3: Conform or Subvert to Hollywood/Mainstream Filmmaking Standards

Dominant Cinema or Conforming to Hollywood is a system of representation and production. There are characteristics that represent the Dominant Cinema product: Genre, Stars, Producers/Studios, Directors and Mass Audiences. Counter Cinema or Subverting to Hollywood, on the other hand, are represented by the following characteristics: Narrative Intransitivity, Estrangement, Foregrounding, Multiple Diegesis, Apeture, Un-Pleasure, Reality (Wollen, 1972 p.74). Applying these characteristics to two movies: Lord of the Rings and Bronson will reinforce the polarised stances that both these films represent.


The Lord of the Rings series (2001-2003) co-written and directed Peter Jackson are dominant cinema productions. This series, adapted from the book written by J.R.R Tolkien, had a big budget of $281 Million and took 8 years to finish the project. It is also the highest grossing trilogy of all time worldwide and the Third film (The Return of the King) received 11 Oscars. The first film (The Fellowship of the Ring) follows the mainstream style of film in that the narrative is linear with the protagonist Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) being the unlikely hero. Being a epic fantasy adventure film, it can be easily drawn in by the likeable protagonist and the calm setting he lives in. Other characters such as Gandalf (Sir Ian Mckellen) is represented as a gentle father figure and the audience can take comfort from his presence. A typical adventure film like this one follows a formula of having an unlikely character becoming a hero against overwhelming odds. Frodo as a small and gentle person adds the audience's desire for him to succeed and defeat evil. Major stars that make up the cast are not as recognizable as they would be in other genres due to the make-up and costumes. However, there are some prominent stars such as Sean Bean, Orland Bloom, Elijah Wood and Christopher Lee that give this title a formidable cast.

All films are all roughly three hour long epic stories that are aimed at the mass audience. There are continuous themes of romance, immortality and death which are equally desired, as not, by the viewers. Throughout the three films the characters take separate paths and have their own struggles to deal with but are still a part of a linear story that eventually collide into a happy ending. Audiences want this happy ending and want to see the bad characters such as Gollum to fail. The soundtrack is a symphonic composition pertaining to the epic fantasy genre and its themes. It gives a melodic and mythical connotation to the whole series and has won many awards to add to the film's success. 

On the other hand, the film Bronson (2008) directed by Nicolas Winding Refn does not follow the usual Hollywood conventions of narrative, big stars and amounting a massive box office. Having a budget of only £150,000, this film subverts to Hollywood standards and is produced on a much smaller scale. The film is a crime biography of the prisoner Michael Peterson who was later known as Charles Bronson. It is primarily a factual piece with themes of romance and violence relating to the prisoner that the viewers relate to and are excited by. Getting out of prison for a brief stint near the end of the film Bronson "falls in love" and asks a girl to marry him but she ultimately rejects him. Even though he robbed a jewellery shop for the ring, the viewer must feel sorry for him as his genuine emotion of love comes through.

A frequently linear narrative breaks into sub narratives between Bronson and a predominantly silent audience to express the protagonist's thoughts and feelings. The monologues are sub narrative's that act out his thoughts and life developments in musical numbers and dual personality dialogues. These scenes are effective to portray the madness of Bronson and suggests he is putting on an act when being coined as a the most dangerous prisoner in Britain. Also, there is an element of fast forwarding of time concerning the prisoner's forced migration between prisons because of his bad behaviour. The continuous  There is no resolution in the end as Bronson is still incarcerated and seems to be so oreintated to the prison system that being outside is probably an alienating experience. All he knows is being a part of an institution that he can handle where as being in the public is an uncommon atmosphere. Bronson is always against the public and ultimately the world so the only way he can survive is by rebelling and staying within the confines of a prison.

Apart from Tom Hardy there are no real stars to mention or that stand out as big names that create an impact on the whole motion picture. The small budget of this film gives the director an oppertunity to use home-grown talent in Tom Hardy. It can be said it is a cult film that targets a segment of the film market and not everyone will gather in their droves to view it. An audience that know about the prisoner already or are excited by the 18 rating  and the violence that comes with it can be gratified by this film.

References:

•    WOLLEN, P., 1972. Godard and counter cinema: vent d'est. London: Routledge.                         .