1. Notes on La Haine
Director: Kassovitz – his 2nd feature after Metisse. Several actors and crew
overlap the two films. He was 28 years old. He’d made several shorts
before.
After La Haine he directed Assassin(s), Crimson Rivers and Gothika and is
in pre production for Babylon AD-filming starts in Prague this November
and Vincent Cassels is one of the stars.
Kassovitz has also acted in several films including Amelie.
He comes from a film family background – mixed race, Hungarian jewish
family. His parents were concentration camp survivors and have left wing
views.
Rossignon – young producer on his short “Cauchemar Blanc”
Production company – Lazennec, founded by Rocca to fund new French
talent in the 90’s.
Cast: Couldn’t afford established actors, though they do bring in extra
funds.
Vincent Cassel had a middle class film background. Said Taghmaoui and
Hubert Koundé have backgrounds similar to their parts in the film.
There are some famous recorded cases in France of youths being shot in
police custody – these are called bavures – blunders. 300 ‘bavures’ since
1981. Malik Oussekine is one case.
Casseur means hooligan
The budget for the film was $28m – a medium budget in 1996. One film
that year was 10 times that figure but several were a lot less. Money came
from TV Channels Le Studio Canal+ and La Sept and from investment
companies. Kassovitz had to waive his fee in the end to afford the film.
The film was shot in colour and printed in B&W. A possible colour version
for TV was considered. It was filmed between sept-nov 1994 at La Noës at
Chanteloup-Les-Vignes NW of Paris. 12 towns were contacted but only
this one accepted. There was some local opposition.
Action scenes were prepared on storyboards.
There were roughly 4 takes per shot.
The towns around a city are called Banlieue – a band of territory outside of
a city but still under its legal jurisdiction. The term has different
connotations than our ‘suburb’ – more like council estates. Initially the were
semi-rural but they began to acquire a bad reputation in 60’s. Also known
as a Cité. La Noë was built in ’72 and is 30K from Paris to house workers
for Chrysler, but suffered under automation in ‘80-‘84. Turned into a social
dustbin for unskilled immigrant workers – higher than average number of
children.
New genre? – there is genre called banlieue films but they cut across other

2. genres and many represent idyllic locations. Can be divided in aesthetic
and sociological films. Aesthetic films use the banlieue as a background for
other analysis- such as Bliers for profound dysfunction in society.
Sociological films are regarded as French Auteur cinema – derogatory
term in France. The Banlieue is more central in these films. A sub genre of
these in the ‘80s was Banlieue films that narrow down to the cites with
brutal architecture, multi ethnic and social problems – beur films.
Beur – slang for French north African descent. Many of these films were
made by Banlieue people with recognisable, limited visual iconography.
Often there is a contrast between elegant boulevards and parks and
graffiti, rundown staircases and empty car parks showing isolation, apathy,
deprivation and fear. These films often contain a visit to Paris, acts of
exclusion and focus on groups of young men. Does La Haine bridge
between sociological and aesthetic with its interest in deprivation but use
of style. Banlieue’s are often represented on TV with many of the themes
of La Haine. There is a hegemonic televisual discourse of conservative
ideology of violent and dangerous immigrants. Youths in the Banlieues see
more of this view of their own Banlieues on TV than any other media and
are influenced by the message. Does La Haine, therefore, just recycle a
deeply ingrained dominant set of images, though through a sophisticated
and entertaining form.
Sound:
Verlan – form of French slang were words are reversed to form a new
word like a secret language. Strong accent of the Banlieue in the film.
Verlan was limited in the film to avoid alienating viewers and sub titling was
rejected. La Haine itself is Banlieue speak. Said speaks with a musical
quality similar to rap.
Race Representation
Police racism – implicitly in opening montage and explicitly in the scene
with Said and Hubert. Poster of right wing internal minister made up as a
Beur on Darty’s wall – mise-en-scene.
There is much debate about the mix of white, black and coloured (Blanc,
Black, Beur) as being an unlikely result of political correctness. There is,
however, more of an ethnic mix in the cite than in ghetto’s of USA.
Beurgeoisie – Zinedine Zidane. The Hip Hop culture- rap, tagging, break
dancing is also reasonably realistic for France. The film appeals more to
black gangsta films like Spike Lee’s rather than French films.
Debates range on whether there is such a thing as the ‘Jeune Cinéma
Français’ and ‘New Realism’.
Stylistic distanciation
Is La Haine a political film? – mixes social concerns, genre cinema and
auteur preoccupations.