Harris, Film title: In a Better World vs. Haevnen (2010)

"When we are pushed to the edge, we discover the line between justice and revenge."- In A Better World (2010)

Beginning her film career in 1991 with Freud's leaving home, Danish film maker Susanne Bier has been able make films that have appeal in the international market. Bier claimed international recognition with her Danish drama called After the Wedding (2006) and the film was later nominated for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year at the seventy-ninth Academy Awards. However, it was not until the eighty-second Academy Awards, nearly four years later, that Bier won an Oscar for In A Better World (2010) for the same category.

In A Better World (2010) told the story about two adolescent boys, Elias (Markus Rygaard) and Christian (William Johnk Nielsen), who come from two different backgrounds and befriend one another through a bullying incident. Elias is the son of two doctors; his mother, Marianne (Trine Dyrholm) works at a local Danish hospital, while his father, Anton (Mikael Persbrandt) is a doctor who works in a relief camp in Africa. Even though Elias’ father comes home whenever he has the chance, Anton's absence places a strain on the family, especially when Elias is the target of a school bully named Sofus (Simon Maagaard Holm). In contrast, Christian losses his mother to cancer and moves from London to Denmark with his distant father, Claus (Ulrich Thomsen). Despite their backgrounds, Elias and Christian meet at the local school and forge an unlikely friendship. Throughout the film, their friendship entangles the two boys into a life of vigilante crime. While in America the film was called In A Better World, the Danes had a different title-Haevnen, which means "The Revenge." The two different titles for the film illustrates the conflicting choices that Elias and Christian make throughout the movie about dealing with  bullying, but specifically the Danish title, Haevnen, refers to Anton and how he faces the ultimate test of choosing between justice and revenge. 

Anton (Mikael Persbrandt) at an African relief camp

In the opening minutes of the film, the audience is introduced to Anton  who is currently working in a relief camp in Africa. When Anton leaves to visit his family in Denmark and attends a parent-teacher conference for his son, Elias, the audience is made aware that Anton and his wife, Marianne, are currently going through some martial problems. However, moments later, it is revealed through a phone conversation that Anton had an affair with a woman and Marianne has not been able to forgive him for his actions. Even though Anton pleads for her forgiveness, Marianne says, "All you could think was about was her when you were home. I want to forgive you, but I can't." The longer Anton stays at home, he becomes aware of how Elias looks up to Christian. When Anton takes the boys out to a pier, Anton's youngest son, Morten (Toke Lars Bjarke), gets in a fight with another boy. As the fight escalates, Anton becomes aware of the situation and breaks up the scuffle. Then, the other boy's father joins in to break up the scuffle, but also publicly insults Anton. While the disagreement happens between adults, Elias and Christian are silently observing the situation. The following day, Elias and Christian go back to the same place and notice the guy who insulted Anton. Elias later goes to his father with this information and gives him a piece of paper that has the name of a the shop where the guy works. Anton is disturbed by what Elias is trying to insinuate and tells his son, "That's not the point and you know it. You can't just go around beating people up. That doesn't help anything. What kind of world would we get? If I hit him, then I'm a jerk too." This quote is significant because Anton is trying to set a good example for Elias and Anton does not want his son to openly express his anger by beating people up. However, this quote is put to test when Anton returns to the relief camp. 


Upon Anton's arrival to the relief camp, he has been treating women who have been severely mutilated by a war lord called "The Big Man" (Odiege Matthew). Momentarily afterwards, the war lord is injured and seeks help from the relief camp. Even though Anton decides to help the war lord, the staff members refuse to take part. While the war lord is healing, his gang members are constantly making distractions in the hospital and even make several sadistic jokes towards some dead female patients. It is at this point of the movie that Anton has enough and kicks out the war lord out of the camp. This scene is significant because once the local crime boss is kicked out, the villagers (who are the husbands of the mutilated women) enact their revenge upon him. Hence, the relief camp was a symbol of refuge and protection for the war lord-the only thing standing between him and his death. Therefore, the Danish title, Haevnen, refers to this point of the movie where Anton gives in and has the revenge carried out by the villagers. To further assert this claim, film composer Johan Soderqvist has a track on the film's score titled "The Revenge," which can be heard when Anton makes his decision to throw out the local crime boss and leaves his fate with the villagers. 


Therefore, I believe that the original Danish title, Haevnen, has more relevance than the English title, In A Better World. The reason why I will agree with the Danish title because Haevnen shows the downfall of one of the films "white knight-" Anton and how in the darkest of times the purest characters can be corrupted. Perhaps when the film was distributed in America, Sony Pictures Classics changed the title to In A Better World because of the conversation between Anton and Elias, and Anton says, "..what kind of world would we get?" Hence, the characters are trying to solve all of their problems-Anton (dealing with "The Big Man"), Marianne (trying to raise two children), Claus (coping after the death of his wife and trying to be a stern parent), Elias and Christian (taking the law into their own hands to stop bullying). Therefore, all of the characters actions are trying to make the world a better place. 

Phillpott, In a Better World

In a Better World tells such a traumatic but beautifully haunting story about two families that are brought together through different acts of revenge. I had never seen this movie before so I found myself “trading” sides quite frequently. I didn’t know what character I wanted to succeed in the end because at one point or another I was cheering for each of them and being disappointed in them too. For most of the movie, I was completely convinced that the title should have remained The Revenge because almost everything in the plot of the story revolved around some type of revenge. Christian (William Jøhnk Nielsen) beats up Sofus in retaliation for hitting both Elias (Markus Rygaard) and himself. Anton (Mikael Persbrandt) allows the African community (that he takes care of as a doctor) to kill the man that has been butchering pregnant women in the community. This murder is in retaliation (or revenge) for the killings he has done. And Anton wants revenge on him also because the man seems to really enjoy the fact that he has killed these women. And Christian wants revenge on his father because he feels as if the father wished for his mother to die. Instead of directly dealing with this head on, Christian puts all of his efforts into getting revenge on Lars for hitting Anton. So at first glance, I was sure this movie was only about revenge.

Yet, the ending is so fairytale-esque that I had to realize this movie was about something deeper than such a base emotion. Almost everything that could go wrong in this movie does, but everything comes together in the end. Everyone is forgiven for their “sins” or transgressions, and relationship bonds are stronger than ever. So the movie was showing the extent of the human soul. Even after it has been stretched to the limit, a person’s soul (or heart) can heal and can still move forward. This movie is telling its audience that violence is not the way to a better life. Forgiveness is the only way for a good life. So I stand by the second title this movie was given, In a Better World. I’m sure it was only changed so that American sensibilities would not be offended and would actually watch the entire movie because they knew that a better ending was soon to come. This movie surprised me on so many different levels.

Renaudin, Croupier Editing

Croupier, directed by Mike Hodges, is a film about a struggling writer who takes a job as a croupier in a local casino. Jack finds his personal and professional loyalties divided when he chooses his new career at the casino. Part of his his problems come from his own inner struggles as an aspiring yet struggling writer. His ambitions and cockiness have landed him deep in debt, and his father bails him out by getting him the job at the casion. He develops an alter ago, Jake, and he fits rights in and becomes a staple to the place as a dealer. Enter Marion, his girlfriend, who continues to challenge him to follow his heart and continue his quest to be a writer. The plot thickens when he is seduced by one of his customers, Jani who wants more than sex. Her and her accomplices plan to rob the casino and they proposition Jack to be the inside man.
The editing is thematic montage, which allows the audience to see Jack transform into Jake. Similar scenes with both characters show the good and bad of each. In the beginning of the film Jack, who is not the quintessential gambler, does not fit in well with the derelicts in the casino (this is what I got from the scene with the roulette wheel). Later in the film, when Jack is Jake, he has assimilated into the lifestyle and adopts the bad habits.

Cooper Runzel, Croupier

Croupier, directed by Mike Hodges in a film set in A London casino, about a Croupier named Jack Manferd played by Clive Owen. Jake is an aspiring writer from South Africa struggling to pay his rent with his girlfriend Marion Nell played by Gina McKee. Jack’s father is a shady criminal in South Africa who has set up “Jacko” as a dealer (croupier) his new profession starts to dissolve his relation and his own sense of morals. Jack creates a new identity as a dealer in the casino known as Jake, As these twin lives begin to collide Jack and Jake begin to become the same entity. Jack the writer begins to write about the backdoor dealings and lifestyle of Croupiers in London. In the Scene where Jacks girlfriend Marion meets his Mistress Bella, you can see the separation in the editing. Jack first is fighting with Marion before Bella rings the doorbell. When Bella enters the scene Marion is excluded until Jakes life collides with Jacks and Marion opens the door and enters Jacks other life. Jani A struggling gamblers is attempting to convince Jake to help rob the casino in doing so it creates another moral cross in the road. The Narrator states the chapter an says’ “Jake decided to see her the challenge was essential”, Jack becoming Jake must rob the Casino but the action must somehow be validated by Jacks code of ethics. Before Marion discovers Jacks involvement it morally weighed out. Marion leaves Jack after this discovery leaving him finishing his book in his basement flat. When he discovers that his father had set the entire scheme up you also see Bella enter the room and kiss him Jack and Jake are finally fused together.

 

Innella Croupier

In the film Croupier, director Mike Hodges throws viewers through a continuous cycle of guesses and surprises. Croupier is a film about a writer, Jack Manfred, who finds a job as a croupier in order to support himself as he is trying to find inspiration for a book. At first, he is a clean cut honest man that refuses to gamble, but he soon becomes obsessed with the job and the game that gambling presents.

The image on the right is of Jack at the start of the film. He is trying to find an idea to write a book and always fantasizes about one day becoming a famous author. Once Jack starts working at the casino, he gets enthralled with the lifestyle and the control that it brings. This is what he decides to write his book on. As time goes by, he realizes that he has turned into the protagonist of his book, Jake. He no longer worries about anyone but himself and as long as he has power he is happy. The image on the left is of Jack after the casino and the lifestyle it brings has fully taken over him and he has become Jake. Notice the difference in hair color. I believe that this foreshadows what is to come of Jack. The blonde hair signifies a light personality more of an honest person while his jet black hair brings more of a darker, serious mood.

The editing in this film is spectacular. The way in which it was edited makes the transition of Jack to Jake very slight and discreet, leaving the viewer on Jack's side the entire time. This is what really makes the film great. The whole time the viewer is left thinking that Jack is a good man and then at the end of the movie the viewer realizes that he has actually turned into a power hungry sort of scumbag. This slow transition leaves the viewer surprised of what Jack has become despite the fact that they were witnessing it all along.

Fossier, parallelism in Croupier

Mike Hodges, the director of Croupier, subscribes the Classical
Cutting model of editing. He even openly admits that his characters and
thematic ideology are directly influenced by his position as a seaman in the
Royal Navy. Hodges noted that lower classes were confined to the worst jobs
below deck while the middle and upper classes were above deck: a distinction
that became a metaphor for Hodges’ trilogy.

When applied to Croupier, his class struggles resonate
in the main character Jack/Jake (Clive Owen). Jack’s problems are apparent from
his characters first spoken dialogue on screen, “I need a job.” He even has to
sell his car for rent money. Though many of my classmates wrote about personal appearance,
I want to talk parallels and differences in behavior in Jack/Jake, most notably
his habit of never gambling.

While I agree his personality fragments a little, a typical trope of characters who are writers, I do not believe Jack ever considers himself, or “becomes” another person when donning
his uniform. Jack has a strict “no betting” policy that begins to change with the influence of Jake. But I argue that just like his betting, he cannot write without that influence either. The parallel of gambling and writers block comes to a head as his book is only published after he considers Jani’s (Alex Kingston) proposal. These two actions seem linked in Jack’s brain, which is why it is important that he does not embrace another persona, he is still the same person but perhaps it more along the lines of Jack’s interpretation of what he views as Jake’s motivating actions. He sees himself as a character in his story, and those around him are also two dimensional entities like his live-in girlfriend (Gina McKee) who he “half loves” and claims to her to be his conscious.

But on a more surface level, parallels can be drawn from dialogue in Jack’s initial interview when he boss asks about his past experience in South Africa, and mentions not be involved
with any customers, especially female customers. This parallelism is completed after
the climax in which it is revealed that Jani is his father’s mistress.

Otto, Editing in Croupier

In Director Mike Hodges’ Croupier(1989), a young aspiring writing must settle for a job as a croupier in a casino, a job that his father has set up for him, but the films story and the writer’s novel

become entangled as the author begins to live out his novel. The protagonist, Jack Manfred(Clive Owen) is the struggling writer who has grown up in a family consisting only of his gambling father and himself. The narration of the film tells us this, but this is all we hear of his childhood. Jack creates an alter ego, Jake, who thinks he can stay out of the realm of gambling that destroyed his family, while Jack begins to get more ideas for his book, as well as identify more and more with his own protagonist.

In the first shot, scenes like this where the protagonist is going to and from work, the editor Les Healey cuts the real time down, yet still emphasizes the continuity of the film showing him walking down the street, cutting to him going through a door, and finally cutting to him walking up to a person of interest. When our protagonist is walking the streets, narration is often heard, and the actor walks as if depressed, not really knowing his place in the world. Clive Owen’s character begins the movie, depressed because he cannot write a decent novel, then because he has no money, he must settle into a job he hates, and finally, his girlfriend is murdered and he realizes his father tricked him

into stealing money.

The second shot shows the protagonist when he is doing what he does best, dealing to a group of, in his mind, sad and unhappy people. While at his job at the casino, Jake/Jack transforms somewhat, not necessarily into a happier person, but he gets into a mood where he believes he is better than everyone else. He judges them as they throw their money away, and realizes that he has the best seat in the house, because from where he stands, he cannot lose. The mood of the protagonist does not change here, rather his thoughts on his surroundings. He no longer focuses on himself, but the crowd around him. Editing done here emphasizes that point as shots jump between Jake/Jack to the gamblers, who receive both close shots and medium shots, whereas in other parts of the film when he thinks only of what he believes to be a dismal existence, there are just close ups of him, where he is centered in the frame bringing all eyes directly to hims

elf.

Jack/Jake’s state of mind shifts back and forth throughout the film, as gradually, his novel comes to an end just as the film does.

Muller, Croupier Editing

Mike Hodges, Croupier, is a film about a struggling writer who takes a job as a croupier in a local casino. Throughout the film Jack, the writer, turns into his alter ego Jake as he falls into the role of his protagonist and the lifestyle of the casino. It is important to notice the not so subtle editing, thematic montage editing, that allows the viewer to see very plainly the transformation of Jack into Jake. The film mirrors scenes of Jack with similar scenes of Jake. In the two images that I have chosen you can see the mirroring of Jack and Jake.

The image to the left is from the beginning of the film when Jack is still Jack the writer, who has morals, doesn't gamble, and doesn't stand for cheats. He can hear the roll of the ball on the roulette table and notices the cast of characters that sit at his table. The image to the right is from the end of the film when Jack is now Jake, he is now the croupier who is a cheat, gambler and criminal. He no longer hears the roll of the ball on the roulette table and he is fully immersed in the scandals of the casino.

The final scene of the film the viewer sees Jack for who he has become, Jake. The way the editing of the film is one, choppy and thematic, allows the viewer to fully embrace Jack becoming Jake without judgement. The viewer is allowed to appreciate the transformation of Jack within the scene on the train when the voice over talks about Jack in his uniform and admires that he has completed his book as the croupier and not the writer.

Bates, Croupier Blog

The movie Croupier centers around a young man named Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) who is struggling as a budding writer. With his father’s help, he obtains a job as a croupier at the Golden Lion Casino. He then uses the people and his experiences at the casino as inspiration to write a best seller. The editing style of this movie falls within thematic montage, with many jump cuts between scenes and few establishing shots. This style cultivates a link between scenes with similar themes and gives the movie a circular feel, as familiar scenes reoccur in the second half of the film. These mirroring scenes reveal Jack’s gradual change over the course of the movie, and I used images that show Jack both before and after he becomes Jake.

Marion Nell (Gina McKee), Jack’s girlfriend, is the only character cognizant of Jack’s transformation. She confronts Jack after she reads the first chapters of his book, which she immediately dislikes. She finds Jake, the protagonist, distasteful because of his lack of hope and morals. Marion then worries that Jack is becoming too much like his character because of their identical jobs and similar names. She tells him, “I want to live with a writer, not a croupier.” This points to the corrupting influence the casino has on Jack, as he slowly allows his cool contempt for the gamblers to take over his personality. By this time, he has already cheated on Marion with Bella (Kate Hardie), which brings his relationship with Marion to a temporary end. This marks the beginning of the degradation of Jack’s life as Jake’s life takes over.

However, the full change becomes apparent when Marion visits Jack in the hospital after he helped robbers steal from the casino. This time, she tells him, “I don’t want a criminal for a boyfriend.” At this point, Jack has made a complete transformation into Jake. Marion decides to forgive him if he quits working at the casino, giving him the chance to reclaim his life as Jack. However, Jack has no intention of giving up Jake’s life. This decision is sealed when Marion is killed, and Jack enters fully into Jake’s life once we see him with Bella. The strict focus on two major elements in these scenes, Marion’s statements and Bella, throws Jack’s transformation into sharp relief, allowing the audience to appreciate his change without distractions from additional information that would have been present had a classical editing style been applied.

Guidry-Croupier Editing

It's the eyebrows...definitely.

In this frame, Clive Owen's character, Jack Manfried, appears superior and confident in his position of power as he leans above a symbol of the gambling addiction that had once upon a time ruined his life. What he comes to realize after a time is that his involvement in a casino heist is indeed an adrenaline-pumping gamble, yet he decidedly talks himself out of believing that he was gambling not only with money, but also with his life. Although Jack worked in the beginning of the film to strategically exclude himself from the entrapments of his scheming father and the selfish deeds of his alter-ego Jake, the pivotal point in the film at which he coalesces to the pleas of an attractive naked woman (that he is undoubtedly intrigued by) presents the time-old cliché of man's ultimate weakness in the form of femininity.

Don't be misled here, I am not complaining; I embraced that moment in the film when Jani entered the bedroom naked with humor and an uncontrollable smirk, saying to myself, "Oh, damn. She's about to do him in... Poor Jack." I'd like to ask the screenwriters, though, why did he have to lose everything in order to finish his book? True enough, the trade-offs for wealth and/or success in modern societies aim to be family relationships, friendships, and self-worth, but why did he have to lose Marion? Comments are welcomed here.

As far as the editing style goes, the classical cutting in this film makes the thematic mirroring of events more apparent and relate-able by placing more emphasis on Jack's dispositions as things went on (example: his nervous demeanor after being caught cheating matched his demeanor with Marion upon learning that she knew about the heist). There were some moments of jump-cutting that the director gets away with due to the narrative nature of the film, labeling such cuts as "chapter" skipping that sort of mocks the notion of thematic montage. All in all, this "realistic" tale of fateful happenings portrays the protagonist as a very confined man whose attempts at living through his passions for love and writing are interrupted, if not destroyed, by his shady beginnings. He loses both the woman he loves and his desire to write by the end of the film, and accepts being victimized by his father, the man who embodies his regret.

Harris, Editing in Croupier (1998)

"The Truth"
Marion Nell (played by Gina McKee-left) and Jack Manfried (played by Clive Owen-right).  

In Mike Hodges' second installment of a trilogy, Croupier (1998) tells the story about an aspiring writer named Jack Manfried (played by Clive Owen). However, Jack is suffering from writer's block and reluctantly takes a job as a croupier at the request of his father. While Jack is working at the casino, he goes by the name of his alter ego, Jake, and submerges himself into the world of gambling and deception. During his time at the casino, Jack/Jake is able to overcome his writer's block and becomes entangled in a casino heist.

Throughout the film, editor Les Healey constructs the scenes in a parallel fashion. In the first fifty-eight minutes, the audience is introduced to Jack's current lifestyle and predicament. Then, the climax of the film begins when Jake takes a friend, Jani De Villiers (played by Alex Kingston), to a party that his editor, Giles Cremorne (played by Nick Reding), is hosting. While staying at the house, Jani reveals to Jake about her current predicament and needs his help to get out of it. The remaining thirty-three minutes of the film tends to parallel the previous scenes, such as the dialogue between Marion Nell (played by Gina McKee), who is Jack's girlfriend, and Jack.

In the first half of the film, Jack tells his girlfriend, Marion, that he took a job as a croupier.Gradually, Marion notices subtle differences in her boyfriend and eventually says,"I want to live with a writer, not a croupier." In the photograph above (the next scene), Jack tries to apologize to Marion, but is later met with disappointment because of their conflicting schedules. Despite the dyed hair, Jack, the writer, is still present at this scene. The audience can see the remnants of the writer with his signature black hat and coat. To enhance the importance of this scene, cinematographer Michael Garfath shot this scene in a low angle, which gave an emphasis on the dominance between the two characters. Since the photo shows the characters being dominant figures, costume designer, Caroline Harris, does an exquisite job of representing the current emotions of the characters. In the picture, both characters are wearing a black coat, which can symbolize their growing discontent for each other. In contrast, their under shirts are different. While Marion is wearing a teal undershirt, which symbolizes calm and sophistication, Jack is wearing a white undershirt, which symbolizes his coldness towards her. In addition to the camera technique and color, the lighting is also important.

The lighting that was used in the picture above was available lighting. However, it is important to notice that the lighting is so bright, there are no shadows lurking anywhere. Therefore, the viewer can make the assertion that the lighting can symbolize the truthfulness of the characters motives. Hence, in this scene, Jack wants to make amends with Marion and asks her for a cocktail when she gets off. When Marion replies with her answer, Jack realizes that he can no longer meet her because he has to go to work at that time. Hence, Marion's response to the situation is, "This is our life now, isn't?" In this scene, both characters are neutral and neither one showing any disappointment. Unlike the previous scene, the lighting that was used was a low contrast because the viewer can see shadows lurking in the background. The shadows were used to create the feeling of secrecy between Marion and Jack, plus the presence of the alter ego, Jake, in the room. Overall, this picture does a great job to illustrate the deterioration of Marion and Jack's relationship.

"The Break Up"
Marion Nell (played by Gina McKee-left) and Jack Manfried (played by Clive Owen) 

In the later half of the film, editor Les Healey shows the audience how Jack's alter ego, Jake, begins to take over Jack's life completely. After the climax of the film, Jake submerges himself in aiding a friend who happens to be scamming him. Even though Jack is slowly being overtaken by Jake, Marion reminds him by giving a book charm. When Jack shows Marion his thanks, she makes the remark, "I can't wait for you to dye your hair blonde again." Despite the criminal activity her boyfriend is currently   involved in, Marion remains aloof until she erases a message from Jani. Therefore her boyfriend's suspicious activity is finally confirmed when Marion finds the cash under the sink. Therefore, this specific picture definitely shows how Jake has completely taken over Jack. It is important to remember that the main characteristic that separates Jake from Jack is deception. The audience could assume that Jack was truthful and possibly honest, which is the total opposite of Jake. In the photograph above, called "The Break Up," the audience can not see the remnants of the writer, Jack, but instead the full fledged Jake. Besides Jake's deception in the later half of the film, Marion mirrors her own comment that was made in the first half by saying, "I don't want to live with a criminal."

McIntyre, Editing in Croupier

Croupier is a 1998 British movie starring Clive Owen as a writer named Jack who takes a job as a croupier, or a dealer, at a casino. His father, a gambler, sets up the job for Jack. While Jack begins the job as an honest and good man, he soon transforms via rule-breaking, affairs, and participation in a heist into his deceitful alter ego named Jake. Croupier follows a largely mirror setup. Scenes and lines from the beginning of the movie repeat themselves later in the movie under completely different circumstances as the audience watches Jack change into Jake and become quite comfortable with his dual selves. Throughout the movie, Jack narrates the movie as if it were a novel, revealing thoughts that he has but are hard to read by just watching his person. This enables the audience insight into Jack's mind but also blurs the line between him and Jake. Jake is the protagonist in Jack's novel and it's often hard to tell whose story Jack's telling.

Jack's relationship with Jani throughout the film very much mirrors his transformation. The first time he meets Jani, he's still an honest man and the two are little more than strangers. She keeps her eyes averted for much of the scene and barely looks at Jack. Jack recognizes her as an experienced gambler right away and realizes that she's foreign when she tries to tip him. He's slightly fascinated that she quits while she's ahead and expresses a little admiration in his narration. She leaves and the two remain strangers. Jani is just another gambler in the casino. However, she holds the dominant position in the scene, remaining in the middle of all of the shots of the table. We're forced to focus on her but do not know why--just like Jack.

While Jani sits at the table, the man behind her attempts to cheat. Jack stops him, acting a bit surprised when he attempts to place his chip onto the table late.

In this scene, Jack and Jani sit as dealer and gambler (respectively). This time, however, they are friends. She's invited him to a party and he's accepted her invitation. They act a little bit flirtatious, and Jack carries out earlier thoughts of helping Jani cheat to win. They have a lot more eye contact in this scene, and Jani's hair is down. They're dressed a lot more casually than they were in the previous scene. Both of them hold the dominant position in many of the shots of the table. We think of them as one unit now, as they are literally partners in crime. This time, the cheater in the scene is Jack, his Jake qualities shining through.

Curiously, the Jack meets Jani about a third of the way through the film and the gambling scene at the friend's house happens about two-thirds of the way through the film. Even the scenes' physical position suggests their parallel qualities.

Christopherson, Editing in Croupier

Clive Owen in Croupier as Jack

Clive Owen in Croupier as Jake

Croupier is a 1998 film directed by Mike Hodges.  It is a film that helped to launch the career of Clive Owen, at least in the US where he was relatively unknown before. It was toted as a neo-noir style film and having studied noir and neo-noir all last semester, I can assure you this film is done in a way that is completely consistent with the neo-noir genre. Croupier is a film about an aspiring writer who explores the seedy London gambling seen and it begins to consume him. The film is narrated by the lead character Jack/Jake.

I chose these photos that depict two different scenes from the movie because I believe they contrast very well the “Jack” side of Owen’s character and the “Jake” side. In the picture at the casino he is Jake; a smooth, swift-handed, calculative and emotionless being who enjoys watching people lose their money time and time again. Jake as we can see, appears to be a very confident individual, and he even seems to enjoy the power he has as a croupier; the power that enables him to take people’s money from them. The picture of the man in a tux with a smirk on his face perfectly illustrates the Jake side of Owen’s character.

However the other picture illustrates the other side of Owen’s character, Jack.  Jack is a forlorn character who prefers anonymity to any kind of recognition and drinks excessively, probably to escape his every day routine. He is involved with a woman who he says he only “half loves” and even when his book, I Croupier, is published and becomes a bestseller, he publishes it anonymously. This photo depicts this man; he is standing in Piccadilly Circus, alone, yet surrounded by thousands of people with an indifferent look on his face. 

Phillpott, Croupier

For this week's blog, I have chosen two scenes in Croupier that mirror one another. I have picked the two "cheating" scenes because they each reflect the development of the plot in this movie. In the first one, Jack (Clive Owen) is still seen as a "good guy" by the audience. He has very strict rules in which he follows as a croupier. He is not a cheat. For the first cheating scene, Jack sees a man slip a chip onto the table after the betting is over. Jack calls the man out for it, and he behaves very rationally. Then, the manager of the casino takes care of the cheater. This scene is supposed to reiterate how very "good" Jack is. He isn't corrupt like his friend from the casino who regularly cheats.

By the time we reach the second cheating scene, Jack has become his alter ego, Jake. Jake has cheated on his girlfriend, and basically embraced another type of life--one that Jack had nothing to do with. Jake enjoys watching people lose their money. So when Jani asks Jake to help her "creditors" cheat, the audience already knows what his answer is going to be. This second cheating scene mirrors the first, but changes things up too. When Jake sees the man slipping a chip onto the table after the betting is over, we see Jake hesitate before he follows through with his announcement of the cheating. Then, the man attacks Jake so that the robbery can take place. Jake allows the man to beat him up; whereas earlier in the film, the audience was shown that Jack could fight very well. Jake simply allows the robbery to occur, which shows the 180 degree character development of Jack/Jake. He no longer holds up these "good" morals and rules to follow. Jake has successfully taken control over Jack.

Engineer, Structured editing of Croupier

Croupier, directed by Mike Hodges in 1998 is a well structured and edited film drawing parallels between different scenes. The plot revolves around the main characters: Jack Manfred (Clive Owen), Marion Nell (Gina McKee) and Jani de Villiers (Alex Kingston). The first part of the film shows Jack trying to become a writer through a dialogue with his alter-ego, Jake. The second half of the film draws interesting coincidences from the first half of the film. The director uses parallel editing to show the viewers, how the elements in the first part are repeated in the second part.

The first and second half of the film centers on the bedroom scene where Jani tells Jack to help her as she owes money to the some gangsters. The opening scene of the film shows the roulette wheel spinning and a voice over of Jack where he cannot hear the sound of the ball anymore. This could imply his life spinning out of control in the earlier stages. Then the closing scene shows that he has control and the power as a croupier to make people lose money. In the first half, Jack’s father calls him from a casino about the job, and then in the second half, his father calls him again from the same casino.

During the drive to Giles’ home, Jani’s hand is wrapped with a bandage and she has a black eye. This is to gain Jack’s trust and sympathy. But in the sleazy hotel later, Jack notices the bandage is off and her black eye is healed. In another scene, Marion erases the messages left by Jani warning Jack about the time the cheater punter is going to show up. Surprisingly, Marion shows up at the hospital much to Jack’s bewilderment. Also, Marion is shown dead, possibly from a hit and run, then when Jack is driving the car with Lucy, she almost hits into another person.