“The Class” presents French school’s struggles, hope

SUMIE GARCIA
sgarci21@student.scad.edu

Not many things in life go as they are planned. Life is difficult, the obstacles myriad. We live in a world where effort and intentions can go unnoticed. “The Class,” a film directed by Laurent Cantet, shows the cruel realities of the world where, despite what Hollywood has told you, inspiring teachers can not always make a difference. François Bégaudeau wrote the script based on his life experiences as a teacher and his novel on the same subject.

François Bégaudeau himself plays François Marin, a high school French teacher in a difficult Parisian neighborhood. The students properly represent the multi-cultural aspects of a society as varied as contemporary France. François repeatedly attempts to reach out, inspire and teach children that may or may not want to change or improve at all. François is human. He makes mistakes; he despairs and gets exasperated. Some of the students in the class are some of the prototypes that audiences expect to overcome their problems just like in films with similar subjects such as “Freedom Writers” or “Stand and Deliver.” In “The Class,” however, characters get expelled; they give up, get heartbroken or simply don’t understand their situation.

“The Class” is a reflection of a real human struggle. Accordingly, the style of the film feels almost documentary, going into a real classroom and experiencing the children’s and teacher’s life personally. The use of close-ups and hand-held camera work are predominant in the film, immersing the viewer in the classroom. This up-close approach makes the harshness and reality of and failure feel that much more personal. Even though “The Class” portrays a deeply prejudiced society with enough cultural baggage to refuse change, there is a dim light at the end of the school year. Despite the difficulties of his profession, François and the teachers around him return year after year, exhibiting their faith in education and the children’s progress. “The Class” is real, raw and does not fear to show the world as it is, with all its despair, uncertainty and ultimate hope that difference and progress can be achieved.

Savannah Film Fest: Alan and Marilyn Bergman Interview

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“The Wrestler” not just for WWE fans

JON RUSHING
jrushi20@student.scad.edu

If you’re a fan professional wrestling, Mickey Rourke’s latest work “The Wrestler” might be a bit misleading. This isn’t your Monday Night Raw-type of film – “The Wrestler,” directed by Darren Aronofsky, begins 20 years after the height of fictional pro-wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson’s career and lets the viewer follow Randy in the upcoming months leading up to his big comeback match. Read more

Photos: What do films mean?

Panelists met at the Red Gallery on Oct. 30 to discuss the meaning of films.

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“Elite Squad” shoots plenty, misses mark

MICHAEL JEWELL A&E Editor
mjewel20@student.scad.edu

It’s not an excuse. This simple, throwaway line addressing drug traffickers in Rio De Janeiro in Jose Padilha’s film “Elite Squad” haunts me as I leave the theater. The Brazilian film industry has done well by turning its eye inward in recent years, and few may escape being judged against the gold standard of Fernando Meirelles’ 2002 masterpiece “City of God,” which gave sharp focus to the lives of the desperately poor in Rio’s shanty-town favelas. Read more

Malcolm McDowell Interview

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Savannah Film Fest: Day Two

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Produced by Randy Smith, Bryce Phillips, and Anne Fuentes

Savannah Film Fest: Opening Night

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Produced by: Randy Smith, Anne Fuentes, Bryce Phillips

What are you most excited about for the Savannah Film Festival?

“I’m just excited to learn more about it.”
Grace Murney
Photography / Freshman
Mystic, Connecticut

 

 

 

“Seeing famous actors and networking, so I can be famous.”

Kegan Watkins
Performing Arts / Freshman
Atlanta, Georgia Read more

Scott Prendergast works hard, plays “Kabluey”

EVAN WATKINS District TV Program Director
ewatki21@student.scad.edu

Comedy is a fickle market. What was funny even three years ago (Will Ferrell) can be so popularly bashed that it would seem as if we weren’t all, and still do, quote “Anchorman” endlessly. With every month that passes, the appetite for newer forms of comedy has quickened to such a speed that everywhere you look there’s another imitation of an imitation. Then I looked at some short films by a comedian named Scott Prendergast. I could see instantly his method was not to pander to the masses, but rather stay honest to his own vision. The closest thing I could compare his work to is some of Buster Keaton’s short films, but with more bizarre premises. Recently, Prendergast has branched out into feature filmmaking, and his film “Kabluey” will be playing at the Savannah Film Festival this year. But it was no easy road for this comic wunderkind. Read more

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