Guidry - The Debt

At the heart of a masterful cover-up fabricated by the film's trio of government operatives lies an explicit ideological theme that expounds upon the complexities found along the fine line drawn between good and evil. During Act II of the film, the dialogue carried out by the mission team explicated a sociological basis for justifying "bringing [a war criminal] to justice," by which they labeled their enemy "an animal," "monster," and "not a human being" according to his heinous crimes committed in the name of Jewish extinction. Was the nature of their mission justified by their intent to seek justice for those lost at the hand of the man posing as Dr. Bernhardt, or was it nothing more than a self-righteous attempt at revenge on behalf of a victimized culture? The Debt brings forth a valid discussion of how human perceptions of good and evil can be misshaped at the point of execution, as the "heroes" of the story ultimately reduce their good intentions to public pacification in defense of their failed mission. For succumbing to the pressures of their ambitions, and thus rubbing shoulders with evil, they endure the absences of love and happiness in their lives until their debt to good is paid... paid with the blood of their former prisoner and some wounds of their own.

From a more abstract perspective, the first scene in which Rachel's daughter dedicates her book to her mother's "heroism" in vanquishing a public enemy explicates their society's validation of the mission to bring the doctor to trial, and under questionable morale, celebrates his "death" in cold blood as a victory for the families of Holocaust victims. I argue that among those survivors whose opinions lie in favor of the trio's means of justice, the line between good and evil has undeniably been crossed: apparently, Rachel is a hero because she shot an unarmed man in the back in an attempt to rescue the nobility (for her fallen mother) of her mission, and a worse crime would have been to allow this older man to survive another day in the disguise as both gynecologist and husband , away from his former access to tools of torture.

For Stefan, Rachel, and David, the truth would have upset an already delicate public psyche regarding the search for resolution for Holocaust survivor families. The line of moral judgment they'd crossed, then, was to secure the "good" of a people that they'd deemed worthy of their activism, but also exposed them as the selfish beings through which the likes of Dr. Bernhardt had justified their extermination. Wow. There we have it. They were no better than the criminal they'd hunted.

Guidry - Midnight in Gil's Paris

There is little time spent in the film before we learn that Gil is a lover of aesthetic detail, and that he is dissatisfied with the superficial turn that his career as a writer has taken in spite of himself. The love of his life happens to be an educated material girl, whose depths of interest, limited to prestige and the all-American rightist point of view, do not include the spice of life that Gil seeks in the streets of Paris. As structural opposites, they represent what exists as modern materialist American culture, and a longing for the artistic soul that appears to be lost into generations past.

As a film writer, Gil Pender has experienced the demands of Hollywood that can easily turn a beloved art form into the mundane reproduction of generic manuscripts that lack acknowledgment of individual style. His retreat from his career's successes, then, is his voluntary conversion to novel-writing, a venture through which he must learn to detach his professional logical practices in order to have his work flourish.

And so he looks to 1920's Paris. The adventures into which a midnight carriages take him expose Gil to a pre-technological-addiction era where the arts and romance are more relevant than shopping sprees and prenuptial agreements. The essence of beauty is herein redefined for Gil, as he immerses himself into the lives and influence of such artists as Hemingway, Stein, Picasso, Fitzgerald, and Cousteau, and finds love again in the form of an aspiring costume designer who admires his work.

The return of Gil's literary confidence unavoidably comes at the price of his engagement to Inez, who has fallen for an old college friend as he simultaneously falls for the 1920's beauty Adriana. Although still blinded by his artistic rejuvenation and the intrigue of a new muse, Gil begins to process the inevitable truths about his lifestyle that reveal themselves through the wisdom and advice of his heroes.

True to the stylistics of Woody Allen, our protagonist finds himself after some character-pruning afforded to him by his nighttime adventures in a world not yet consumed by globalization, mass film production, and apparently, antibiotics. Gil's epiphanic moment of clarity in his visit to the nineteenth century with Adriana opens his eyes to the possibility of enjoying his life outside of nostalgic illusions, and thus allows him to break free from professional and social expectations that hindered both his creativity and his happiness.

Christopherson, Auteur Theory in Eastern Promises

When a British midwife (Naomi Campbell) unknowingly delves into the dark secrets of a Russian mafia family in London, she uncovers a world of rape, sex-trafficking, alcohol, drugs, murder, and lies.  While not a horror film (though I did watch some scenes with my hands over my eyes) David Cronenberg's 2007 film Eastern Promises features the trademark style of the director’s work.  His recurring focus on gore and to some extent bodily horror makes this film not one for the faint of heart. The means by which people die or are maimed in this film are calling cards of the director’s auteuristic style.

For instance, from the very beginning, the viewer is not spared any blood or gore. The first man to die, Soyka, (Aleksandar Mikic) has his jugular sawed as he bleeds out, instead of having his throat simply slit. Another director may have opted for something less sinister but not Cronenberg. The very next scene is of a young girl (Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse) beginning to gush blood after going into a complicated and ultimately fatal labor. More blood in this scene may have come across as unnecessary and gauche, but from experience Cronenberg has discovered just how far he can push audiences. From the beginning of Eastern Promises, he goes for the full effect of blood and gore and is unrelenting throughout the film.

Finally, there is the famed fight in the Turkish baths. In this scene, Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) fatally injures two men sent to kill him in gruesome ways.  One man’s head is driven into the blade of knife. The other is stabbed in the eye after pulling the knife out of his chest with his bare hands. For Cronenberg, there are no tiny, clean bullet holes, but an emphasis is placed on gore, blood, and violence. 

Renaudin, Eastern Promises

Eastern Promises, directed by David Cronenberg, premiered in 2007 is a compelling story that utilizes and explicitly gives some insight into a very taboo and under publicized subject matter. The film addresses the abduction and use of European Young girls that are forced into prostitution. If violence begets realism then Eastern Promises is as real as it gets. Cronenberg’s taste for delivering imagery unlike any seen before is evident in this film mainly the fight scenes. In particular of those scenes, the bathhouse fight sequence transcends the realism of violence in films, as we know it. The bathhouse brawl is so intimidating and realistic that some reviewers described it as difficult to watch. Every punch, cut, crack, scream, and impalement is shocking in its intensity. Eastern Promises does a fantastic job incorporating intricate details to establish the level of realism. The film uses realism to divulge the little known and violent lifestyle of the Russian mafia.

Fossier, Realism in Eastern Promises

Eastern Promises (2007)
is a crime
thriller film directed by David Cronenberg. The film, though praised for its
sense of realism, follows a trademark of Cronenbergs films. For example, the
scene with the 14 year old giving birth is related to Cronenberg’s fascination
with disease. In fact, “While Eastern Promises received some mixed
reviews, most reviewers and critics recognized the hand of David Cronenberg,
the director, in the film.” I haven’t seen enough of Cronenberg’s films to
comment personally, but that statistic coupled with the definition of Auteur
theory – the theory that holds that a film reflects the director’s personal
creative vision- makes me categorize this film in the “Auteur” file.
However, viewing cinema as an “extension of
photography” to chronicle the world around us, I would argue that this film is
based in the Realism theory. While some fans can pinpoint specific
characteristics of Cronenberg’s films in this one, the main attempt is at
realism. “While there are many formalist photographers, cinematographers, and
directors, most films do not try to manipulate reality too much.” The scene in
which the history of Russian tattoos is explained (30:00) is quite accurate,
and going from our notes on the movie I would say that Cronenberg’s influence
isn’t enough to overcome the realism of the movie.
As a final resolution of this film being a Realistic
film in terms of its approach to engage audiences, the scene in which Nikolai
Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen), Russian mob boss Semyon’s (Armin Mueller-Stahl)
driver must fornicate with “of these bitches” in order to prove himself. The
scene is not over stylized in anyway to indicate obvious autuership and is
accurate of the Russian attitudes and customs regarding homosexuals.
Though traces of Cronenberg’s presence can be seen in
this film, that can be said of any director’s body of work when scrutinized to
deeply. As our notes say, most films try not to stay from obvious reality too
much, and in the case of Eastern Promises
I do not think Cronenberg’s influences overshadow the realism intent of this
film.

Runzel Realism in Eastern Promises

Eastern Promises, directed by David Cronenberg, follows the story of A British nurse played by Naomi Watts and her struggle to rectify the death of a young Russian girl who left her child motherless. Viggo Mortensen takes the role of Nikolai Luzhin, a driver for Kirill (Vincent Cassel) the son of a leader of the Russian mob. The twisted interworking of organized crime is realistically portrayed.  The movie has a strong intertwined plot while still holding true to its realistic ideas. Even in the fight scene in the bathhouses Nikolai is almost killed and most go to the hospital unlike most action scenes where the hero escapes virtually unscathed. David Cronenberg’s Character Kirill, the son of Semyon (Russian mafia boss) is struggling with strong internal conflicts. There are several hints that Kirill struggles with his sexuality as well as his own self-respect. Cronenberg does an incredible job realistically portraying Kirill through his actions in the film. Kirill forces Nikolai to have sex with one of his father’s prostitutes while he watches to “prove he is not a fairy”. Nikolai in response calls Kirill a psycho but must obey. When Simon betrays Nikolai the fight scene is gruesome and realistic after when Kirill is told to kill the child there are no sensationalisms in the way it is filmed. Kirill is in tears not wanting to kill the child he says, “it is just a baby papa…” speaking to himself. Cronenberg is an expect and portraying human emotion he uses everything from natural light and setting to realistic character portrayal to build a single cohesive realistic plot line. 

Muller, Eastern Promises

Eastern Promises(2007), directed by David Cronenberg, is a film about three separate groups of Russian immigrants integrate themselves into the western culture of London. One group, Anna (Naomi Watts) and her family, live simple lives and an honest living. Another, Tatiana (Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse) , a young girl who became part of a human trafficking/ensalvement ring of the Russian mafia. Lastly, the Russian mafia, who smuggle women, liquor, etc and who are driven by violence, power and extravagant living. Cronenberg's films often involve the idea of the horror involved caused by mutation. In this film the mutation is the act of extreme violence of the mafia against one another and others that get in the way.

The realistic application of the plots of the different groups of immigrants and how their story lines intertwine is very likely in the real world. Immigrants of the same nationality often cross paths due to the tight nit communities that they often live within.

The first scene shown is realistic in both the lighting, scenery, and character proxemics. The two characters barely know each other and the viewer can sense the uneasiness that Anna feels towards Nicolai (Viggo Mortensen). They however quickly make associations with the motorcycle and Russian roots. The interactions between the two are portrayed realistically.

The second scene links the three different groups portrayed in the film: the Russian mafia, the young Russian girl who was raped (portrayed through her baby), and Anna the midwife. This scene combines many dynamics and makes the connections between all the characters real and concrete. The viewer sees the mafia king in a transparent light as he frankly threatens both Anna and the baby and with the realistic use of the lighting of the dim hospital it makes the viewer feel the innocence of the cild, the vulnerability Anna has created by visiting the Russian restaurant owner, and the invincibility that the mafia king thinks that he possesses.

The third scene shown is when Nicolai is being examined by the leaders of the mafia group. Here the viewer sees a demonstration of how a member of the Russian mafia has tattoos covering his body that tell a man's story. From his tattoos, the men were able to see that he was incarcerated among other things. Nicolai denounces his mom as a whore and that he has no father because he had a job supporting the government. This is a realistic testament to the entrance of a man into the mafia. The mafia is now his family and he receives his stars over his heart and on his knees.

Cronenberg did a very good job of displaying the elements of the Russian immigration both good and bad in the western world.