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.

Innella, Eastern Promises

David Cronenburg's Eastern Promises tells a sad story about a young girl who was taken as a sex slave by the russian mafia and was impregnated. She is forced to consume heroine and then dies; however, her baby survives. When a midwife named Anna helps birth the baby, she becomes connected to the baby. She took the girl's journal when she was brought into the hospital and brings it to a russian restaurant to have the owner translate it. She does not know that the owner of the hospital is the mafia boss and soon becomes involved with another man who is an undercover agent and has become part of the mafia.

The film has many realistic aspects and there are a few scenes that really exemplify this. One of the scenes is near the beginning of the film where the pregnant girl, Tatiana goes into a pharmacy asking for help. She is in what looks to be a nightgown and she is dirty and wet from being outside in the rain. She looks very sick and she is bleeding from under her gown. She then faints and ends up dying. This scene shows the realistic aspect of the film by showcasing the horrifying realities of the mafia.

Another scene that shows the realistic aspect of the mafia is the scene in which Kiril, the "prince" of the mafia forces the undercover agent, Nikolai, to have sex with one of the girls that the mafia has taken to use as their sex slaves. He does this because he says Nikolai has to prove that he is not homosexual. Kiril refers to the girls as his father's "stable" and then watches as Nikolai picks a girl and has sex with her. After Nikolai has sex with her, he makes Kiril leave the room and he gives the girl money to run away from the mafia. This scene shows the total disregard to human life that the mafia has and their barbaric ways.

A similar portrayal of disregard occurs when the mafia boss discovers that Anna's uncle has read Tatiana's journal. When he finds this out, he sends Nikolai to go kill him because he "knows too much". The viewer does not know what happens to Anna's uncle until Anna confronts Nikolai and he tells her that he paid for him to have a first class flight to Scotland where he is staying in a hotel for his safety. Despite the fact that Nikolai saved Anna's uncle, the demand of the boss shows the reality that the mafia will stop at nothing to continue their operations.

Eastern Promises is a frightening portrayal of the way of life of the mafia and the actions that they take in order to stay alive.

Otto, Auteur Theory in Eastern Promises

Director David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises(2007) is about a a young girl, forced to be a sex slave, a family attempting to adapt to a new home, and a violent Russian mob family trying to keep secrets from both each other and the rest of the world. This film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, as well as many other awards, many of which were won. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts and Armin Mueller-Stahl, Cronenberg’s film speaks to the violence of the mob and what people will do to protect their family, as well as how characters can change and develop. Like other film’s of Cronenberg’s, this film was shot to be realistic, and at times quite violent and gory, showing the wounds inflicted on others and filming the death of those who have had too much. David Cronenberg seems to have a specific style in his methods of directing a film, and in all of them, the auteur is easily recognizable through the bodily pain that character display, not only through their development, but on their bodies as well.

The first shot shows Nikolai(Mortensen) crawling on the floor of a bath house, a place where he was betrayed and almost killed. He fights his way, naked, to defeat two men who come in to murder him. It is also important to note the tattoos which he has all over his body. These tattoos tell the story of his life, and as it is explained in the film, if one has no tattoos, one does does exist, one does not have a past. With blood all over from being cut multiple times, Nikolai ends up in a hospital, very weak from his latest endeavor to protect himself from the Russian mob family with whom he had recently become familiar with. This shot emphasizes Cronenberg’s realistic style, as well as his knack for making scene look as though a massacre has taken place. Even with just the bathroom scene, the mise en scene speaks loudly of the work of Cronenberg.

The second and third shots demonstrate much of the same, with fingers being cut off, a thing which would often be cut out, not shown on film, yet here is a close-up shot and the sounds of the bone breaking as the man performing the action struggles to break it off, as well as the blood flowing from the man’s neck, who is murdered because he was thought to have been sharing secrets with others. These three shots all share a common factor of blood, violence, pain, and human mutilation. The man whose finger tips are being removed is the same man who was murdered by the young boy, a boy was was essentially forced to kill, and in return is murdered himself because of his actions. This is another theme that runs through the films of Cronenberg, the idea of betrayal and lies, and the pain and suffering one endures because of others, both mentally and physically.

Cronenberg’s auteur style, violent and bloody, says something about human nature and his realistic style of death and human destruction, as well as character growth is so distinct that many can see his films and know his work. There were good and bad reviews regarding this film, but all were able to recognize the bloody work of Cronenberg.

Engineer, Realism in Eastern Promises

Eastern Promises is a brilliant crime thriller film by Director David Cronenberg and released in 2007. The realism portrayed in this film centers around the conflict between two groups; one group of emigrants such as Anna and her family trying to integrate themselves into English life and another emigrant community consisting of the Russian mafia trying to make money and using their power to enslave other people. This realistic plot gives the viewers a sense of what happens in the real world about the conflict between common people and the powerful Russian mafia men.

The opening scene where Ekrem slits Sokya’s throat is very realistic as it shows the viewers the ruthless nature of the Russian mafia who live by maintaining a code of violence. In subsequent scenes, Ekrem himself gets his throat slit in the same manner by Sokya’s gang. The realistic portrayal of Eastern European women being enslaved is very interesting and happens in real life too. Tatiana came to Western Europe with the hope that she could make a legitimate living. In this film, enslaved women are shown as objects that men use for their sexual pleasure. Russian men are shown as egocentrically obsessed with proving their manhood either by brutally raping women or by killing men.

The characters of Anna and her family are portrayed very realistically in their lifestyle. They live in simple houses, eat simple food, work simple jobs, dress plainly, and drive inexpensive cars. In sharp contrast, the lifestyle of the Russian mafia men is very different. They are shown living extravagant lives, throwing lavish parties, displaying star tattoos, driving expensive cars, wearing expensive clothes, illegal businesses, and protected by body guards. This realism can be seen throughout the film through rhyming elements. The realistic struggle between good people versus bad Russian mafia that happens in real life is what Cronenberg is trying to show to the viewers through Eastern Promises.

Harris, Auteur Theory in Eastern Promises (2007)

"Nikoli's Tribunal"
(Viggo Mortensen)

In the majority of David Cronenberg films,
Cronenberg focuses on numerous themes, such as sexuality, the duality of the human mind, and  deconstruction of the human body. The theme of the deconstruction of the human body can be found in The Fly (1986) and A History of Violence (2001). Hence, Cronenberg's signature, or auteur, on film can be seen in his complex and explicit scenes of violence.  For example, The Fly (1986) is a science fiction film, which revolves around a scientist (Jeff Goldblum), who turns himself into a fly by accident. Throughout the film, the audience can see the gradual progression of Goldblum's transformation from a human into a life sized fly. Similarly in A History of Violence (2001), there is a scene where Tom Stall/Joey Cusack (Viggo Mortensen) fights off his brother's bodyguards. In this scene, sound effects of bone crushing and excessive blood splattering reinstates Cronenberg's fascination of the deconstruction of the human body.

Nearly six years later, Cronenberg incorporates the theme of the deconstruction of the human body in Eastern Promises (2007). The film tells the story of a young teenager, Tatiana (Sarah Jeanne Labrosse), who was sex trafficked into London by the Russian Mob (Vory v Zakone), becomes impregnated by rape, and later dies in childbirth. However, there are many sub plots in this film, which later entangles a midwife, who delivers Tatiana's baby, Ana (Naomi Watts), and the chauffeur of the Vory v Zakone, Nikoli (Viggo Mortensen). Mortensen was later praised for his role by many critics and was nominated Best Actor for the Academy Awards.

There three pivotal scenes where Cronenberg shows his auteur, or directorial signature:
"Nikoli's Tribunal," "The Initiation," and "The Sauna Fight Sequence." In the photograph above called "Nikoli's Tribunal," the audience can see Nikoli's tattoos, which tell his life story on his body. According to the Vory v Zakone, a person's life is told through their tattoos and if you don't have tattoos then that person does not exist. Hence, in "Nikoli's Tribunal," Cronenberg begins the descent of the deconstruction of Nikoli's character. In this tribunal scene, it is revealed that Nikoli has done some time in prison for petty crimes and received his tattoos there. In addition, to be awarded with "stars" (the emblem for the Russian mafia) is a great honor and allows him to become an official member of the group. Ironically, this scene gives the audience a character background story on Nikoli and how he is about to be used in an exchange for the leader's son, Kirill (Vincent Cassel).

"The Initiation" 

 In the second scene where Cronenberg leaves his signature is "The Initiation." In this scene, Nikoli gets approved by the board members and his awarded his "stars." As we can see in the picture, the tattoo artist painfully inscribes with black ink Nikoli's stars on his kneecaps and later his collar bones. Even though, there is no blood spilling or  bone crushing happening, there is a change in identity, which adds to the deconstruction of the character. Nikoli is no longer just a petty thief from the streets of Moscow, but an elevated crime authority figure in the Vory v Zakone.

"The Sauna Fight Sequence"

The last scene where Cronenberg leaves his signature is "The Sauna Fight Sequence." In this scene, Nikoli violently fights for his life against Sokya's brothers, who are from the mountains of Serbia. In this fighting sequence, critics drew parallels from Cronenberg's A History of Violence  (2001) sequence when Tom Stall/ Joey Cusack has to take down his brother's bodyguards. Like the previous sequence, there is a tremendous amount of blood spilling. For example, after doing hand to hand combat, Nikoli kills one of the brothers by planting the head on top of the piercing knife. Then, while crawling over one of the presumed dead brothers, the other brother wakes up and begins to fight with Nikoli. Once Nikoli grabs the absent knife, he violently stabs the other brother in his eye and blood spills out.

Renaudin, The Debt

The Debt is the powerful story of Rachel Singer, a former Israeli Mossad agent who endeavored to capture and bring to trial a notorious Nazi war criminal, Dr. Vogel AKA the Surgeon of Birkenau, in a secret Israeli mission that ended with his death on the streets of East Berlin. Thirty years later, a man claiming to be the doctor has surfaced, and Rachel must go back to Eastern Europe to uncover the truth. Overwhelmed by haunting memories of her younger self, the celebrated heroine must relive the trauma of those events and confront the debt she has incurred. Much like in the film In a Better World, justice and revenge along with morality and politics are pitted against one another as Singer carries on with her mission. The characters have transformed morally and spiritually since the 1960's. The Debt takes us into a conspiracy theory of sorts where politically driven motives and deception rule.

This film persuades as well as entertains and is explicitly ideological. The entire motivation of the mission of the characters is justice for Jews for the deeds carried out by Dr. Vogel. However the emphasis is placed on the characters struggle with the mission that they must accomplish on behalf of their people. A similar struggle is seen in a similar film, Munich, the story behind Israel's response to the massacre of Israeli athletes by the Black September terrorist group during the 1972 Summer Olympics. In both films, the characters clearly portray the way that they feel. They do not reflect any reward for any of the characters the movie does not attempt any issues and also does not delve into the morality and ideology of the Holocaust. The Debt merely represents and portrays the characters and their actions.

Phillpott, Eastern Promises

Eastern Promises is a movie that is best seen through the Auteur theory. This theory states that a film is best understood by focusing on the artistic creator (or director). Therefore, a film is the result of a director's authorship. This movie focuses on very heavy themes of sex-slavery, the Russian mafia, rape, and murder. All of which are very real threats in our society, but there is something much more important about this movie's view. It is what David Cronenberg, the director, wanted it to be. Cronenberg is one of the originators of the "body horror" genre. This genre explores humanity's fears of bodily transformation, and his films typically show how the
psychological intertwines with the physical. "Cronenberg's films have the unnerving ability to delve into society's collective unconscious and dredge up all of the perverse, suppressed desires of modern life" (New York Times).

The first scene that I've chosen is when Nikolai (Viggo Mortenson) is getting tattooed to become a family member of the Russian mafia. In this scene, he must accept this bodily transformation in order to fit the part that he must play. Because now that he is "family," he is at a greater advantage to take over the London section on the mafia. The physical helps the psychological here.

The second scene is when Nikolai must literally disfigure the dead body so that it cannot be identified by the police. He is physically changing the dead man, and he knows that he is getting in deep with the mafia now. Psychologically, he knows that he is now crossing the line of what he should and should not do morally.

The last scene is when Kirill (Vincent Cassel) is about to kill the baby. He is physically hunched over the baby, and he is crying. His tears and body language reflect his psychological state. He doesn't want to kill the baby, but he knows that he must or his father will kill him. This scene helps to remind the audience that Kirill is just a little boy himself trapped in a man's body. He has most likely been abused and his true self repressed. The connection between the physical and the psychological coincide very neatly here.

From looking at these scenes, it is obvious that David Cronenberg was making this movie in the way he envisioned it. The plot and themes fit with his other movies so I think you should see Eastern Promises through the Auteur theory.

Bates, Eastern Promises

The film Eastern Promises, set in London, provides an insight into the drama that unfolds when an undercover FSB agent named Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) and a midwife named Anna (Naomi Watts) become involved with the Russian mob. Nikolai, posing as a driver, fully immerses himself in the mob family and ultimately takes them down through the boss’s son Kirill (Vincent Cassel), who takes Nikolai as a gay lover. Anna becomes entangled with the mob after she delivers a baby from one of their sex slaves, a fourteen-year-old girl who dies during the birth. Anna goes looking for the girl’s family, hoping to save the baby from a life of foster care, but finds herself uncomfortably close to the mob. The movie is filmed in the realistic style, which leaves it open to a critique from the realistic perspective. While Eastern Promises does not uphold all aspects of realism, it does adhere to many of the ideological and stylistic notions such as unstructured plots, emphasis on emotion, and presentation of morals issues without passing judgment.

The scene in which Kirill and Nikolai pick up the Chechen mobster’s body exemplifies the movie’s unstructured plot. The audience is unsure of Kirill’s relationship with the victim, as Kirill merely says, “he was like a brother to me, but now he looks like a fucking ice cream.” The audience is left to wonder what sparked their schism and is never provided with an explanation. This illustrates that the movie is merely an excerpt from the characters’ lives, governed by their whims rather than a plotline with an agenda. If plot had been more integral to the film’s style, then the cause of the hit would have been revealed at some point in the movie.
Emotional emphasis is acutely shown at the end of the film. When Kirill’s father orders him to kill the slave’s baby to prevent the police from linking them to rape, Kirill is overcome with guilt at the prospect. Nikolai then arrives with Anna, and he talks Kirill down by saying, “We don’t kill babies. This would be bad for us . . . You’re either with him [Kirill’s father] or with me.” The two embrace like lovers, and the tension is released through Kirill’s tears. Kirill cannot say no to Nikolai and allows himself to be fooled by Nikolai’s false love. Thus, the final source of conflict is resolved through an appeal to emotion.

Finally, while the movie addresses many moral issues, it leaves judgment up to the audience. At one point, Kirill forces Nikolai to rape one of the sex slaves, threatening violence if he does not. Despite his loathing, Nikolai complies and afterwards speaks softly to the girl he raped, asking her where she is from and urging her to “stay alive a little longer.” Rape is a horrible act, yet Nikolai knows that if he refuses, his mission will be compromised and he will never free the girls from their plight. While the movie presents this moral dilemma, it never passes judgment, instead simply showing the rape and Nikolai’s subsequent compassion. It uses no filters, lighting, or music to suggestion a tone of disapproval and rather allows the audience to decide the act’s morality. Thus, the film upholds the realistic notion of presenting its subject matter from a neutral standpoint.

McIntyre, Theory in Eastern Promises

The film Eastern Promises shows the collision of many different types of lives--both older and younger members of the Russian mob; Nikolai, an undercover agent who infiltrates the mob as a member; Anna, a part-Russian midwife who finds the diary of a fourteen year-old girl raped by the mob; and Anna's family, who understand the mob well enough to know to stay away but get dragged into the situation when Anna sets out to find out more about Tatiana, so that Tatiana's baby doesn't end up in foster care.

I found this film to be quite interesting when viewing it from the theory of Realism. Eastern Promises most caught my attention with the scenes that were particularly violent, mundane, or simply different from the formula I was used to seeing in movies. The starkness of the film struck me. From the theoretical viewpoint of Realism, Eastern Promises does a great job, particularly in portraying the violence that accompanies the mob members everywhere they go, much of which happens behind closed doors. The scenes are shocking but blatantly shot--though some films find seeing the splattering of the blood sufficient, Eastern Promises often shows the whole fight. In one of the first scenes of the movie, we witness a mentally-challenged man's first kill inside a barber shop. The film spares no detail, showing the man's fear as well as his mental handicap. He finishes the job, though, roughly cutting through his victim's neck over and over. The camera does not cut away. The situation is an uncomfortable one, and the audience witnesses firsthand the bullying and the mess that is the mob, as well as the amount of risk involved in their lives--you could be killed at any moment. The life is truly and realistically ugly, but we see why the members do it--for power and acceptance.

The film does not only portray gritty fight scenes but also very humbly portrays daily life. Anna works as a midwife in a hospital. The shots of her work (as well as the shots of her home) are very basic. The color palette is basic. The shots tend to closely focus on the action and on whoever is doing the action. The audience doesn't notice the "big picture" because they don't need to. The lighting very much mimics available lighting. Daily life is basic and seemingly closed-off. Anna doesn't look glamorous at work because most midwifes don't. Her beauty comes through with her interactions with Tatiana's daughter, and through Anna's happiness, we understand what is important to her in the world, what brightens up the shady and mundane life she leads.

One of the last scenes in the movie, Nikolai and Anna's goodbye, has all of the elements of Realism. Visually, it's realistic. It's wet. It's dark. Situationally, it's realistic. He's wounded, but not in a heroic way. His clothes conceal his wounds. He's in pain. The end of Anna's quest is finished, but Nikolai is still in the middle of his. He has helped her and they have connected but their relationship is over. There are few attempts to glorify the kiss, as Anna and Nikolai's connection is their disconnection. The audience feels the connect and disconnect also. Again, it's uncomfortable, and told with very few bells and whistles.

Guidry-Triumph in The King's Speech

In this frame, we can clearly identify the Duke of York's feelings of incompetency as a royal and his ultimate emotional shrinkage as he stammers through an unsuccessful speech, delivered on behalf of his father, King George V. It is at this point in the film that we can identify "the King's speech" as a hand-off to his son for his own purposes of stately exposure, which in turn publicly exposes the Duke's severe speech impediment.

Moreover, this initial interpretation of the film's title alludes to the processes by which the Duke of York (Bertie) ascends to the throne in linear conjunction with his adventures in speech therapy. As a series of seemingly disastrous events eventually unfold in favor of Bertie and his beloved family, the audience is taken behind the curtain of regalia into both the rites of passage that define the forthcoming of King George VI, as well as the forging of an unlikely, life-long friendship between Bertie and Lionel, who began their association as social opposites.

The culminating interpretation of the film title reveals itself when King George VI successfully delivers his first wartime speech, lasting approximately nine minutes, with the dutiful assistance of his speech therapist and now devoted friend. He has hence gained a confidence unknown to him throughout his life, and thereafter serves his country as a steadfast symbol of resilience throughout the perilous years of WWII. It is at this point of the film's conclusion that the film title announces triumph over personal adversities, as Bertie's declaration of war represents the first and perhaps the most significant speech of his reign.

The aforementioned scenes explicate the uncommon bond formed between Bertie and Lionel in a manner of duality: (1)Lionel's services are commissioned for the Duke of York after delivering a failed speech, thereby identifying Bertie in the same light as his speech therapist, who had failed to revive his acting career. (2)After they've spent some time in sessions and learning the sources of his fear-induced stammer, Lionel asserts his desire for Bertie to succeed as a royal, awarding Lionel with his own sense of vicarious accomplishment. (3)Their friendship is tested when Lionel crosses the line by openly confronting Bertie's fears and royal concerns with ascending to the throne, as they both undergo self-examination for their personal shortcomings. Finally, (4) King George's war declaration is a success for them both as professionals and as friends through what has come to be shared story of triumph.

Fossier, Neutrality in The Debt

The Debt (2011)
directed by John Madden is a remake of a 2007 Israeli film by the same name by
Assaf Bernstein. Madden’s version, starring Helen Mirren as Rachel Singer, has
many differences from the original film which can be helpful in determining its
ideology as a film. In Madden’s retelling, it is Rachel and Stefan’s (Tom
Wilkinson) daughter Sarah (Romi Aboulafia) who writes the book about their past
military accounts as Mossad agents while in the original it is Rachel herself
who authors the original book about their exploits capturing Nazi war criminal
Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen) aka “The Surgeon of Birkenau.” However, all of
the details of that mission have not been written in the book Rachel’s daughter
has published, and therein lies the true ideological problem dealt with in
Madden’s The Debt.
Let’s keep in mind the definition of ‘explicit ideology’: “thematically orientated movies that aim to teach
or persuade as much as to entertain; patriotic films, many documentaries,
political films, and movies with a sociological emphasis; usually an admirable
character articulates the values that are really important (like Bogart’s
famous speech at the end of Casablanca)”
(429-430). While the movie seems to overlook the morality of the Holocaust
issue, the point then becomes the daily struggle each of the agents must face
with lying about their mission. The main difference between implicit and
explicit is that the characters clearly do something to tell you which way they
feel. Since Rachel’s confession letter to the journalist at the end of the
story mentions she wanted to do something to make her daughter proud, I take
that to be the embodiment of her values, making this an explicit
interpretation. This letter, coupled with their partner David Peretz’s (Sam
Worthington) suicide, seems to imply total explicitness as Stefan suggestion
that David took his life out of fear he would be found out to be lying about
the mission that made him a national hero. While it is clear what the
characters in the film think, the overall view of the film can be argued
differently. The movie does not reward any of the characters for their actions
as David loses his life and it is unclear if Rachel survives her final
confrontation with Vogel. Additionally, the movie does not attempt any issues
regarding the Holocaust, nor does it encourage Rachel to leave her husband for
the man she loves. In this perspective, the film itself can be seen as quite
neutral since it does not take a stand on anything really, just depicts the
explicit characters.

Christopherson, Implicit Ideology in The Debt

Directed by John Madden, the 2011 political thriller, The Debt, is a film that implicitly construes ideologies on truth and infamy. A riveting film throughout, there is a clear moral to be had at the end of the story about living a lie. The protagonist is Rachel Singer (played by Jessica Chastain in her 20’s and then Helen Mirren 30 years later), who, after a heinously cruel Nazi hostage (escapes while she is on watch, agrees to live with a lie that really she killed him. The lie is developed by the antagonist of the film (Jesper Christensen) who seems more interested with protecting his reputation as a Mossad agent and hero of Israel than with telling the truth that the team failed in their mission. These two characters represent a binary opposition seen in the moral of the film; truth and punishment versus deception and fame.  By choosing to lie about the actions of December 31^st 1965, the characters must relive their lie over and over and again for the next 30 years. It consumes one of the Mossad agents, David, (Sam Worthington and then later Ciaran Hinds) who kills himself by stepping in front of a truck when faced with being forced to continue living with the lie, after Stefan, who is adamant the true must never be told, begins to investigate his return to Israel. At the end of the movie, Rachel does kill the Surgeon of Burkineau, as she has been saying she did for the past 30 years, but not without punishment. She is stabbed and injured though when the film closes we do not know if it was fatal. However, she does allow the truth to come out after all this time claiming “she wants to do something her daughter can be proud of.” This conclusion implicitly presents ideology about truth, justice, lying, and fame.  

Innella, The Debt

The Debt is a film that tells the story of three spies: Rachel, David, and Stephan, who are supposed to carry out a mission to kidnap a doctor named Bernhardt who is known to have killed thousands of Jews during the time of the Nazi reign over Europe. The three spies go into Berlin and take the doctor hostage but fail their extraction of him from the country and are forced to take him captive in an apartment in Berlin. As the three spend more time holding him captive, their emotions start to get in the way of their mission.

One night when one of the spies, Rachel, is watching the doctor, he escapes. The three spies then decide to go back to Israel and tell them that while the doctor was escaping, he and Rachel got into a fight and Rachel got knocked down; right before the doctor got away, Rachel shot him dead. The spies then got rid of his body and any evidence of him. This is where their lies begin.

The film is unique in the way that it depicts the characters both when they were the spies on the mission and now as they deal with the implications of their lie. When the spies are older, Rachel and Stephan's daughter writes a book about the story that the public knows about her parents and David. One day, a man in a psychiatric ward says that he is the escaped doctor and agrees to an interview with a journalist. Stephan, scared that the public will find out the truth, arranges a plan with Rachel to finally murder the doctor and get rid of any evidence that says that he actually was the doctor.

This film's ideology is implicit. Throughout the film, there are scenes that show the repercussions of lying and what it can do. In the beginning of the film, David is seen as an older man and he jumps in front of an oncoming bus. He does this because he can no longer deal with the guilt and deceit of the fact that they never did kill the doctor.

Another scene that illustrates the implicit ideology of the film is near the end of the film in which Rachel goes to the psychiatric ward to murder the doctor. When she gets there, she writes a note to the journalist who is on his way to interview the doctor. The note tells the journalist of what actually happened on the mission and she requests that he publishes the truth. Rachel does this in order to clear her conscience and also to justify David. This is how the ideology of the film is implicit.

McIntyre, Ideology in The Debt

A large portion of John Madden's movie The Debt is told in flashback, as the story of three former agents (Rachel, Stephan, and David) is told in flashback form, facilitated by Rachel's daughter reading the account of the events. The Debt reflects an implicit ideology, subtly juxtaposing the beliefs of the three agents and the criminal, Dieter Vogel, they must catch in their mission almost forty years prior.

When all three agents return from their mission, they report that Vogel was killed in attempting to escape and that they were not able to secure his arrest so he can stand trial. While Vogel is in fact still alive, the agents uneasily accept this reality, agreeing to lie for the greater good of Israel, Stephan's idea. Throughout the movie, David has shown himself to have the strongest moral code out of the three agents and agrees to lie. Over the years, the lie (and his love for Rachel but inability to be with her) results in him committing suicide.

The implicit ideology in the film comes through by Rachel, the only character with moving morals. While at first she considers it alright to lie, she changes her viewpoint and goes after Vogel, killing him and fulfilling her mission. In this scene, the older Rachel has aged and had time to take in her life and her choices. Her independent decision to right the lie and making things right ends the movie on a note of victory, which is subtle and largely up to interpretation of the viewer. However, her role as the protagonist make her choices largely the choices the audience sees and follows; therefore, the audience learns: the truth is the right decision, though lies still carry much consequence.

Runzel, Ideology of The Debt

The Debt Starring Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren), Stephan Gold (Tom Wilinson), and David Peretz (Ciaran Hinds) are a two-part story about the redemption of a country that was left in turmoil after World War II. Three Israeli operatives are sent into east Berlin to find and extract the Dieter Vogel "The Surgeon of Birkenau" and bring him back to Israel to stand trial. Stephan Gold is in charge of the mission that goes horribly wrong. During the extraction at the train stop Rachel Singer almost gets caught and they are forced to flee with their prisoner. They hide in their apartment and keep Dieter Vogel tied up in the living room from over a month. Dieter upsets David Peretz already fragile state of mind, whose entire family was killed in internment camps. David beats him and breaks a plate on his face; the shards of glass gave him the tools Dieter needed to escape. The three vowed to never speak of this failure and to tell the world that "The Surgeon of Birkenau" was dead. Years after the three failed to kill Dieter; Rachel Singers Daughter whose father is Stephen Gold releases a novel about her mother’s triumph in capturing "The Surgeon of Birkenau". At the same time Dieter begins to make waves and the group fears they will be discovered. David kills himself, and Rachel finds and kills Dieter. In killing "The Surgeon of Birkenau" Rachel confesses to the fake story and limps out of the hospital. These lies create an implicit ideology as the three are sent to kill or bring to trial a man who killed thousands but even when they have the chance to simply exterminate him their moral value wont allow them. Nonetheless their love for Israel forces them to lie to help heal a nation and a people. The group’s morals and their nationalism clash and represent the struggle of a people ravaged by war left to persecute Ex-Nazi leaders.