Film Study On Gomorra Essay

1204 words - 5 pages

Gomorra, an Italian film by Mateo Garrone, is an intense and astute depiction of modern day criminal enterprise in Naples. Based on Robert Saviano’s highly acclaimed non-fiction book, Gomorrah: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System, Gomorra presents us with 5 non-interlaced stories about crime in the Neapolitan town of Scampia. The film was highly successful in Italy, where thousands of bootleg copies are sold on the street by same organizations that the film targets.  Although the film was made nearly 40 years after the heyday of Italian neo-realist cinema, it retains many of the qualities and trademarks made famous by ...view middle of the document...

This dedication to filmmaking pays off when the viewer sees the grandiose and monolithic structure that pales in comparison to the “projects” of New York City.
              The majority of the actors in the film are amateurs who have never appeared on film before. Other than Toni Servillo, who is an established star in Italy, almost none of the actors have ever appeared on film before. The film’s amateur cast adds to the film’s authenticity and grittiness. Much like earlier Neo-realist films such as Accetone, the film’s novice cast enhances the cinematic experience for the viewer. The stand-outs from the cast are Marco Macor and Ciro Petrone who play characters named after the themselves, Marco and Ciro. They play the role of two amateur thugs brilliantly and with a stark authenticity that is rarely shown in fictional film. It is easy to see why the image of the two boys blindly firing assault weapons in their underwear is used as the main promotional image of the film.
              It is hard to argue against the film’s authenticity when Garrone had assembled the cast out of locals from Naples’ most notorious city, such as Bernardino Terracciano who plays local mob boss Zi Bernardino. Terracciano’s own life is a parallel to that of his character as proven by his October arrest for “extortion and associating with the Mafia”[3].
              Garrone’s film mainly consists of a series of long shots. Scenes such as Roberto surveying the empty ditch and Don Ciro riding in the car of a mobster’s girlfriend stretch up to a minute long. The scene where gangsters are driving in their car and checking up on drug dealers lasts around 2 minutes. This length allows us to fully understand and experience the enormous level of drug traffic in Scampia.
              The films narrative is broken down into 5 separate stories, the most notable of which is the tale of Toto, a grocery delivery boy. His section of the film bares many parallels to the story of Open City. Much like the story of Rossellini’s film revolves around the conflict between Nazi loyalists and the dissenters; Toto’s story (and Don Ciro’s) revolves around the conflict between the established clan and secessionists. The two films feature a conflict between a powerful majority and a cunning minority. Toto’s story ultimately ends with him using his trust to betray Maria, resulting in her gruesome murder. Ironically in Open City, a similarly named character of Marina, abuses Giorgio’s trust resulting in his gruesome murder. The viewer is left to...

Other Papers Like Film Study on Gomorra

Anthropology and Film Essay

859 words - 4 pages Film Festivals have created a forum for new ideas to be shared. With archaeologists as juries, this has become an important way to add credibility to your analysis of research in a new forum. Science vs. Myth The Archaeologist studies artifacts and creates conclusions based on evidence found at archaeological sites. The archaeologist presents their conclusions Often the story of the past contradicts or

“One” Short Film Essay

5053 words - 21 pages further study in International Islamic University Malaysia. He is close friend to Umar and always supporting Umar in his fight. He is a strong person with his muscular body. Figure 3.6 Character design Jackov 3.3 STORYBOARD A storyboard is important in visualizing the overall idea of a film. It is a scene by scene drawn out which highlight what happen on particular scene that develop the overall storyline. The suggested storyboard for

Does the Film the Battle of the Somme Provide a Realistic Picture of Life in the Trenches?

2440 words - 10 pages attitude was very positive and patriotic. The film was then released on August 10th 1916 with pride. The initial idea had come from the government as they wanted to encourage the war fare for people at home who did not have much idea of what was going on. The film overall shows a very positive view to the Battle of the Somme and explains that everything is running accordingly. However the

An Analysis Of Early Cinema

1190 words - 5 pages period from 1891 to 1895, like Edison Kinetoscope Record of a Sneeze; films in the late 1900s, such as Wash Day in Mexico, and developed films at the beginning of 20th century, like Life Rescue at Long Branch. This study will focus on the characteristics of patterns, contrast of different films and the evolution of early cinema. It can be said that Thomas Alva Edison invented the kinetoscope involuntarily. He meant to provide a

Film Comparison

1153 words - 5 pages experienced from a very young age. Tarnation deals with the themes of family, rape, child abuse, drug addiction, promiscuity, abandonment, and psychosis. The form of the film takes on a very dramatic, and anxious feel. A lot of the footage is shown in fast and short clips. There are times when videos cut in and out at a speed that relates to which part of John’s life is being portrayed. This diary in the form of a movie is raw and emotional. The

Interpersonal Conlict In Film

2397 words - 10 pages , Where Art Thou? Everyone likes to laugh, and this film is no stranger to the call. O Brother, Where Art Thou is indeed a comical action/adventure and musical romp Directed by Joel Coen and Produced by Ethan Coen. The Cast consist of many favorites in film such as George Clooney, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson. The film O Brother, according to well-known film critic Roger Ebert (2000), “is based on

Rad 102-2 Stud Guide

2015 words - 9 pages RAD 102-2 STUDY GUIDE 1. Radiographic film is typically tinted ______________ to help reduce eye strain which will help _________________ diagnostic accuracy. 2. This layer of film is typically made up of polyester. It provides stiffness and flatness for handling and is approximately 150-300 mm thick. ____________________________________________ 3. This layer of radiographic film is made up of gelatin and silver halide

8 Seconds Critique

2864 words - 12 pages interpreting this film because I felt the most comfortable in understand the key elements in this film, however, I still did not ignore other important factors such as: plot development, story structure, and the characters. A formalist approach can be a great way to approach any study on a film to learn more within the internal aspects of the movie. In conclusion, I could have chosen any movie to break down and analyze but 8 Seconds has been an

Color vs Black and White Study

1532 words - 7 pages HUM/150 Team B Week 3 Learning Team Assignment Color-vs-Black and White Study Spider-Man 2 and The Maltese Falcon Introduction Our assignment this week was to compare the effects of color versus black-and-white in films. Learning Team B selected Spider-Man 2 as the color film, and The Maltese Falcon as the black-and-white film. While referencing the influence of color and black-and-white imagery, we will examine the following

The Hitchhiker’S Guide To The Galaxy

1171 words - 5 pages had this strange unaccountable feeling that something was going on in the world, something sinister.’ ‘No,’ said the old man, ‘that’s just perfectly normal paranoia. Everyone in the Universe has that,’” (Adams 160). The novel reinforces absurdity in the universe as Arthur’s fair attempt to study the universe is refuted with a simple response suggesting that the facets of the universe should be easy to comprehend. The film however, had Arthur make

How Films Communicate

968 words - 4 pages liked how the photographer captured the beautiful sky during the day and the awesome moonlight in the evening. What is the Culture Value of Film I believe that that is a wonderful opportunity to study film and see what goes on behind the scenes and learn how films are made. There is a lot of hard work that goes into them, but honestly until you have hand's on experience in the field and go through the trial and error yourself I'm sure it's

Related Essays

Avante Garde Film Essay

3999 words - 16 pages for an audience, but for the pleasure of the filmmakers themselves. Smith does not mention funding from big studios, as this does not happen within the Avant-Garde scene. However, for some, this may be a stepping-stone to getting noticed as many filmmakers rely on grants and prizes to fund their work. The chance to work alone gives the filmmaker a chance to put a piece of themselves into the film itself, this leads to the idea of lyrical

Movie Review

926 words - 4 pages A well-known filmmaker Robert Zemeckis got a reputation as a state of the art filmmaker in 1985 when he directed the comedic time travel “Back to The Future” film series. He went on to make Academy Award movies such as ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and “Forest Gump” (June 3, 2011). “Flight” stars a well-rounded acting veteran Denzel Washington. Washington plays a flight captain, Whip Whittaker, who is at the difficult time in his life battling drug

The Fourth Kind Essay

984 words - 4 pages The theatrical film, The Fourth Kind, addresses the prospects of aliens through a basis on real events occurring in Nome, Alaska in 2000. The plot line follows Dr. Abigail Emily Tyler and her professional experiences with patients claiming alien abduction. The film begins with Tyler recounting a personal experience of her husband’s supposed murder that occurred in August of 2000. The Fourth Kind then takes focus on Tyler’s professional career as

Citizen Kane Essay

627 words - 3 pages effects, but it makes up for it by creating characters and situations that the audience can relate to and feel for. As mentioned before, many of the techniques used in Citizen Kane were not new, but the combination and the effects the techniques had on the film are what make the movie a classical masterpiece.