case to be the same. There is no excess violence in this Civil War/ Fantasy Drama, however, the violence is just right in highlighting the monstrousness of the adult world against the beauty of purity and innocence. In a way, "Children of Men" carried a similar message. There often seems to be morals at the end of these films, which I feel is not a bad thing, as a moral allows there to be a point to a film. In Mexican Cinema, the morals are mainly reflective of what has been learned growing up in Mexican Society, hence the reason why Mexican films are said to be political representations of their own culture. Maybe this film is not as reflective of Mexico as perhaps "Amores Perros", however, the style, the influence and the effect are all still there.
The film is directed completely in Spanish by Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro ("Blade 2", "Hellboy") as it is set during the Spanish Civil War. With it partly being a war film, "Pan's Labyrinth" obviously contains that background context and Del Toro sets up a scenario in amongst all that is going on where a brutal Falangist Captain is tasked with routing out the remaining leftists from the woods and hills of Northern Spain. However, 12 year-old Ofelia(played to absolute perfection, by the then 11 year old, Ivana Baquero) is brought to the camp under is power when her pregnant mother agrees to marry him, as well as carrying his son. Ofelia is uncomfortable with her new surroundings, suspicious of her stepfather and desperately concerned about the worsening condition of her mother; particularly when realising the sheer monstrousness of her new stepfather. In dealling with the situation, she uncovers a strange alternative world, and the chance to escape forever the pain and uncertainty of her everyday life.
I was actually surprised by the amount of violence and brutality that the film contained; half-expecting it to be aimed at a slightly younger audience due to it's make-believe, fairytale-like story, however, I thought that the contrast set up by the graphic violence against the beautifully magical creatures of the Labyrinth was a really nice effect. The film alternates between the world of Civil War Spain and the strangely mysterious world of Pan's Labyrinth which succeeds in becoming increasingly bizarre as the film progresses. This corresponds with the increasingly corrupt outside world - as reality worsens so the Labyrinth becomes more beautiful.
Huge emphasis is placed on the stark victories of the child which are heightened by the failures of the adult world. This idea of youth and innocence is a recurring theme throughout; not only is the film seen through the eyes of a child, whose duty is to protect another child (her yet-to-be-born baby brother) but even the entrance to the Labyrinth resembles the shape of a womb. The contrast between this childhood dream-world and the film's brutal imagery of the Spanish Captain massacring people - many whom are innocent - is very powerful and allows us to sympathise with young Ofelia, to the point at which we prefer imagation to reality.
Unsurprisingly, this is a film in which imagination really does prevail, with the mind of Del Toro being explored at its fullest. There are indeed Narnia-like qualities to its set up, however, there is a lot more realism about it in the sense that the Labyrinth is not neccessarily portrayed as actually being there. We are shown it through the mind of the young girl, however, whenever any other character is brought within its territory we suddenly are reduced to an image of nothing. This allows the character's who appear within the Labyrinth to be a lot more striking and in many cases personal. Del Toro, who supposedly hallucinated Fauns when he was younger, uses the Faun as almost a mentor to Ofelia, in fact claiming to be her father. He sets her challenges to be fulfilled in which she encounters other fascinating and terrifying creatures, including the wonderfully disturbing Pale Man who I felt was more frightening than most things seen in horror films these days. However, what we do realise is that the Labyrinth is a world set up for Ofelia, after losing her father, preparing her for the eventual death of her mother at the end of the film, and eventually herself. Sad as this may seem, the film's ending is in fact shown in a positive light, with her re-united with her family in what seems to be a heavenly extended version of the Labyrinth. She is now living in her imagination for eternity.
I would agree that this is probably one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, despite its graphic brutality, which I felt was well reflective of the period of time in which this was set. As I concluded when anylising "Amores Perros" and "Children of Men", the trademark of a Mexican director is to depict a great deal of realism in the film's they direct, and here I believe the case to be the same. There is no excess violence in this Civil War/ Fantasy Drama, however, the violence is just right in highlighting the monstrousness of the adult world against the beauty of purity and innocence. In a way, "Children of Men" carried a similar message. There often seems to be morals at the end of these films, which I feel is not a bad thing, as a moral allows there to be a point to a film. In Mexican Cinema, the morals are mainly reflective of what has been learned growing up in Mexican Society, hence the reason why Mexican films are said to be political representations of their own culture. Maybe this film is not as reflective of Mexico as perhaps "Amores Perros", however, the style, the influence and the effect are all still there.
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