How does Peter Medak gain the viewers sympathy for Derek

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‘Let him have it’ is a heart breaking British film produced in 1991 under the direction of Peter Medak. It was set in 1952 and was based on a true emotional story which Medak took full advantage of to increase the sympathy from his audience. The film centralises around the death of an innocent man Derek, who lost his life to capital punishment. His misfortune was due to his vulnerability and easily influenced nature which, lead him to fall in to the wrong crowd. The reason I think Medak decided to direct this film was because he wanted to promote his point of view on injustice and capital punishment. Also, I think he directed this film because even to the present day, people are still debating whether the event was a sense of injustice. We also know that Medak is sensitive about this topic because the majority of his previous films are on this matter.

In the film, a sense of havoc and mayhem is instantly created as the first camera shot consists of fire blazing and people panicking. Medak has cleverly done this to capture the immediate interest and curiosity of the audience. He further establishes a sense of mayhem as there is an absence of music other than the sound of fire engines and people screaming. The camera then slowly zoom’s past the fire and shows Derek’s dad scrambling away at debris to find Derek. When Derek is revealed the camera does an extreme close up and he is seen having an epileptic fit; this is the first time we feel deep sympathy for Derek. Derek’s mother and sister can be seen in the background screaming and crying. This immediately shows the closeness between Derek and his family. The actor playing Derek has been directed terrifically as his epileptic fit appeared greatly realistic and engaged the audience emotionally.

The next incident that we feel sympathy for Derek is in his stealing ordeal in the shed. Sympathy is first given by the audience when Derek’s friends run away from him and he is alone face to face with the owner. The camera then slowly turns to the back of the owner and the front of Derek. This is done to show the fear and nervousness on Derek’s face. Anxiety is built up as Medak once again has no music playing. When the owner of the shed flashes the torchlight at Derek, we see Derek's body language becoming agitated due to his epilepsy. When Derek starts having the fit, the owner tries to control Derek and fails. This is great in gaining the viewers compassion as it shows just how bad Derek's epilepsy is. Derek's vulnerability is greatly highlighted in this scene. This is created by Derek being left alone with the owner in a dark and mysterious shed. Overall, I think medak has been very successful in this scene.

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The next scene in which medak creates sympathy for the viewer is Derek's meeting at the approved school. The scene starts with the camera slowly zooming in and revealing Derek sitting on his own in the hallway. The audience sympathises for Derek as he looks nervous and unsettled. He portrays this by fidgeting around and having a troubled look upon his face. The camera then pans around Derek, moves into the room next to him and then focuses on the headmaster. The principle then describes Derek as someone of low intelligence and also states that it will be difficult ...

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