In Jean-Luc Comolli’s and Jean Narboni’s article Cinema/Ideology/Criticism, they attempt to classify all of Hollywood’s films. They argue that “It is the nature of the system to turn the cinema into an instrument of ideology.” Essentially, Comolli and Narboni strongly believe that every movie has some political undertone and significance. The stratifications can then be broken down further depending on if the film is explicitly political versus not explicitly political. The next question asked by Cahiers, was if these films went with the “dominant ideology,” or society’s ideology, or if they went “against the grain,” either by criticizing society’s beliefs or by supporting a conflicting ideology.
Shot 1 Begins at 3:52, and my analysis continues through shot 6 which ends at 4:09.
Based on my understanding and interpretation of Comolli’s and Narboni’s reading and my close reading of Remember the Titans, I believe that this film would be classified as a “type d” film according to their specifications. A “type d” film is defined as one with “explicitly political content,” but it does not “effectively criticize the ideological system in which they are embedded because they unquestioningly adopt its language and imagery.” The first requirement, that the film is explicitly political, is clearly fulfilled by Remember the Titans as its main plot is about desegregating the high schools, and more specifically, desegregating the football teams. The second requirement is a little more difficult to classify. On one hand the film has a happy ending, wherein the teammates end up coming together. However, on the contrary, the film does portray a very racist society, and for the vast majority of the movie, a segregated football team. The following shots will emphasize that the latter is true, thus proving that Remember the Titans is a “type d” film.
Just prior to shot one in the six-shot sequence, Denzel Washington’s character, Coach Boone, is in the gym with all the African American players. Coach Boone is taking roll call, and there is just one white player, Louie Lastik in the crowd of African Americans.
Shot one shows Coach Yoast leading all the white players into the gym. Coach Yoast is foregrounded and in focus. Behind him, there are several white players walking into the shot. Most of the players are out of focus, as is the background which contains the gym doors and windows. The opening of the gym doors exposes the windows which allows sunlight to flow in. This lighting serves as a spotlight on all of the white players.
Shot two cuts to a clean single of Denzel Washington. This shot is a close-up which allows the viewer to see his face and emotions. The background is out of focus and it features nothing noteworthy. There is no lighting behind him. There is a recurring theme about lighting during these shots. The whites often have bright lights shining on them while the African Americans are not lit as bright or as obviously.
During this shot the sound changes. This marks a significant moment. The sound changes from the diagetic sound of doors opening and footsteps to a dramatic score. The score features drums and signifies the importance of the showdown that is about to occur. The non-diagetic score serves to build up the drama of the confrontation and plays for the rest of the sequence.
When shot two begins Denzel Washington is looking at the camera, but then when the doors open he turns and looks to his left (off-screen right). The audience is unsure of what or whom he is looking at, but they assume he is looking towards the white characters.
Shot three matches Denzel Washington’s eyeline, thus confirming the audience’s belief that he was looking at the white coaches and players. This shot is similar to shot one, but it is a longer shot. By utilizing a longer shot, more players can be shown in the shot simultaneously, and they also can walk towards the camera, which builds up the drama. Again, bright lights flow through the windows in the background. Coach Yoast is still leading the white players, which emphasizes that he is their leader. The focus on Coach Yoast and Coach Boone through these first three shots emphasizes that there will be a power struggle and rivalry between these two, which begs the question, if the coaches of different races cannot co-exist peacefully, how will the players manage to do so?
Shot four cuts to a mid-shot five African American football players. In the center of the shot is Julius Campbell. He is wearing a blue collared shirt, and is dressed the nicest out of the players in the shot. He also is the tallest, and all of these cinematic techniques lead the audience to believe that he will play a significant role in the movie, perhaps taking on a leadership role. All five players are looking off-screen to the left (their right) in this shot. The audience assumes that they are looking at the white players who are now walking towards them in the gym. One of the most important aspects of shot four is not necessarily who is in the shot, but rather who is not in the shot. Louie Lastik, the one white player in the crowd of African Americans, is left out of this shot. The director clearly did this on purpose to emphasize the segregation, the divide between races. This gives the audience the impression that the races are not integrated at all during this shot.
Shot five cuts back to the white players. Within this shot, there is a mid-shot of Gerry Bertier and Ray Budds having a conversation, the first dialogue of this sequence. Ray is very hesitant and cynical of the new regime, while Bertier is confident. While on one level this portrays Bertier as a leader, on another level it undercuts the racial critique of the film. The film criticizes society for being racist, but it re-inforces the notion that we are inherently racist. Ray says that none of the white players will play under the African American coach. He is therefore implying that he does not believe that the two races can co-exist on this football team. Although Bertier thinks that whites will play, he implies that Coach Yoast, the white coach, will be in charge. Neither player expresses confidence in the decisions of a player or coach of the opposite race.
In the final shot, the two groups finally face off for the confrontation. This shot is filmed from the entrance to the gym. There is a clear divide between the races. The black players are on the left while the white players are on the right. Nobody dares to cross the line. This shot speaks volumes for the film. This is the first time the two groups share the screen, and they are still extremely segregated. This shot reinforces the dominant ideology of society which is that the races cannot get along.
Another interesting thing worth noting about this shot is that Louie Lasik is seen standing with the African Americans. Although he is in the shot, he is clearly in the background. He is the largest character in the movie, yet one of the smallest in this shot. This technique is used to show that he is the outlier rather than the norm. Although one person, one player, is comfortable around the other race, nobody else is. This serves as a metonym for the south in 1970, which is the setting where Remember the Titans takes place.
At first glance the players appear to be the most important part of this shot; however, upon further examination, there is a massive American flag on the far wall of the gym. It is now clear why the director chose to shoot this shot from this camera position. By positioning the camera facing away from the entrance to the gym, the audience sees this flag hanging. This flag serves as a metaphor to remind the audience that racism has an incredibly widespread effect which reaches millions of people. Racism is a problem much larger than this high school football team. In fact, it played a major part in shaping American history. Later in the film, Denzel Washington gives a speech in a Gettysburg cemetery and states that so many people died lost their lives fighting for equal rights.
Although the fight for equality has been going on for so many years, has much progress been made? Even though the basic interpretation of this movie shows that progress has been made (Integrating schools is a start right?), by closely analyzing and seeing that the races do not share any screen time (and when they do, there is an obvious divide between them) or exchange any words it gives the impression that no progress has been made in society. There is inherent racism in society, and clear segregations within the team. Therefore, although the film criticizes society for featuring racism as a “dominant ideology,” it is ineffective in conveying its message because it is a product of racism.
could be my favoite movie of all time. good choice. and well done with your analysis.
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