Tsotsi Questions 3

 Identify one example of historical or cultural context in your film                         

 Apartheid                                                                   

 

Briefly describe this historical or cultural context in your film                                

 

After the National Party gamines power in South Africa in 1948, the all-white government immediately started enforcing existing heavenly discriminative policies of segregation. Under apartheid, the majority of people that were non-white were forced to live separator to white people for example. Despite strong and consistent opposition, these policies and laws remained in place until the 90s.  

 

Outline your understanding of what historical or cultural context is                                        

Historical context is the history of the film. This could be the history of the location, characters and more. It is the history of the films preset time (for example, if it is set in the 1950s in the uk, then the historical context would be that World War Two had just happened and the world was still recovering) . So for Tsotsi, that appears to be set in the 1980s roughly, we know that historically, in that time, apartheid was still happening and thriving, as well as the aids epidemic had just broken out , and was hitting places such as South Africa the hardest. The cultural context is the understanding of the culture and society at the time and the location the film is set (e.g we know that women were considered homemakers in Tsotsi’s community, and that gangs were a big part of the society, each gangs having different statuses etc.) 

 

Explore how this and other elements of context are reflected in the representation of adult characters in your chosen film                                                                          

 

Apartheid was created in 1948, when the ‘National Party’, an all-white party, was voted into power in South Africa and enforced many existing laws and policies that heavily discriminated against the black community, whom were the majority. This set a tone of racism all throughout South Africa. One of the results of the Apartheid was that white people had all the positions of power (such as headteachers, MPs etc), meaning that all chiefs of police were white. Due to the Apartheid continuing into the 1980s, presumably when Tsotsi is set, then the chief of police, Captain Smit, is in charge. His inferior is Sergeant Zuma, creating an interesting dynamic. A white man is in control of looking after an all-black community. When Smit and Zuma raid Tsotsi's shack searching for the baby, Zuma holds a gun to Boston and Smit warns Zuma- ‘take it easy’ and we see a mid-shot of Zuma relaxing to this order, ultimately pointing the gun back to Boston, with the camera tracking it. Of course, this order was purely professional, but the dynamic is created by the Apartheid. 

 

There was a significant divide in wealth in South Africa, with over half of people living under the poverty line, and a quarter of the population is unemployed. We know that Tsotsi is part of this group of people, due to his shack. This location is clearly small and dirty, suggesting Tsotsi does not have the facilities to look after his own home. The lighting in the shack is mainly dark, implying he cannot afford lighting, creating a grungy and uncomfortable atmosphere. In the opening scene, Tsotsi is standing at the window of his shack, filled with beautiful colours, contrasting the darkness of the shack. Tsotsi wants to escape this life of poverty, just as many adults do. As Tsotsi and his gang walk out of the shack in the opening scene, the shot pans to follow them, including the water tap in it. The director, Gavin Hood, did this to show the audience that this is a poor community, due to not having a tap (a necessity) in their homes. Also, we always see Miriam at this tap, showing how single, young mothers are also victims to the poverty in South Africa (also a result of Apartheid, as black people were unable to get well-paying jobs, so were forced into a life of crime to support their families and themselves).  

 

Miriams house is still small, but well-lit and she has made beautiful mobiles our of scraps decorating it. Miriam represents the adult members of the South-African communities who are making the best of what they have. Often, Tsotsi is shot next to Miriams mobiles that she made when she was happy (colourful), when in Tsotsi is in her home, showing how adults bring colour and happiness into the youth's lives.  

 

Crime is a large-scale problem in South Africa and was even worse in the 1980s. Due to the Apartheid, black people were forced into a life of crime due to being forced out of education early (that’s if they even went to school at all), as they couldn’t get good jobs and therefore couldn’t get money. Socially, it was a big issue. Shootings and robbery's were frequent. This is clear when Miriam says that her husband went to work and ‘never came back’, whilst the shot is slowly zooming into a picture of him, showing the significance of this event, leaving her a single mother with no source of income. This life of crime is also shown on the train, in which Tsotsi and his gang kill and rob a man (representing wealth) in order to steal his money. Previously, we see cross-cutting between the man buying a tie (indicating he is rich) and an extreme-close-up of Tsotsi (an intense scene) deciding his next target. The man represents the richest members of the black community.  

Tsotsi Questions 2

 Identify one female character in your chosen film                                                                                                

Miriam 

Briefly outline how hair, costume or makeup is used by this character                                                             

Miriam wears a yellow and red headscarf with a yellow cardigan. Yellow could represent sunshine and light, showing how Miriam is a beacon to Tsotsi, as well as a leader, furthermore a mother-like figure, as we discover he has lacked one for many years. Yellow, reds and brown are tribal colours, reflecting Miriam’s heritage and culture. She is wearing little or no makeup, showing her natural beauty and how her main priority is her child. 

Briefly explore how mise-en-scene is used to present this character in one key sequence                                                                                                                                                                                              In the scene when Tsotsi is holding a gun at Miriam, she is wearing a headscarf with reds, browns, and yellows- tribal colours, reflecting her heritage and culture. Also, she is wearing yellow, suggesting that she is a source of light and happiness for Tsotsi (or will eventually be), as well as a beacon and a leader, guiding him- perhaps even becoming a mother-like figure. She picks up some knives (props) and holds them towards Tsotsi, clearly afraid. This use of knives implies that she is willing to protect her child, but is too scared or, alternatively kind, to commit a crime. Behind her, there is a window in which the same South-African sunset lighting, reflecting Tsotsi in the opening scene. This suggests that the youth and adults are equal and the same, experiencing the same things and dealing with the same problems- like Miriam. 

Discuss the representation of gender in at least one sequence from your chosen film                                

The film Tsotsi opens with three of Tsotsi’s gang members gambling, with a close up of two dice (props) and the boys smoking. Both of these activities are considered irresponsible and something that criminals and rebellious characters would partake in. The fact that the three boys are enjoying this implies that in this community, the majority of males are rebellious and criminal- aligning with typical masculine stereotypes. One of the shots in this sequence is a wide-shot, in which we are watching the boys gamble, with Tsotsi standing with his back to the audience, representing how men often close themselves off and hide their emotions to present more ‘masculine’. Furthermore, the lighting outside this window is beautiful- with purples and pinks (typically feminine colours), representing how Tsotsi is searching for something more than this rebellious, masculine lifestyle. Perhaps he is the minority? Or is this how all men feel? The close up of the di in the opening sequence could represent that men cannot escape their fate: to be doomed to toxic masculinity for their lives. Tsotsi could be trying to escape this. 

When the gang leave the shack, the majority of the gang are wearing black, representing darkness and dangerousness, supporting classic masculine stereotypes. They look harsh against the beautiful South-African sunset. Tsotsi has a red top on, further connotating classic male stereotypes. The camera pans to behind the gang and then films them with a tracking shot a on a dolly cam, at a low angle as they walk toward the camera. This low angle shot means that the audience are threatened by the gang- the four boys. They (the men) are being presented as threatening and dangerous to the audience, aligning with the masculine stereotypes. As well as this, non-diegetic hip-hop music is playing. Hip-hop music has a reputation of gangs and violence (again connotating the classic male stereotypes) , as well as African culture, suggesting that the men in this film embrace their culture. 

This scene with the hand reflects a later scene, where Tsotsi is following Miriam. Again, a tracking shot (and possibly a dolly cam) is used again, with just Tsotsi walking toward the camera and audience this time, making the viewer intimidated by Tsotsi, and feel for the woman, Miriam (whom is represented as weak and a victim, due to being followed by aggressive Tsotsi), however, the camera is now at eye-level as opposed to a low angle, meaning that Tsotsi isn’t as threatening without the rest of his gang. This could represent men as being more threatening in packs and more vulnerable by themselves. Miriam is carrying a baby, and has just got water from the tap, reflecting women’s classic roles in many African society’s: homemaker and mother. Miriam is wearing yellow, contrasting the dark clothes of the men in the gang. Yellow represents life and light. Miriam later breastfeeds the baby (which Tsotsi cannot, showing that men are not capable of everything, and need women to be mothers and create a balance), and the shot slowly zooms in to highlight how important women and mothers are to babies- men and women.