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Joe PettitShort Film AnalysisFor Elsie

For Elsie is a flm I frst watched visiting the University o Westminster in which I amconsidering or my !rther ed!cation "eyond A #evel$ At the end o the o%en day we gotto see some st!dent wor& incl!ding this 'scar(winning short flm written "y )incent*l!eger and directed "y +avid Winstone$ ,eleased in -.// "y the University the flm wasa 0old 1edal winner at 2he 34thAnn!al St!dent Academy Awards which made it eligi"le

or the 'scars in the Short Film category$

2he flm is a dar& comedy a"o!t adisill!sioned %iano teacher 0lenn whoonce as%ired to "e a concert %ianist$5e is moving "ac& to his %arents6ho!se and is on the "rin& o giving !%the %iano or good when a ,!ssiangangster *ilov o7ers him a !ni8!eo%%ort!nity9 :/.... i 0lenn teaches*ilov6s da!ghter ;who has never%layed %iano< =eethoven6s >F?rElise>$$$ in a day ( an im%ossi"le tas&$

Its a somewhat %ost(modern flm mainly "eca!se o its rec!rring interte@t!ality it is"ased on William Sha&es%eares 2it!s Andronic!s and the %lot revolves aro!nd a amo!s%iece "y =eethoven$ 2he flm also o7ers ideology thro!gh a re%resentation idea with the,!ssian gangster who is very stereoty%ically %layed "y the actor and %resented li&e thisin the scri%t and directing$ 5e is the "inary o%%osite o the lead character 0lenn which is,oland =arthes third narrative code$

We o%en with a close(!% o 0lenns very "lan& aciale@%ression with the diegetic so!nd o his %iano$ Its ashot ;the %iano theme hel%ing< that s!ggests hesnot content with his wor&$ 0lenn ma&es it clear hes

3- ma&ing him "eyond the age o fnding what hewants to do in lie$ 2heorist 5e"rige s!ggested thatin flm the yo!th are oten re%resented to "esearching or something or see&ing themselvestho!gh it is clear 0lenn has never done that and is"eyond this age 0lenn mentioning early on hesmoving "ac&in with his%arents$

2he cost!meand loo& o the ,!ssian gangster is stereoty%icalin his re%resentation$ Bastells said a"o!t race

and ethnicity in flm that the media will %ortray;it< in certain ways and so this will a7ect howa!diences inter%ret them as all media containsdesired readings$ 5e is "ald and has amo!stache something in flm which isstereoty%ical o the antagonist as well asdisfg!rement and general !gliness$ 2his loo& hasalso "een chosen as a threatening method invario!s ..C flms and in the recently amo!s=rea&ing =ad$

=eing a short flm it also ha%%ens to "e %artly anti(narrative in that it defes theadvent!re %art o this genre hy"rid$ 2his is "eca!se deying 1etD and Altmans theory

a"o!t %redicta"le develo%ment the girl doesnt oversee her great tas& and inevita"lyails$ 2his is des%ite indications thro!gho!t the flm that shed s!cceed as characters

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