Quadrophenia (1979)

Representation of Jimmy, Steph and Kevin using textual examples:

Jimmy's is a Mod because he feels that it makes him individual and his primary goal is to 'be somebody'. "That's why I'm a Mod, see? I mean, you gotta be somebody, ain't ya, or you might as well jump in the sea and drown". He is very taken by the Mod culture; wearing suits, riding a scooter, going to clubs and being part of a gang. He is so obsessed with the culture and the idea of becoming a 'somebody', that he doesn't seem to care about his future. This is evident when his mother kicks him out of the house and he quits his job. The reason for this could also be rebellion which is very stereotypical of teenagers.

Steph is portrayed very differently to the other female Mods as she is very feminine while the others appear very androgynous. This could be symbolic of the fact she is very promiscuous and doesn't take relationships seriously, as we see when she has sex with Jimmy. This promiscuity could relate to the fact women at the time had just received more freedom with the introduction of the pill.

Kevin is a Rocker who used to be in the army. He joined the army looking for individuality but left after not finding what he was looking for. We quickly learn that he isn't really interested in stereotypes and wants to be friends with Jimmy, regardless of their conflicting subcultures. Jimmy however, doesn't want to be seen with him in fear of what his friends will think. When Kevin is being beaten up by the Mods, Jimmy flees and we can see he has very conflicting emotions.

Examples of mise en scene reinforce the idea of youth culture:

Ideologies present within the film:

• Mods vs Rockers - This is the main conflict throughout the film, climaxing in Brighton with the riot. This feud restricts Jimmy as he feels that he can't be friends with Kevin.
• The Youth are represented as delinquents - Jimmy is kicked out of the house because his Mother saw about the riots in the paper and assumed he'd been a part of it. This is a very 'Them and Us' situation with a teenager being stereotyped by an older generation.
• Living for the 'here and now'
• Friends before Family
• Rebellion
• Gang Culture - "Got to be part of a gang, haven't you got a mind of your own"
• Mob Mentality - This is very evident in Brighton during the riot as everyone chants "We are the Mods"

Stanley Cohens ideas applied:

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Background:

A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ 1962 nocel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrik. It features disturbing, violent images, facilitating its social commentary on psychiatry, youth gangs, and other social, political, and economic subjects in a dystopian, future Britain.

Alex, the main character, is a charismatic, psychopathic delinquent whose interests include classical music (especially Beethovan), rape, and what is termed "ultra-violence". He leads a small gang of thugs (Pete, Georgie, and Dim), whom he calls his droogs (from the Russian, "friend", "buddy"). The film chronicles the horrific crime spree of his gang, his capture, and attempted rehabilitation via controversial psychological conditioning. Alex narrates most of the film in Nadsat, a fractured adolescent slang comprising Slavic (especially Russian), English, and Cockney rhyming slang.

The British authorities considered the sexual violence extreme, furthermore, there occurred legal claims that the movie A Clockwork Orange had inspired true copycat crimes, per press cuttings at the British Film Institute. In March 1972, at trial, the prosecutor accusing the fourteen-year-old-boy defendant of the manslaughter of a classmate, referred to A Clockwork Orange, telling the judge that the case had a macabre relevance to the film.

The press also blamed the film for a rape in which the attackers sang “Singing in the Rain”. Christiane Kubrik, the director's wife, has said that the family received threats and had protesters outside their home. Subsequently, Kubrick asked Warner Brothers to withdraw the film from British distribution, disliking the allegation that the film was responsible for copycat violence in real life. Quoting Kubrick: "To try and fasten any responsibility on art as the cause of life seems to me to put the case the wrong way around. Art consists of reshaping life but it does not create life, nor cause life. Furthermore, to attribute powerful suggestive qualities to a film is at odds with the scientifically accepted view that, even after deep hypnosis, in a posthypnotic state, people cannot be made to do things which are at odds with their natures."

Whatever the reason for the film's withdrawal, for some 27 years, it was difficult to see the film in the United Kingdom. It reappeared in cinemas, and the first VHS and DVD releases followed soon after Kubrick's death in 1999. On 4 July 2001, the uncut A Clockwork Orange had its premiere broadcast on Sky TV's Sky Box Office; the run was until mid-September.

How was the film reported by the press and how did youths relate to the film:

The press echoed society's fear of the film, suggesting that it promoted crime and violence among youths. The film was blamed for a number of murders such as "'Clockwork Orange' gang found guilty of killing bar manager" The portrayal of extreme deviance was something the press focused on as 'A Clockwork Orange' began to be developed into a euphemism for referring to teenage crime and social deviance which is still used today

Despite the moral panic that surrounded the film it was found that youths of the time did not see the film as encouraging violence and antisocial behaviour and they felt it was an accurate portrayal of the way they live, identifying especially with the representation of the gang.

How can Stanley Cohen's ideas be related:

Stanley Cohen's idea of 'Moral Panic' can be very easily related to society's views on A Clockwork Orange. Through the numerous counts of negative media attention the film made a name for itself as promoting violence and antisocial behaviour. The press exploited society's naivety, suggesting that the film was the motivation behind a number of murders - described by Cohen as 'deviance amplification'. This led to Kubrik receiving threats which subsequently led to him banning the film. The press was able to exploit the fact further, using it as evidence that the film really was the cause of the murders. These exploitations made the press 'Moral Entrepreneur' as they started the Moral Panic.

Stanley Cohen's Theory

Stanley Cohen’s ideas stem from his study of ‘Folk Devils and Moral Panics’ in 1972. This study focuses on the way popular UK media and society reacted to the mods and rockers phenomenon.
Cohen is credited with coining the term ‘Moral Panic’ as a way to describe the way members of society or a culture becomes ‘morally sensitized’ to the challenges posed to their accepted values by the activities of a group defined as ‘deviant’
His theory underscored the importance of mass media in providing, maintaining and ‘policing’ the available frameworks and definitions of the ‘deviants’. The media is then able to create a moral panic through the way ‘deviants’ are portrayed.
Deviance Amplification is often utilised by the mass media when portraying ‘deviants’. This is the process by which the mass media exaggerate the extent and seriousness of deviant behaviour. This causes greater awareness and interest in deviance, which results in more deviance being uncovered. Thus allowing the media to report on the deviance more and more until a Moral Panic is created. – This could be viewed as a way for media, such as newspapers, to sell copies.
The media’s ability to create ‘Moral Panic’ means they are defined as ‘Moral Entrepreneurs’.
Cohen’s theory is based on Mods and Rockers but can be applied to any subculture labelled as ‘deviant’

The Presentation of Self (Goffman 1990)

What is your identity?

I think my identity is comes in two parts.
The first part is the way I try to portray myself. This is through my likes, dislikes, attitude and behaviour. I think that this can quite often be superficial and as much as I don't like to admit it, it changes slightly depending on the people I'm with. My collage represents this illusion by depicting images of things that I like and am willing to associate myself with.
The other part of my identity is something I can't define and I believe it's the same with everyone. I think it is my true identity, made up of all my past experiences and real opinions. This is something that is masked by the first parts illusion, primarily to filter anything that would be considered socially unacceptable.

How is this created?

I think my collage accurately represents my identity. The side with the images represents the illusion. Despite calling it an illusion, I do believe it to be quite accurate but it only represents a very small part of my identity and it is a part that I am willing let define me. I do think the images would change depending on the people I'm with as it alters the way my identity is perceived and, in a way, manipulates people's opinion of me.
The blank side of the collage represents my true identity. This is something that no one else will fully understand and it is very specific to my individuality. This true portrayal of myself is only something that would be seen by close friends as their opinions wouldn't change.
While I don't particularly care about the way others perceive me and I'm not going to go out of my way to change their opinion of me, I do still maintain the illusion to at least try to portray myself in a positive way.

Is individuality just an illusion?

I thought that I believed individuality was an illusion. I think that people can so easily change their taste to conform to a group stereotype that no one could be considered individual but I think this reason partially explains why everyone is individual.
While people do seem to alter their tastes to become part of a group, they will still ultimately like what they like. I think this is just a manipulation of the illusion and that true identity cannot be change willingly, but it will develop. I think the combination of someone's past experiences, thoughts, ideas, emotions and taste creates their individuality.

Exam

2 Hour Exam

15th June 2012

Section A: Theoretical Evaluation of Production (50 marks)

Section B: Contemporary Media Issues (50 marks)