La Haine

[danny bartle]

I liked the look & story of the french movie "La Haine". I've read it was shot on colour film then transferred to black & white. Why wasn't it shot on black & white to start with?

[andrewbuchanan]

I don't know but I love the camera work in that movie! It's one of my modern favorites, just absolutely outstanding. I'd put it up there with City of God (if not as good - then very close). If anyone reading this hasn't seen it, don't walk, RUN to your local DVD store and get a copy. I think it was called HATE here in the USA.

[Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith]

Yes I think "La Haine" is "Hate" in English, well "Haine" is anyway. La = the.

 

Quite funny actually I made a post about this film a while back. Although my question was on how they shot that scene where that guys standing in the bathroom pulling funny faces in the mirror e.t.c. (I think his name was Vince? Tall one)

 

Aside from that. Really good film. The reason why it was shot on colour? This is a pure guess, but it may be because colour film and colour processing is cheaper. (Well, it is with 35mm stills anyway, I would have thought it would be similar to cine)

[Dirk DeJonghe]

It can be a deliberate choice to get a certain look, it can also be imposed by one of the coproducing TV stations that did not believe in the B&W look.

 

It happened to a film we did several years ago. "Le nain rouge" or "The red dwarf" won the European cinematography award. Danny Elsen was the DOP. It was shot on Super 16 7293.

 

Initially all tests were done for a blow up to B&W IP, then to color DN going to a sepia tint on color positive final.

 

For mixing purposes the director needed a contact S16 print. We proposed to do it on sound recording film to get a B&W print without going DP/DN first. Normal B&W positive stock is blue-sensitive only and not suitable for printing from color negative.

 

He instantly liked it so much that the planned tests were abondoned and the film released on sound recording stock. Very sharp, non-linear sensitometric curve. Special look that even Hollywood labs could not duplicate since the american distributor ordered prints from us after having made a new DN in Hollywood.

[andrewbuchanan]

Yes I think "La Haine" is "Hate" in English, well "Haine" is anyway. La = the.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Thanks for the (unnecessary) lesson Daniel... I was pointing that out for anyone looking for the film here in the USA. You'd be surprised how few video clerks can locate Les Quatre Cents Coups if you ask for it by name. :D

 

I love the shot of the guy spinning that drifts out over the neighborhood like the sound of his music, and you see everything going on below. Brilliant stuff. Reminds me of the honesty of Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets (with more technical shots). Like the director was an insider, and was able to capture things he knew about because he was somehow a part of that environment.