For those considering revising 'Harry Brown' for the forthcoming exam, it is worth checking out this interview with Michael Caine. In it he talks about why he choose to do the film and his south-east London background. Might be some useful quotes regarding the issues of 'context' and representation.
Michael Caine interview
Showing posts with label Michael Caine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Caine. Show all posts
Friday, 10 May 2013
Friday, 12 April 2013
Fade to Black: Get Carter - parts 7 and 8
Fade to Black: Get Carter - parts 7 and 8: Carter kills Brumby, calls Kinnear about Paice, kills Margaret and plants her body in Kinnear's grounds Kinnear is arrested, Carter ch...
Re-blogged from April 2012
Re-blogged from April 2012
Fade to Black: Get Carter - part 5 and part 6
Fade to Black: Get Carter - part 5 and part 6: Set up by Margaret, meets Brumby at car park, goes back to Glenda's apartment, starts watching the film Jack sees Doreen in film, lock...
Re-blogged from April 2012
Re-blogged from April 2012
Fade to Black: Get Carter - part 4 of 8
Fade to Black: Get Carter - part 4 of 8: Meets Brumby, arrival of Pete and Con from London
Re-blogged from April 2012
Re-blogged from April 2012
Fade to Black: Get Carter - part 3 of 8
Fade to Black: Get Carter - part 3 of 8: The phone call to Anna, threatened by Thorpe
Re-blogged from April 2012
Re-blogged from April 2012
Fade to Black: Get Carter - part 2 of 8
Fade to Black: Get Carter - part 2 of 8: Part 2 - the funeral, Jack meets Margaret, the race track, Kinnear's house, meets Glenda
Re-blogged from April 2012
Re-blogged from April 2012
Saturday, 16 March 2013
'Get Carter' - Crime Genre Themes: 1
This post will look at how Get Carter can be recognised as a crime film, with the emphasis being placed on its 'Britishness'. It will consider how the following generic themes are represented throughout the narrative, with examples taken from the film:
Revenge
Family
Honour
Justice
Moral code
Betrayal
Violence
Death
Retribution
Revenge
Carter wants revenge for the death of his brother, Frank
The Fletcher brothers can be seen to be extracting revenge against Jack. He was warned not
to go to Newcastle, and also sent evidence against the porn film gang, which probably include
the Fletcher brothers.
Family
Jack, Frank and Doreen. There is a possibility that Doreen may be Jack's illegitimate daughter
through an affair with Frank's wife.
Honour
Jack wishes to uphold the honour of his innocent brother, who tried to stand up against the
criminal gang - in doing so he will seek revenge
He also protects the honour of his niece, or possible daughter, Doreen, for having been made
to appear in the amateur porn film. The last shot of Doreen in the porn film shows Albert Swift
on top of her, and the facial expression would suggest that it was not a pleasant experience.
Justice
Strongly linked to revenge.
What is delivered by Carter is 'criminal justice' - this is to say that he sorts the problems
himself, rather than go to the police. He does involve the police when sending evidence of the
Fletcher's involvement in the porn film to Scotland Yard (he is planning to leave the country with
Anna, so this would be his 'revenge' on the Fletchers', rather than trying to kill them, perhaps).
He also alerts the police to the whereabouts of Margaret's body aftyer killing her, and in doing
so, sets up Kinnear for her death.
Moral Code
The moral code which Jack follows is dictated by his life as a gangster. His belief is that only
those who deserve punishment should receive it, and the innocent should be left alone, or
protected. This would have been true of gangsters like the Kray Twins, whose lifestyle the
characters of Carter and the Fletcher brothers were modeled on. There is also a sense that if
one to break the accepted moral code (like Paice, for example, in killing Frank) then one
should expect some form of violent retribution as a consequence.
Betrayal
A key generic theme in crime films, betrayal lies at the heart of Get Carter. Margaret betrays
Frank, Margaret betrays Jack, Jack betrays Gerald, Anna betrays Gerald, Jack (possibly)
betrayed Frank (assuming Doreen might actually be his daughter), Jack and Cyril betray each
other (Jack to the hit man, Cyril to the police), Brumby betrays Jack. In a lifestyle built on an
accepted 'moral code of honour' (see previous themes), there is also a strong sense that you
should trust no one should you chose a life a crime, or a life of crime chooses you.
Violence and Death
Get Carter certainly has its share of these two linked generic themes, which are natural by
products of a criminal lifestyle, particularly where men like the Fletcher's and Jack are
concerned.
Throughout the narrative there occurs the following violent incidents:
Carter witnesses a pub brawl between two women, much to his amusement
Carter attacks Thorpe in an attempt to get information
Carter hits Margaret on the bridge for betraying him to Peter and Con
Brumby is attacked by Carter in his own home
Keith is beaten up by Kinnear's gang (the attack is unseen, but the result is not)
Carter stabs Albert twice as he kills him
Glenda is almost drowned by Jack in her bath
The shoot out on the ferry ends with Peter being shot by Carter
Glenda is trapped in the boot of Jack's car as it is pushed into the dock
Brumby is thrown from the roof of the car park by Carter, dying in the process
Margaret is terminally drugged by Carter in order to frame Kinnear
Paice is beaten by Carter at the beach and his body dumped into the sea
Carter is shot by the hit man on the beach as he attempts to get rid of the gun
Retribution
Perhaps the key theme to Get Carter - and for nearly every crime film - retribution is the end
result of a life lived through crime.
For Jack, the retribution he delivers to those involved in the death of Frank and those
responsible for Doreen's appearance in the porn film (who are more often than not, the same
people), is completely justified. His presence in Newcastle is felt the moment he walks into the
bar by the railway station, as he looks and sounds different to all those around him. It is obvious
that he means business, and he will not stop until he has metered out his brand of justice and
retribution.
His own death does, initially appear shocking, as it comes at the very moment
where he has succeeded in avenging all those connected to Frank's death. However, his fate
had been sealed the moment he went against Gerald's orders at the very beginning of the
narrative, by going to Newcastle. The hit man - 'J' - was on the train from London in the same
carriage, and it is his gun which inflicts the ultimate retribution on Jack, not forgetting he was
also having an affair with Anna, Gerald's wife.
Moral Code
The moral code which Jack follows is dictated by his life as a gangster. His belief is that only
those who deserve punishment should receive it, and the innocent should be left alone, or
protected. This would have been true of gangsters like the Kray Twins, whose lifestyle the
characters of Carter and the Fletcher brothers were modeled on. There is also a sense that if
one to break the accepted moral code (like Paice, for example, in killing Frank) then one
should expect some form of violent retribution as a consequence.
Betrayal
A key generic theme in crime films, betrayal lies at the heart of Get Carter. Margaret betrays
Frank, Margaret betrays Jack, Jack betrays Gerald, Anna betrays Gerald, Jack (possibly)
betrayed Frank (assuming Doreen might actually be his daughter), Jack and Cyril betray each
other (Jack to the hit man, Cyril to the police), Brumby betrays Jack. In a lifestyle built on an
accepted 'moral code of honour' (see previous themes), there is also a strong sense that you
should trust no one should you chose a life a crime, or a life of crime chooses you.
Violence and Death
Get Carter certainly has its share of these two linked generic themes, which are natural by
products of a criminal lifestyle, particularly where men like the Fletcher's and Jack are
concerned.
Throughout the narrative there occurs the following violent incidents:
Carter witnesses a pub brawl between two women, much to his amusement
Carter attacks Thorpe in an attempt to get information
Carter hits Margaret on the bridge for betraying him to Peter and Con
Brumby is attacked by Carter in his own home
Keith is beaten up by Kinnear's gang (the attack is unseen, but the result is not)
Carter stabs Albert twice as he kills him
Glenda is almost drowned by Jack in her bath
The shoot out on the ferry ends with Peter being shot by Carter
Glenda is trapped in the boot of Jack's car as it is pushed into the dock
Brumby is thrown from the roof of the car park by Carter, dying in the process
Margaret is terminally drugged by Carter in order to frame Kinnear
Paice is beaten by Carter at the beach and his body dumped into the sea
Carter is shot by the hit man on the beach as he attempts to get rid of the gun
Retribution
Perhaps the key theme to Get Carter - and for nearly every crime film - retribution is the end
result of a life lived through crime.
For Jack, the retribution he delivers to those involved in the death of Frank and those
responsible for Doreen's appearance in the porn film (who are more often than not, the same
people), is completely justified. His presence in Newcastle is felt the moment he walks into the
bar by the railway station, as he looks and sounds different to all those around him. It is obvious
that he means business, and he will not stop until he has metered out his brand of justice and
retribution.
His own death does, initially appear shocking, as it comes at the very moment
where he has succeeded in avenging all those connected to Frank's death. However, his fate
had been sealed the moment he went against Gerald's orders at the very beginning of the
narrative, by going to Newcastle. The hit man - 'J' - was on the train from London in the same
carriage, and it is his gun which inflicts the ultimate retribution on Jack, not forgetting he was
also having an affair with Anna, Gerald's wife.
'Get Carter' - Narrative Structure
In this blog post we shall consider the narrative structure of Get Carter. Included in this will be the following:
Act Structure
Enigmas
Problematic
Cause and Effect
Character Arc
Act Structure
Two ‘heavies’ are sent to bring him back to London
Carter begins to unravel the reason for Frank’s death
Sees the porn film – connects Frank’s death to Brumby, Kinnear, Swift and Paice
Kills Swift and Brumby for film involving his niece
Carter is killed by hit man
Act Structure
Enigmas
Problematic
Cause and Effect
Character Arc
Act Structure
Syd Field’s 3 Act Theory:
Act One – the Set Up
Act Two – Confrontation
Act Three - Resolution
Act 1 - the Set Up
Carter plans to go to Newcastle to find out who killed his brother
Warned not to ‘interfere’ by his gangster boss
Ignores warning and goes anyway
Arrives in Newcastle
Arranges a meet with Margaret
Meets Doreen, his niece, at Frank’s funeral
Act 2 - Confrontation
Meets with various characters who may have information
Arrives in Newcastle
Arranges a meet with Margaret
Meets Doreen, his niece, at Frank’s funeral
Act 2 - Confrontation
Meets with various characters who may have information
 |
| Albert Swift |
 |
| Eric Paice |
 |
| Cyril Kinnear |
 |
| Cliff Brumby |
Two ‘heavies’ are sent to bring him back to London
Carter begins to unravel the reason for Frank’s death
Sees the porn film – connects Frank’s death to Brumby, Kinnear, Swift and Paice
Kills Swift and Brumby for film involving his niece
Allows Glenda to die for same reason, after killing Peter during the ferry shoot out
Sends evidence of porn film to police and tips them off about Kinnear’s drug and vice
links
Arranges for Paice to be ‘sacrificed’ by Kinnear for his ‘silence’
Carter kills Margaret – part revenge for her involvement with Frank, and to help set
up Kinnear
Act 3. Resolution
Kinnear is arrested
Carter kills Paice – revenge for his active involvement in Frank’s death
Enigmas
Who killed Frank?
Who knows what and who is involved and how?
Is Doreen actually Carter's illegitimate daughter?
Will Carter get revenge?
The Central Problematic
What if you go against the wrong people, while seeking justice?
Cause and Effect
Frank is killed (cause), Jack wants answers (effect)
Jack goes to Newcastle (cause), gets 'justice' (effect)
Jack goes against his bosses orders (cause, beginning), gets killed (effect, end)
Character Arc
Jack is unaware of who killed his brother at the beginning
As narrative progresses, he gains understanding of the murder, also shows a
softer side of his nature towards his niece, Doreen.
Plans new life after gaining complete revenge
Killed in last scene
Thursday, 14 March 2013
'Get Carter' - Revision: Characters
Get Carter: Living with Crime
This blog post will focus on the following revision elements for the film:
Eric Paice
The next blog post will focus on the narrative structure of Get Carter
Characters in Get Carter
Narrative Structure
Themes
Characters
Jack Carter
Looking for revenge of brother’s death
Shot dead in final sceneEric Paice
Responsible for Frank’s death
Killed by Carter at the beach
Cyril Kinnear
Set’s up Carter to be killed at the beach
Is ‘framed’ by Carter and arrested for death of Margaret
Gerald Fletcher
Carter’s boss
Orders Jack’s death from the very beginning
Sid Fletcher – brother of Gerald
Was in Newcastle at time of Frank Carter’s death
Would have had involvement in making of porn film
Anna Fletcher
Gerald is tipped off about her affair with Jack
Fate unknown…
Margaret
Was in a relationship with Frank Carter
Appears in porn film which Carter watches
Killed by Carter for revenge and to frame Kinnear
Glenda
Appears in porn film
Puts Carter onto Brumby, Kinnear and Paice
Dies in boot of Carter’s car
Cliff Brumby
Tries to use Carter for own revenge on Kinnear
Has some knowledge of Frank’s death
Wanted to meet Carter’s niece after watching the film
Killed by Carter because of this
Albert Swift
Was in porn film and probably had sex with Carter’s niece, Doreen
Tells Carter who killed Frank
Killed by Carter
Peter and Con
Sent by Fletcher to bring Carter back to London
Peter killed by Carter on the ferry
Doreen
Carter’s niece
Appears in porn film, leads to Frank’s death
Might actually be Jack’s illegitimate daughter
‘J’
Hit man sent by Gerald to kill Carter
Is on the train at the beginning
Kills Carter on beach at the end
The next blog post will focus on the narrative structure of Get Carter
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
Fade to Black: Get Carter - Part 1 of 8
Click on the link to an earlier blog post for the opening 10 minutes of Get Carter.
Fade to Black: Get Carter - Part 1 of 8: MP4 file of Get Carter (1 of 8) Opening titles, Jack arrives in Newcastle, meets Doreen, prepares for funeral
Pay particular attention to how Carter's death is foretold in the first few minutes. We see him from outside the home of his boss, Gerald Fletcher, and what we hear is the sound of waves, the wind and the minimal keyboard theme which is also heard in the very last shots of the film as Carter lies dead on the shoreline.
Note how the slides shown by Sid Fletcher to the guests are of an amateur pornographic nature. How might this relate to the death of Jack's brother? Is there anything to link the Fletcher's to the murder?
See how the director, Mike Hodges, positions certain characters to the side of the frame, filling the other half with a blurred image of someone else, or an ornament of some kind. Why has he done this? Is it something to do with things being kept from Jack? That he is not seeing the full picture, regarding the Fletchers? This happens at various stages in the first half of the narrative, including when Jack goes to visit Cyril Kinnear when he is playing poker with some local businessmen. Kinnear might know something about Frank's murder, but he is framed in such a way to suggest he is also hiding some information. As Jack puts together the pieces of the puzzle as to who killed his brother, and why, Hodges dispenses with this motif and we see characters more clearly, particularly those involved or connected to Frank's death.
How is Gerald's wife, Anna, represented in this sequence? Is it as 'trophy' of Gerald's perhaps? Note how Hodges edits the looks between her and Jack? What relevance might there be for this?
What is the meaning behind Gerald's comment of "I smell trouble, boy", when Jack insists that he will go up north to Newcastle to find out who killed Frank.
More analytical questions to follow for these important opening sequences...
Fade to Black: Get Carter - Part 1 of 8: MP4 file of Get Carter (1 of 8) Opening titles, Jack arrives in Newcastle, meets Doreen, prepares for funeral
Pay particular attention to how Carter's death is foretold in the first few minutes. We see him from outside the home of his boss, Gerald Fletcher, and what we hear is the sound of waves, the wind and the minimal keyboard theme which is also heard in the very last shots of the film as Carter lies dead on the shoreline.
Note how the slides shown by Sid Fletcher to the guests are of an amateur pornographic nature. How might this relate to the death of Jack's brother? Is there anything to link the Fletcher's to the murder?
See how the director, Mike Hodges, positions certain characters to the side of the frame, filling the other half with a blurred image of someone else, or an ornament of some kind. Why has he done this? Is it something to do with things being kept from Jack? That he is not seeing the full picture, regarding the Fletchers? This happens at various stages in the first half of the narrative, including when Jack goes to visit Cyril Kinnear when he is playing poker with some local businessmen. Kinnear might know something about Frank's murder, but he is framed in such a way to suggest he is also hiding some information. As Jack puts together the pieces of the puzzle as to who killed his brother, and why, Hodges dispenses with this motif and we see characters more clearly, particularly those involved or connected to Frank's death.
How is Gerald's wife, Anna, represented in this sequence? Is it as 'trophy' of Gerald's perhaps? Note how Hodges edits the looks between her and Jack? What relevance might there be for this?
What is the meaning behind Gerald's comment of "I smell trouble, boy", when Jack insists that he will go up north to Newcastle to find out who killed Frank.
More analytical questions to follow for these important opening sequences...
Get Carter - Production Contexts
This blog post will look at some of the wider contexts associated with Get Carter including:
Historical background
Social contexts
Influences
Director: Mike Hodges
Genre: Gangster
Get Carter – debut feature film
Had previously worked in TV drama
Uses realism of T.V drama background to good effect
TRADITION
Get Carter draws upon long line of British gangster and crime films
Genre which British excel at
BRITAIN IN THE 1960s
Period of prosperity and social change
Time of experimentation in drugs, sex and music
‘Swinging Sixties’ summed up by the hippie sub-culture
BRITAIN IN THE 1970s
Country was starting to experience the downside to the ‘Swinging Sixties’
Unemployment was going up
Economy was falling
Sixties ‘dream’ fading
Social change in country
Seen through use of harder drugs, pornography and violence on a wider scale
GEOGRAPHICAL CHANGE
Areas such as Newcastle were changing in the late 1960s/early 1970s
High-rise flats and office blocks replacing traditional homes and communities
Get Carter shows the time between the old ways and new re-structuring
Old houses and traditional factories of the north-east
Being replaced by...
‘Brutalist’ modern architecture of the early 1970s
NEW BREED OF GANGSTER
Money to be made by criminals during recession
Film’s representation of gangsters very realistic – dangerous, violent, unfeeling, professional
Has roots in real life British gangsters of the 1960s
THE KRAY TWINS INFLUENCE
Ron and Reggie Kray
‘Ran’ London’s east end from late-1950s to 1968
Feared by other gangsters and criminals
Some people believed London was safer when the Kray Twins were in charge
Brutal and vicious
Ran a crime ‘empire’
Kept violence for those who ‘deserved’ it – rival gangs, petty criminals etc.
Only killed once each, but ordered ‘hits’ on many more
GEORGE CORNELL
Ronnie shot George Cornell
Location: Blind Beggar pub, Whitechapel
Reason: Cornell was member of rival Richardson gang and had insulted Ronnie about his
sexuality
JACK 'THE HAT' McVITIE
Reggie knifed Jack ‘The Hat’ McVitie to death
Location: house in Stoke Newington, east London
Reason: McVitie had ‘disrespected’ the twins
These sequences taken from The Krays (1991), starring Gary and Martin Kemp as
Ronnie and Reg, shows the murders of Cornell and McVitie. According to members of
gang, Ronnie taunted Reggie repeatedly about killing someone, and that Reg couldn't be
thought of as a real man unless he had done the same. The intensity which Reg killed
Jack reflects the goading from his twin brother.
Both arrested for the murders and given life sentences in 1969
Britain’s gangland continued to thrive throughout the 1970s
Other gangsters still operated – some connected to the twins as ‘family’ or rivals
LINKS TO GET CARTER
Michael Caine knew the twins
Grew up in tough area of London (Bermondsey, in south London, location for Harry
Brown)
Caine represented the ‘glamour’ which the twins liked to associate with
He talked to real gangland figures about how to play the role of Carter - they advised
him on the clothes to wear, how to talk, and most importantly how to walk like a
gangster
GERALD AND SID FLETCHER
Gerald and Sid Fletcher - Jack's bosses
Only seen briefly at beginning
Names mentioned throughout film - omnipresent through their reputation
Could be seen as 'Kray' type gangsters
CONCLUSION
Debut film for British director (see also The Long Good Friday, Lock Stock and Two
Smoking Barrels, and Harry Brown)
Get Carter follows in line of British crime films
Represents the harshness of early 1970s Britain
Shows how crime and criminals changed with the times
Has links to real life crime as seen with the Kray Twins
Characters in the film may be partly based on real life criminals of the time
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