A comparison of A Room With A View (James Ivory 1985) and Nil By Mouth (Gary Oldman 1997) in terms of realism.

David James-02975460

BRITISH NATIONAL CINEMA

A COMPARISON OF A ROOM WITH A VIEW (JAMES IVORY 1985) AND NIL BY

MOUTH (GARY OLDMAN 1997) IN TERMS OF REALISM.

The most beneficial way of comparing the two in regard to realism will be to examine the classes and identity they represent, the location and space they inhabit, the characterization (including family and gender), the language and social interaction and finally the market for which there are both begin produced. Prior to this both films must be placed in a theoretical context.

On the surface these two films are very different: RWAV comes across as a gentle glance back in time to an era when the British were restrained by there own national identity. It explores the explosion of youth and passion as the story embraces the unbridled excitement of the continent, reinforcing the truth that under our enforced stiff upper lips the essences of humanity still burns. Were as NBM is an unmistakably, uncomfortable, gritty, guttural, glare into the violent under belly of modern British society. Here there is no passion, no journey with a happy ending, this is a micro-cosm of despair and brutally. A national identity that is not often portrayed but is very much a part of the make up of Britain, and always has been. However, the notion of “realism” is recurrent link in both of these films, albeit in different forms. Authenticity is central to both films, as they strive to create differing moments in time and assert these recreations as being realistic if not in some cases, even truthful..

In regard to Nil By Mouth this can be thought of as what Vanessa Thorpe describes as “return to the Brit Grit tradition of social realism”. Citing films such as The War Zone (Roth 1999), and Twenty Four Seven (Meadows1997) as examples of the continuation of the social-realist tradition inspired by 60’s. Following the New Wave of British films in the 50’s and 60’s, there was an emerging commitment to realism that demanded “a determination to tackle ‘real’ social issues and experiences in a manner which was matched, a style which was honest and realistic as well” (J Hill p127 Sex, class and realism). This was a working-class realism that as Hill states, “ profess a privileged relationship to the external world”. This often exhibits a clear tension between performance and the realitist aesthetic of the environment- the use with the use of real-locations in NBM such as seedy the bar, clubs of London as well as the , masculine interior of Ray’s flat , (he controls the exterior and interiors until td.

Lindsay Anderson called this “an impoverishment of the cinema” and until the British New Wave they were clearly misrepresented. However NBM marks a transition as Clare Monk argues into what she describes as ‘underworld to underclass”. As a result of closing w/c industries, unemployment and the rise in drug use, there emerged a broad cross-section of illegality that “fostered a certain contempt for the law and blurred the boundaries between crime and mainstream society” p 175)

Therefore the message that we see as working class is a false one in NBM as in reality they are unemployed alcoholics and drug users, or petty criminals at best. Is this real then? And more significantly, if our working class is being judged on this then what ramifications does this have for our perceived identities around the world

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In contrast RWAV, is an example of ‘The Heritage Film’, depicting a privileged perspective of middle class British society. The Heritage/historical films depictions tradition middle-class values, as Andrew Higson aptly states “it represent a return to a conservative and nostalgic attempt to turn away from contemporary realties and national stability in some golden age of the past.” However, these glory days are seen to be in demise and Higson critics this form of nostalgia as indicative of a present that is lacking in the ideals and values, that the film encourages as being British, therefore the question must be asked, whether the heritage film is realism or escapism? Higson identifies the key conventions of heritage film as “ middle class quality products” than can be placed between art house and mainstream cinemas that play out the melodrama of everyday bourgeoisie life. One could therefore argue that these two films have there own brand of realism, NBM is rooted the now, were as RWAV is realism that can not be proved as it is centred in the past.

In its simplest form shooting a film on location adds a sense of realism to a film as the audience are thrust into the story not only by the characters but on a visual journey. The use of space within the two films could not be more different creating different modes of realism. Oldman's camera is never in the wrong place but more importantly the scale of the shots is perfect. Virtually the entire film is shot in close and medium shots through long lenses that truly crush the depth of field. There is also inlay a very selective use of two-shots and group shots in the film. The result is extremely claustrophobic and uncomfortable which is obviously the intention. The implications of this technique for the narrative are manifold: it alludes to the enclosed world of the characters as well as establishing a number of key associations between these characters. This gives them a first layer to work with. More importantly, however, the longer lenses, allows the camera to move away from the actors freeing up the space in between.. RWAV utilizes a convention that is inextricably linked to the Heritage Industry, that of the museum aesthetic. Although another form of a realist aesthetic it differs completely in the depth of field it allows the shot. Whereas NBM demands that the audience, is completely thrust into the interior and the violence therein, RWAV encourages a distanced appraisal. The use of long shots and establishing shots of landscapes and country buildings, encourages this more separate involvement and even when inside what is with RWAV a feminized interior, the camera is not allowed much movement and the aestheic of display is at odds with the narrative.

This is at the heart of the films power to capture not only the middle/upper class and perhaps more educated audience who have read the novel and are already, through their imagination, engaged with the text level. Equally, on a more reductive as well as enticing a more superficial, visual experience that is built upon geographies of space, and specific ways of looking. The first and last section are set in Florence, Italy, and the middle part is set mostly in a quiet Surrey, England. The heroine of the story is Lucy, a young girl of marrying age who travels to Florence to complete a last ‘tour’ before she settles down. As Andrew Higson has noted, “ the evocation of the pastiness is accomplished by a look, a style, the loving recreation of period details producing a fascinating but self-enclosed world” (Higson waving the flag). This is the form of realism at work within the Heritage text, which strives for authenticity and can be thought of as a Museum Ethic where our history is on display. Although, it is undeniable that the written form would ensure preservation, it is the cinematic medium that has allowed the “bringing to life” of these landscapes and times. In this way it belongs to ‘Heritage Industry’ and genre and seeks to relay the tradition and beauty of this quintessentially British way of life. A central motif to the film and this heritage is the representation of cultural artefacts and landscapes within the narrative. Often disrupting the narrative completely, this reinforces the pastoral representation and pictorial photography and a depiction of what Tom Nairn has argued as “nationalism… invariably populist” p45 The Heritage Film, Cinema and past. He argues a reading against the grain with RWAV has often been compared to a Women’s film and suggests the films attempt to disguise reality by promoting “ an English mythology on the contrary, dominated by patriarchy and deference to authority p 44 HF. In this way the pastoral landscapes and images we are shown possibly work only to serve as a myth of Englishness within “ an ideology of community”.

Community is a central theme to both films RWAV creates a community of ‘Brits abroad’ an image that pervilent in today’s world as it was at then however, instead of begin hooligans we are prudish. NBM displays family which in term of the text is a false sense of community. From the opening scene in the bar, when Ray is ordering drinks and later when Billy returns from “scoring drugs” both male characters are isolated within the frame. Although surrounded by other drinkers they are alone and displaced. This isolation of the men can also be seen in terms of an emasculated man. Billy is clearly weak but Ray is given macho-generic status early on but ultimately revealed to be the same.

This establishes a dominant theme of an underclass as identified by Clare Monk (-p175 British Crime). The film focuses on Ray, his wife Val and her brother Bill. Ray is an alcoholic and occasional cocaine user. The story focuses on the interaction of the father and the mother Val (Bates).

It is not only a story about domestic violence but also framed as almost a recollection. Allegedly autobiographical, the marketing campaign for the film included the tag line ‘Being There’. This style of filmmaking is autobiographical in some respects (Oldman is a recovering alcoholic as was his father) and the intimacy that Oldman brings is extended to the geographical locations the film inhabits. They are the same places that Oldman grew upon-revisited. The recreation and process of authentication here relies heavily on the idea that what we are seeing are Oldmans recollections, his experiences.

The use of language is an important feature in both films and is one of the primary signifiers of realism within the two. In NBM the dialogue and accent is offensive most of the time whereas in RWAV is articulated and at times flowery. It flows, like the literature it stems from in an educated fashion. These both have dramatic consequences on the reception and understanding of the films. In NBM this makes the language almost a barrier, for anyone who isn’t from SE London, and especially for the American audiences, it demands a complete attention to the script and a degree of translation, that force an immersion into the narrative if the spectator is committed enough. Equally, this could also work to exclude audiences however, as the language is unique. Much of the dialogue is insubstantial, but it is precisely this that Oldman wishes to assert, I would argue. In the opening scene, which establishes Ray as a drinker and possible cocaine user, Oldman employs a technique used often, where the dialogue is muted, although the camera stays fixed on Ray and Val’s exchange (She is disturbed that he is leaving with the drinks, establishing them both as alcoholics). The expletives and curses are muted out then, as are a number of outbursts and incidents throughout the film (Ray at the arcade, on the race horses). This has a dual effect I would argue. Firstly it reminds us that in essence, what Ray says is irrelevant, and only the same anger and aggression being played out and secondly, perhaps it is a nod to the subjected child who wished he could turn down that voice.

Therefore the window, although partly into the past, like RWAV also allows an avenue into the authors (although more directly than the literary journey into E.M Forsters. With Oldman the authors mind has been stripped bare and evokes greater power because of this. NBM is an excellent example of a recent trend back to social-realist films. It is a gritty and disturbing examination of working-class life that received a worldwide acclaim and success in the U.K, America and Cannes. Its appeal as a mainstream film relies heavily on a form of autership. In this way, instead of the typical auteur (writer/director) the film is given artistic authenticity, its relationship with it A-list actor turned director. Gary Oldman's presence within (he makes a Hitchcock-esc cameo) and as director. The domestic abuse (both physical and mental) is reinforced by the cyclical nature of the narrative and the way in which the characters appear to be re-enacting out a chain of dysfunctional. In this way, it is immaterial when this horror is taking place as the genuine abhorrence is in fact the reality that it will keep on repeating itself. Therefore as a form of realism, albeit heavily stylised, NBM I would argue has greater impact. RWAV exists within a rose-tainted sense of heritage, that although also cyclical involves a passage through time with a resolution and happy ending. RWAV appears to be much less realistic as for the majority of the audience a love story set 100 years ago has no bearing on the present. However, in terms of an image of British people that was recognised around the world RWAV is a realistic text.

Although both films can be placed within a realistic context, NBM is the more obvious of the two. The theme of violence, ignorance and cruelty are elements of human nature that will constantly draw a macabre audience to witness what they know to be a reality and then return to the own safe worlds. This is perhaps a perspective that Oldman can share , having escaped this nightmare underclass, and perhaps why the world of NBM is so bleak and shot in such a cold manner. In this way, he has nothing but bad memeories to compare his now golden life to. This questions the realism of the piece I would assert as although his experience of the events may authenticate the subject, , in a similar way to the rose tinted glasses of RWAV, that Oldmans are blackened out and unreceptive to a positive appraisal.