Tsotsi and The Parable of the Prodigal Son: Stories of Loss and Redemption

Tsotsi is a beautiful story of loss and redemption.  Tsotsi is a teenager who is finding his way on his own in South Africa.  His mother was to ill to care for him and his father too angry and abusive.  This caused Tsotsi to raise himself.  He winds up running with the wrong crowd, a gang of boys who steal and eventually kill to make their way through the world. Tsotsi decides to go out on his own one night and steal a car.  In the process he shoots a woman and unwittingly steals her baby.  Tsotsi decides he will raise this child to somehow correct the errors of his own childhood.  Tsotsi eventually has a moment of clarity and returns this child to the rightful parents.  The father shows grace forgiveness to Tstotsi realizing that Tstotsi is but a child himself.  

The Parable of the Prodigal 

Son is a biblical story of loss and redemption in which a son, most likely the same age as Tsotsi, requests his inheritance from his father so he can live his life on his own.  This devastates the father as he loves his son very much.  The son squanders his inheritance hanging with a wild crowd and has to live the life of a beggar on the streets.  He convinces a farmer to hire him to care for the pigs in exchange, the son gets to live with the pigs and watch them eat their slop while he is fed nothing. The son realizes that his life was much better at home with his father and returns to beg his father to hire him as a servant.  Of course, the father is filled with so much love for his son that he welcomes him back with open arms and will not hear of his son becoming a servant in his own home. The father shows mercy and grace to his son and forgives him.  The son learns to appreciate the life that he has and to show respect and love towards his father.

WHY THIS CONNECTION?

Tsotsi is rich with Biblical references.   There are many Biblical names and many references to cleansing , such as when baby David is cleaned by Miriam (two biblical names right here).  In the Bible, Jesus comes from the line of David and Miriam is the older sister of Moses and she watches over him when their mother puts him in a basket in the water to spare his life. Much like Miriam watches over both David and Tsotsi.  

The director of Tsotsi, Gavin Hood, was originally a lawyer in Johannesburg, where Tsotsi is set.  He saw many of the children who grew up in conditions such as we see in the film.  He was quoted as saying, "I think that issues of redemption and forgiveness are themes and ideas that South Africans have wrestled with more than almost anyone else..."(Accomando, 2006)  These are themes carried out in the story of the Prodigal son as well, making these two pieces quite compatible. Also, many people know some version of The Prodigal Son whether it be the Biblical story or a secular one.  Most people can relate to the loss/redemption qualities of this story.

The way that Gavin Hood told this story through the Biblical perspective really impacted me.  I grew up in a church-going family and know these biblical stories by heart.  This connection allowed me to draw deep meaning from the film that I might not have otherwise.  As soon as we began watching the film in class, my synapses were firing connecting the biblical knowledge that I have with the trials that Tsotsi was navigating his way through.  I really felt deeply connected to the film for this reason. 

VISUAL AND AURAL QUALITIES

Visually, we see the great differences between the classes depicted in this film and from the language of the story The Prodigal Son.

In Tsotsi, we see children living in cement cylinders and poor young people living in a shanty town.  All the while, the rich have beautiful homes protected by security gates.  In The Prodigal Son, a young man leaves behind a comfortable palace of wealth and lives among the pigs in the field trying to eat their slop, in many ways like the people of the shanty town in Johannessburg.  Both are very impressionable and disparaging visual depictions connecting these two stories.  

The music that we hear in Tsotsi is sometimes contradictory to the action happening at the time.  A wonderful example of this is when Tsotsi steals the car and shoots the woman.  The music we hear is upbeat while the story playing out is quite sad. 

This clash between the action and the music can be compared to the battle between good and evil, right and wrong, that we see Tsotsi constantly struggling with in this movie.  This struggle is also evident with The Prodigal Son.  He battles also with doing what is right and leaving behind what is wrong.  Both young men are searching, ultimately, for redemption. 

 

THE DEFINING MOMENT

The moment that really caused me to make the connection between these two stories were their endings.  The Prodigal son comes home expecting to be either turned away, or at best, a slave to his father.  The son is surprising greeted with open arms and is forgiven by his father.  

Tsotsi comes to return the baby to the rightful parents.  He has a moment of weakness in which he just wants to take the baby back with him to the shanty town in which he lives.  The father of the baby comes out and basically gives Tsotsi the redemption that he so desperately desires in his life.  He finally has a moment in which someone accepts him, even if it is only a brief segment of time.

  

Sandy's Final Presentation Proposal - Tsotsi and The Prodigal Son

For my final blog project I plan to blog on the film Tsotsi.  This is a film rich with Biblical imagery and references which got me to think about the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  There are many similarities between the two stories and I would like to explore them further.

JAWS - You Know He's Coming!

We all know it, that ominous, tell-tale sound as the base of the string instruments play their DaDum, DaDum, DaDumDaDumDaDum.  We know that Jaws is coming and someone will most likely be eaten.  

This music has become synonymous with that carnivorous shark who wreaks havoc on innocent oceanic swimmers.  I saw the movie Jaws as a child and to this day when I hear that music I feel the hairs on the back of my neck raise.

The music associated with Jaws, in my mind, isn't music at all but is actually the sound that the shark makes as he moves and attacks.  Similar to the the way a person makes sound as they walk or move.  This is simply the sound that Jaws makes as he is on the prowl.  

The above clip starts out with normal sounds that you would associate with the beach.  There is nothing unusual except the anxiety displayed by our main character Mike who simply cannot relax.  As Mike is looking out onto the ocean at the swimmers, we begin to hear it.  We hear the sound of the shark coming.  We don't see him right away but we know it's Jaws because we know the sound of his movement.  I get chills just thinking about it.  DaDum, DaDum, DaDum, DaDumDaDumDaDum----and a scream!  He has attacked someone.  

Brilliant use of music to create the character of the shark!

SPECIAL EFFECTS

AMERICAN HORROR STORY

 This is a television show that utilizes it's special effects team!  I have posted only two clips from the show but I could have dedicated an entire blog post to video clips. 

The two clips that I have chosen are from two different seasons.  The first is from season three, Coven, in which we see one of the witches being burned at the steak.  Obviously they did not light this actress on fire and burn her to death.  This was a digital effect that was added later.

The second clip is from season four, Freak Show,  where they had to create two headed twin sisters.  This was done with makeup, prosthetics, computer generation and green screen.  In the final product, you can't even tell which head belongs to the actress and which is fake.

Tsotsi - Music and Sound

In the film Tsotsi, we are taken on an emotional journey through the life of a troubled youth. Our guide on this journey, music and sound.  

In the opening scene of this film the music gives us clues to what is going to happen.  Tsotsi's friends are playing a game and then ask Tsotsi what they will be doing for the night.  The music changes to rap music and has a tone that tells us that whatever the boys are going to do, it isn't going to be good.  

When Tsotsi steals the car, we hear a contrasting sound.  The music is upbeat while the situation is quite the opposite.  Tsotsi has just shot a woman and stolen her car, which, to his surprise has her infant son in the back seat. We are also shocked along with Tsotsi to hear a baby crying.   This sound causes Tsotsi to crash the car.

The music selections, I believe, were beautifully paired with the situations in the film, even when the music seemed as though it didn't fit.  

 

The Maori People and The Whale Rider

The Maori people are indigenous to New Zealand.  They have many traditions and customs that are unique to their people.  We see many of these such customs in the movie The Whale Rider.

 Facial Tattoos:  The Maori use the facial tattoos the men shows rank in the tribe.  These tattoos are also known as the Moko.  This is their identity card and different symbols represent different ranks.

For the women, the tattoos are  more subtle only defining the lips and chin.  

For all tattoos, a bone chisel was used to carve the images into the skin.  This chisel was then dipped in pigment and tapped into the carvings to create the image. 

We see this tattooing in the film The Whale Rider. 

 
The Haka:  This is the  dance of the Maori people, particularly the men.  There are many types of Haka, the most well-known is the war dance.  This shows their strength and is meant to ward off their enemies.  It is also supposed to motivate the warriors in battle.  In this dance there chanting, stamping of feet, bulging of eyes, tongue extension, and waving of weapons.

In The Whale Rider, we see that this tradition has been lost among the younger generation and there is an attempt to teach the young men in the tribe how tow perform the Haka.

The Woman's Role:  Women in the Maori culture were not allowed in battle or to perform the Haka.  They were however, well respected for their childbearing abilities.  Women were also allowed to do the opening calls and to welcome guests.  They were also revered for their storytelling abilities.  

In the film we see that women must take a back seat to the men.  Paka could not even accept that a female could be chosen by the gods to be the chief of the tribe. Pikea could only prove herself in her death.  This is when she is finally free to follow her destiny.

 
 

Transitions

Transitions are necessary in films to move us from one scene to another.  Without them, a film would drag on and lose it's excitement as we would have to watch the character's every movement as they go from one place to the next.  

A transition that I am particularly fond of is the use of lap dissolves.  A lap dissolve is a transition in which the previous scene fades into the next scene in the film creating an interesting transition.  

I have chosen an interesting example from the movie Citizen Kane. Here we see the actor walking through swinging doors as this scene dissolves into the newspaper headline of the next scene.  This transition is done so smoothly that it almost tricks your eyes.  Beautifully done!

The Road Home - Symbolism

In the film The Road Home we see quite a bit of red.  Director Zhang Yimou used this color symbolically throughout the movie.  Red reflected hope and love in the film.

Di wears her pink jacket and red scarf every time she goes to see the school teacher. She hopes for his attention and love.  She also weaves a red banner for the school.  This signifies hope as the school is a new beginning.  The school teacher would not even allow for the cieling of the school to be insulated because looking at the banner connected him to Di and was also a sign of good luck.

The road is also very symbolic in the film.  This is the road which breaks hearts and returns lost loves.  This road carried Di's true love away with no assurance of his return.  The road also reunited two lovers both in their youth and in the teachers death.

The loom represents  Di's love for the teacher, her husband.  She sits at this loom and slaves over the final cloth that will be draped over her husband's casket.  The shear tedious task of weaving symbolic of how much work and care must go into building a relationship.  Specifically when it comes to Di and the teacher.  They had a romance the defied the odds set against them.

The Road Home was a beautiful and inspiring love story.  It is the kind of story that defies time.  I was touched to the core of my heart by this film and it's rich symbolism.

Shawshank Redemption - Camera Movement

In the movie Shawshank Redemption, we see a wonderful use of panning.  In the beginning of the attached clip, the camera pans down to Andy Dufrense's shoes.  This shows us the importance of those shoes as they were bright and shiny and were actually telling us that Andy was going to make his escape from prison tonight.  Next, we see Andy sittinging in his cell and the camera pans up to show us the expression on Andy's face.  The use of panning allows us to feel the emotions that the director wants to invoke in us in a particular scene.  Here, the use of panning lets us know that something big is about to happen and shows us the determination in the character's face.

In this same scene we see the camera zoom into the picture of the model's face in the poster on the wall.  The purpose of this shot was not to show us the picture of a beautiful woman whom Andy was obsessed with, but rather to elude to the fact that Andy had made a hole in the wall and the poster was just a tool used to cover the hole.  Again, letting us know that this was the night that Andy would escape.

At the end of this clip we see Andy is finally free.  There is an interesting camera movement use here called a boom shot or crane shot.  The camera is on a crane above the scene being shot.  This gives the camera a nice shot looking down on the character and can also give us a sense of space in the scene.  In this instance, this boom shot shows us that Andy has finally attained his freedom and we rejoice with him.  

Without the use of these different camera movements, we may not feel the same excitement and emotions throughout the movie.  The characters would just lie stagnant on the screen and the same message would not be conveyed.

The 400 Blows - Literary Elements

The film The 400 Blows is packed full of literary elements.  There are two that I would like to focus on today.  Character and and tone.

Francois Truffaut based the characters in this film off of his own difficult childhood.
His biological father was unknown to him and his mother was not very "motherly".  She, in fact, left him to be raised by his grandmother until he was about eight years old. When he did live with his parents, he got into trouble at school and basically took care of himself.  He found his escape in films.

We see the characters of Truffaut's life played out by Antoine and his parents on screen.  Antoine is being raised by a man who is not his biological father.  His mother is also not very "motherly".  There is, in fact, no space for Antoine physically or emotionally in his parents lives. He literally sleeps in the entry way to their apartment.

The overall tone of this film also relates back to Truffaut's life.  It is a tone of realism.  There are no fancy special effects, no sugar-coating life.  There are no poor people living in big, fancy apartments.  We see Antoine's life for what it is.   A working-class family living in a tiny apartment trying to do life the best way that they know how.
If you are looking for a feel-good movie to escape the realities of your busy life, this is not the movie to see.  However, if you want to see life through someone else's eyes and get a sense of what life was really like for a young boy growing up in post World War II France, this is definitely a must see.
 
 

The 400 Blows - Here's a Question for You

The opening credits of The 400 Blows is absolutely stunning! The camera pans through the streets of Paris giving us, the viewer, an amazing tour of the city.  Throughout the this opening scene of the movie we are given glimpses of the Eiffel Tower on our amazing tour.  It is my understanding that directors have a purpose for angle and shot, there is meaning in everything.  With that in mind I have two questions for you to ponder and respond to:

 1. What is the purpose of Francois Truffaut basically making the Eiffel Tower the focal point of his opening credits?  

2.  From whose perspective are the opening credits being shot? 

I have my own opinions, but I am much more interested in what you think.

It's all About the Angle

The Shining, one of my all-time favorite movies!  There are so many camera shots, sound, and lighting techniques that create the intensity of this film.  Depicted above is a shot from one of my favorite scenes in the movies; the creepy, dead twins.  What we are seeing here is an example of an extreme long shot.  This angle is is and establishing shot used in films to set the scene and create, in this case, a thrilling atmosphere.  We are able to see the entire scene with minimal detail.  Just by looking at this frame, an ominous feeling is being set.  We are given the impression that something bad is going to happen here simply by the angle of the camera.  Just looking at the still image is sending shivers down my spine!

Hi, I am Sandy Bechtel and I am excited to share this journey into film with you all! Now, let's hit the theaters!