Film Analysis: Red Dog

In the 2011 Australian film ‘Red Dog’ directed by Kriv Stenders many issues relating to Australian identity are addressed including the stereotypical Australian values such as conflict with authority and mateship. Stenders uses skilful camera and visual techniques to portray a realistic 1970’s context throughout the movie. Throughout the movie it is evident that Stenders portrays his values and attitudes such as rebellion against authority that abuses power and independence.

The little character stories included throughout the movie are very significant to the personality of the character. These emotions of the characters were captured by the director Kriv Stenders in the movie Red Dog, The stories of the miners really give the audience a glimpse of who they are deep down. The movie is set in the Pilbara, Western Australia. The inhabitants need a friend to share the feelings of loneliness and loss, to provide a sense of purpose. Red Dog helps the miners to create a sense of community. Vanno, Jocko and Peeto are unique their stories are portrayed throughout the movie.

The movie Red dog was able to express all types of themes. The Australian culture are full of comedy, romance, tragedy and mateship, and all these themes are evident in the film Red dog. Comedy was a huge part of this film, nearly even scene showed comedy and would give you a laugh. Half way through the movie the character Peeto was to babysit/look after Red dog for John while he took Nancy out on their first date. Peeto was secretly doing his knitting but Red Dog showed the mates Vanno, Jocko and Jack and embarrassed him. This demonstrates that there is always a good laugh as an Australian. Romance is another key theme in the movie Red dog. John has never stayed in the same place for more than two years but this time he stays in Dampier for one particular reason. He was in love with Nancy. Love, relationships and romance are all very common in Australia. People make sacrifices to be with the people they love. There is also sadness and tragedy in Australia. Whether it be a loss of a friend, family member or dog. There are many sad and heart touching scenes in this film, starting from the loss of your wife and child (Jocko), the loss of your recent new partner (Nancy) or the loss of the famous wanderer dog (Red dog). With loss and tragedy also comes powerful memories and stories to reflect

Glory road is a film based on the 1966 Texas Miners, the first all-black NCAA Championship winning basketball team. When the coach, Don Haskins decided to recruit players based purely on ability, and not race. With the purpose of telling the story of the Texas Miners, their experiences and lives leading up to, and becoming the NCAA Champions. At the forefront of this movie are racial issues which we know were rife at the time throughout America. The relationship between sport and psychology is not abundantly clear in this film. I believe, however that, that is because the film was not made for that purpose, as a documentary or article may have. The film was made for the purpose of entertainment, and to tell the story of the Texas Miner -Which it effectively does. In saying that, being a sport psychology student and after critically watching and examining the film, I was also clearly able to see many psychological concepts and issues woven throughout the film, there relationship to sport, and the effects it had on the Texas Miners, and their Championship winning team.

Jocko, Jack, Maureen, Peeto, and Vanno are established as certain people in the beginning of the film, and Kriv Stenders, through red dog, has changed that. Red Dog is important to each character for a different reason, though equally important, and slowly, each character finds a way to be cheerful . Red Dog impacts them all through loyalty; he is a friend for everyone. Trust; Red Dog helps everyone in the community to trust each other. Lastly, friendship; through the film the community of Dampier become friends and are kinder to each other.

Music is also used to set every mood and situation in the film- most being upbeat and happy. Camera shots were mostly long and high angle at the beginning of the film, to show the scene, but as the movie progressed they became shorter and more subjective. The male characters also play a big role in creating a stereotype Aussie by again- the way they dress, how they talk, and the alcohol. Peeto seems to fit the package of the stereotypical Australian male. He wears extremely high shorts, singlets, and boots like most. He drinks a ton of beer and alcohol and has a pretty strong accent to accompany. After all he charged at two

“The world is a funny place, no? Sometimes you pick your dog. Sometimes your dog picks you.” Good morning ladies and gentlemen for the AFC, and the quote you have just heard is from the Australian film “Red dog” and is stated to be one of the most powerful quotes in Australian theatre. Australian film has been around for many years and of those years there have been many examples of what some might like to call a masterpiece. Some of these films include the Mad Max series, Gallipoli, Crocodile Dundee but of these films, the film that stands out the most to audiences is the movie Red dog. Red dog is directed by Australian producer Kriv Stenders and was made in 2011. The story takes place during the 1970’s so one would expect to view various counts of racism and sexism but there was no evidense of these themes ever showing as the dialogue had been written for a G rating. It was as if the whole production has had its mouth washed out with soap by there mother for cursing. The reason this film was successful to most was because of the message it portrayed as the movie was based around a young Australian Kelpie named Red dog and how he united a fractured community while searching for his master. The movie is highly regarded today as of the best Australian films as it brings all Australian values to the table. The main reason for the audiences love for this film is because of its portrayal of a character’s loyalty, mateship and the Australian Landscape and this is what occurs throughout the film.

The Australian cinema in the 1960’s failed to communicate with the audience due to their lack of promotional messages that weren’t disseminated. Media is formed by cultural, political, economic and social conditions. These influenced or even directed its characteristics and its intended meaning. After a devastating blow to the film industry in the 1960’s, filmmakers of Australia had stopped creating and making quality Australian films. However, the Australian New Wave brought a revival of the Australian film industry during the 70's, 80's and 90’s. It introduced Australian qualities into film, including larrikinism, mateship and a classless social hierarchy. The Castle and Gallipoli confirm, promote and explore features of Australian identity

The Comparisons and Contrasts of the films of The Thing and The Thing From another world

Dogtown and Z-boys and Lords of Dogtown movies tell the legendary story of the birth and movement of skateboarding in the 1970’s. The original Dogtown and Z-boys, directed by Stacy Peratla in 2001 is the documentary/ biography version of the film that explains the history of the “Z-boys” and where they grew up. Lords of Dogtown, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, is the portrayal of the surfing/ skate team and what they did to mold the business and sport into what it is today. The original version of the story is historically interesting because it has interviews with the z-boys themselves and other people that contributed to making history. It gives you the genuine background of the streets where they collaborated their skateboarding, and the effort and passion that went into their athletics.

Film noirs describe pessimistic films associated with black and white visual styles, crime fiction, and dark themes. Sunset Boulevard is a 1950 film noir directed by Billy Wilder. Sunset Boulevard presents many themes that are common with the genre film noir, but also introduces some differences from the typical movie in that genre.

‘Cargo,’ is an apocalyptic zombie film produced for the Tropfest Short Film festival, Howling and Ramke are the directors of ‘Cargo’, and have skillfully utilised multiple cinematic techniques, such as Juxtaposition and camera perspective to explore their main idea of a quest. Howling and Ramke have successfully used camera perspective, in the form of a close up to formally suggest the idea of quest for a ‘safe’ zone. The father is shown in a close up examining a map of sydney, with multiple circles draws, with most labeled ‘safe’. The reader is shown the father viewing this map and crudely writing on this hand ‘18 km, 3 hours’. This is the first suggestion of the idea of the journey the father will undertake, with the set hours and distance

Tom Tykwer’s Run Lola Run (1998) is truly a brilliant film. It is very seldom that a film manages to combine the high pace of an action thriller and a deep philosophical subtext without botching it, but Run Lola Run does an excellent job at striking a balance between both. Tackling the very abstract and philosophical concepts of chance and cause-effect, Run Lola Run is truly a modern foreign classic. Tykwer manages to postulate one simple theory through the film, that the simplest of choices can completely change everything. The film is supported by stellar performances from Franka Potente and Moritz Bleibtreu as the protagonist Lola and her boyfriend, Manni. The film’s use of cinematography to add to the narrative, clever use of the aspects of mise-en-scene and explosively-paced soundtrack add a whole new dimension to this film. One of the few German films to be both a critical and commercial success, Run Lola Run is a smart and stimulating film, which demands active watching in order to understand fully. I will now analyze the film comprehensively using three main parameters; the mise-en-scene, the cinematography and the sound.

Part 1 - In American author's 2009 book, The Help, the primary thesis is the relationship between Black maids and white households in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s. The story is really told from three perspectives, Aibileen and Minny are Black women, both maids, and Skeeter is the nickname of Eugenia Phelan, daughter of a prominent White family. Skeeter has just finished school and hopes to become a writer. In general, the relationship between the Black maids and the White employers is six sided: On one side we have the White employers who have three views: 1) Their personal and private beliefs that can range from extreme scorn and bias to kindness regarding race; 2) Their public persona that must have the "proper" attitude about Blacks and "the help," and 3) Their employer attitude, which is condescending and parental. The Black view also has three segments: 1) Their personal and private beliefs that usually range from understanding not all Whites are the same and an extreme love and empathy for the White children for whom they care; 2) The public persona that is deferential, polite, and stoic to their White bosses; and 3) Their attitude and view among the Black community, which usually separates the "poor and ignorant but rich" White souls from the Black view of family and common sense. All in all, the relationship is contentious, phony, and based on economic advantage.

Mao Ze Dong once said, “A revolution is not a dinner party or doing embroidery” (QuoteGram). In this period when communism still ruled supreme in Mainland China, people joined the revolution and became a true Communist. It is sung at the beginning of the documentary film of what happened during the Cultural Revolution, Morning Sun, “He is devoted to people’s happiness.” This line of song shows that this new leader is going to fill the country with joy. Mao Ze Dong’s appearance during the stage of suffering had made him the role model during that time. As explained in the film, “East is Red” is when everyone in China was at a period of transition from Nationalism in which they were in sufferings of different class labels. It described that the Communist Party was created to lead a revolution towards “socialism”. Mao then stepped into this revolution as the leader of the country who tried to change the country’s people with his unchangeable high standards. To him, whatever he foresaw as the bright future could not be changed. However, his judgments were not always as effective as expected. Mao’s ideas promoted communism but had contradictions within them, which will be explained in detail below.