Belfast: Scenes

Question 1

What are the main themes of Belfast?

Answer 1

Social class, opportunity embedded within that, violence, conflict, opposition, nostalgia, coming of age, loss, journey, childhood, sacrifice, memory, community, individuals, innocence

Question 2

What are key performance elements in the Troubles starting scene?

Answer 2

-Buddy shouting for his mum showing Buddy’s youth and vulnerability which emphasises his need for his mother who is in charge of the family and the sons
-Mum picks up Buddy to protect him, holding a bin lid above their heads. Using what once Buddy played with to protect them highlighting the turnover of innocence to violence. She goes back out to get Will which indicates her sacrificing nature
-Extreme violence, shouting, throwing of the riots- shows clear intent to create divide and demonstrate their anger to the opposition (Catholics)

Question 3

What are key cinematography elements in the Troubles starting scene?

Answer 3

-Camera rotates around static Buddy demonstrating his vulnerability within the movement and how in his eyes and youth, he may be the centre of everything which illustrates the childish tone of the film
-Slow mo medium shot of throwing into the fire- handheld to increase intensity
-Long shot of Buddy amidst violence showing isolation and danger of the youth
-Associated POV of Ma looking out of window and attacks which indicates her Protestant identity leaves her as a observer rather than a victim but also creates sympathy for the hopelessness of her character

Question 4

What are key performance elements in Pop and Buddy in the hospital scene?

Answer 4

-Ma holds Granny’s arm showing the connection between women within the household and how they take care of eachother which strengthens the theme of family and also demonstrates the separation of gender within the family dynamic
-Avoiding the tax man through Ma covering Buddy’s mouth and pulling him back showing their desperation to hide
-Pop’s reassuring tone and his voice of comfort for Buddy in his youth

Question 5

What are key cinematography elements in Pop and Buddy in the hospital scene?

Answer 5

-Meduum close up of Buddy while family talks frames him as the centre and how other people determine his life and choices like moving away for example
-Shot reverse shot between Pop and Buddy showing their connection however both characters are framed on the right side which creates a slight disalignment- this may convey the idea not everything is as it seems and the family is not altogether due to the divide and move
-Slight low/high angle between Pop and Buddy to resemble Buddy looking up to Pop and him providing advice as someone with wisdom
-Long shot of Pop and Buddy through the window, insight into an intimate moment which frames audience as an observer of a nostalgic moment, as the whole film is this. The bittersweet nature of moving away and leaving grandparents connects with this moment

Question 6

What is the key film form in the church scene?

Answer 6

-Reverend’s performance- loud volume, sweat on his face, full of passion through facial expressions, gestures and spitting contrasted to Buddy’s scared face, still with no movement, sat down
-Minimal editing to show Buddy’s captured attention and a focus on their reception to information and performance- represents the idea the film is through Buddy’s eyes
-Medium close up of Buddy as if we are observing him, he is passive within the film and therefore also within his family and societal issues
-Low angle of the church to highlight religious prominence within society and the power of it over people- paired with sound bridge of Pa saying Catholicism is a ‘religion of fear’, creating a tense mood
-Chiaroscuro lighting in the Black + White to show contrasted morality and the binary opposites of Protestant and Catholic ideologies clashing but also taking centre in Buddy’s view of the world

Question 7

What is key film form within the bus scene as Pa leaves?

Answer 7

-Voiceover of Pa in the bus while the long shot of Buddy is seen as he stands with his football next to the bus- showing Pa has control over Buddy’s life and his future is determined by others, framing the audience in a passive view of the world like Buddy, acting as a reminder the film is set to see the world and troubles through that of a child
-Setting of bus symbolises the need for journey, movement and migration not only within Ireland but within the family
-Two shot and shot reverse shot reflects the need to be parents and a unit conflicted with their contrasting opinions of wanting to/ not wanting to move from Ireland
-Glint in Ma’s eyes showing the small piece of hope she holds
-Idea of imprisonment and Pa holds onto the bar at the back of the bus reflecting that of prison bars which may resemble how his social class and need for money imprisons him away from his family and his role of a father
-Helicopter seen in the reflection of the bus showing even when not directly seen, the family is under surveillance and the Troubles is a backdrop to their life

Question 8

What is the key film form in the showdown scene?

Answer 8

-Slow mo on Pa’s face as he looks at his family showing the intensity and importance of the moment
-Birds eye shot over the two police forces capturing Clanton which reflects the motif of two sides and opposition which the family is stuck between, a symbol of the entire film
-The High Noon song is sombre and nostalgic, also mirroring a Western genre from the film ‘High Noon’
-Change of far proximity to close proximity and cramped space when the family reunited which indicates the troubles cannot hold the family back and they are too strong
-Ma’s wedding ring shown as she puts her arm around the family to bring them together conveying the idea of maternal structure and how she creates safety
-Props of gun and brick used to escape link to child’s play reflecting the idea of a child’s perspective
-Cousin on her own in the long shot as the football goes past her and she watches, indicating she has lost her childhood and innocence in the process of being indoctrinated by the gang but she finds comfort in the family as she goes to them