Race in La Haine

Lesson Objectives:You will learn to analyse the

importance of race in the film.

Black, blanc, beur

• This issue has proven controversial.• The portrayal of harmony among the 3 main

characters, black, blanc, beur is perhaps unrealistic and doesn’t portray real situation in France.

• Is this due to its white director?

In the police station.• There is no doubt that the intent was to create an

anti-racist film.• Scene in the police station: possession of hashish

clearly out of proportion with the gratuitous police brutality.

• Kassovitz wanted to portray “how it was with Makome”.

• The language in this scene is racist and sexist• Feminised terms of abuse.• The trainee’s reaction underlines the institutional

nature of this violence. It duplicates ours.

beur

• The skin heads target Saïd. • Said says: an arab in a police station does not

last 2 hours.• The joke about le Pen: by putting these words

in Saïd’s mouth the film articulates not just racism in France, but that Beurs are a special target of it.

Religion

• Despite the emblems around the heroes’ necks, the film displays no interest in religion.

• Vinz’s grandmother makes a reference to his not going to synagogue.

• Apart from a few affectionate jokes ( you bogus Beur, you poor jew) race and religion play no part in the heroes’ relationship with each other.

• Instead their friendship is repeatedly affirmed.

cohesion

• Race does not separate them, on the contrary. It unites them.

• Choice of the director not to make a film about beurs against the police, or blacks against the police.

• More about young people from the cités against the police.

• They are bound by their hatred of “the establishment”: police, authority figures, media, bourgeois, shop keeper

La police• They’re not all white!• The friendly beur community cop Samir.• Cops in the hospital, in the devastated police

station in the cité, there are black and beur members.

• One of the police men who mistreat Hubert and Saïd in the police station is beur: well known actor Zinedine Soualem.

• Vinz’s escape provides showcase for extra brutality in the police station.

VINZ – again!

• Vinz not in significantly more shots than the other two, but has more close-ups.

• Given richer, more rounded characterisation than the others.

• The gun makes him more prominent in visual compositions as well as the publicity for the film.

• His jewishness does not really feature: he tends to be seen as white.

The others!

• Although Saïd’s irony and humour bring spectatorial pleasure, less of an assertive presence in the film.

• His gaze open and close the film, but he is not granted narrative authority. (but he does survive)

• Hubert denied social progress: non-violent approach and desire to escape poverty, come to nothing in the final scene.

The final scene

• Although it justifies banlieu violence, it unwittingly reinforces racial stereotypes:

• Blanc character= victim of police violence (although he is the most violent himself!)

• Beur character = impotent witness• Black character = linked to drug trafficking and

perpetrator of violence.

paradoxes

• White characters exemplify racism – but white leading character has privileges.

• Worships black culture (looks, music) black hero most dignified – but aligns him with drugs and deliberate violence.

• Racism against beurs – but one of the police men is beur and Saïd is the least developed character.

The old man in the toilets?!!!

• The story is about Siberia which evokes the Holocaust, takes place at the centre of the film and visibly troubles the characters.

• Kassovitz’s intention:• “ this scene asks the question of how far you

can go with hatred, Nazi hatred”

Have a look at this!

• le banlieu film existe-il?