An Examination of Urban Cinema, Gender, and Cinematography

Research Questions

What are some conventions of urban cinema as a genre of film, and how has it changed over time? How can film techniques change the message of films with similar themes? How has gender in urban cinema also developed over time?

Audience

My research kit is aimed at students and teachers, specifically for those in high school and in college. An interest in Latin America studies or the development of cinema would be helpful for those using the research kit, although it is not required.

Overview

This research kit is aimed at highschool and college aged students and teachers with an interest in Latin American history and film. It is designed to provide information on the background of urban cinema, with a focus on gender and film technique. The films In the Heights (2021) and Do the Right Thing (1989) will be used to emphasize certain elements of urban cinema that can be used to help answer the research questions above. Through this kit hopefully one will be able to gain a better appreciation for the history and development of urban cinema, as well as how directors use different techniques to showcase elements of a story. 

In order to fully understand urban cinema, it is necessary to also explore the history of third cinema, a film movement that originated in Latin America. Third cinema was an attempt to get away from the standards of Hollywood industrial films (first cinema) or European art films (second cinema) and establish a new genre that focused more on the real social and political struggles of the people. Third Cinema films were the first to focus more on the concept people over place. Third cinema films are primarily made in Third World regions of the world, evoking a term from the Cold War era: Latin America, Africa, or Asia. Third cinema films often include themes of violence, poverty, and race. 

Third Cinema films took off throughout the 1960s-1970s, although the concepts and techniques still influence films today. The works were often inspired by manifestoes of the period, and were focused on a more revolutionary dynamic, with themes of power, colonialism, and oppression. These topics are still prevalent in Third Cinema films, although other issues are also focused on depending on when the film was made and where it takes place. Because of the broad spectrum that Third Cinema covers, the types of styles and film techniques can also vary depending on what the director is focusing on. They often present these issues in a socially and historically accurate context of how issues developed in the region and therefore promote discussion among the audience. This means that the films often take on a more realistic tone of what everyday life is like instead of more romanticized films. 

Urban cinema films are very similar to the concept of Third Cinema films, as they focus on a more realistic portrayal of issues within marginalized cultures and communities. Urban cinema gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, with African American directors at the forefront of the movement. As such the films typically focused on social/economic injustices seen commonly in African American communities, such as racism and violence. Directors would often take inspiration from the growing hip-hop movement and the “blaxploitation films” of the 1970s which also typically centered around black main characters and an urban setting. The success of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing inspired other African Americans to follow in his footsteps, pushing the genre into a more mainstream focus. While a lot of urban cinema focuses on African American dominated communities, this is not a requirement and there are many urban cinema films that center on Latin Americans or other minorities as well, such as In the Heights or West Side Story. 

The role of women in film is a very complex topic. Film  has been predominantly a male industry. While women were able to find jobs in the film industry during the age of silent films, as these films started dying out the industry became much more male dominated and the female presence was reduced to the actresses. As new genres of films were being developed in Latin America around the 1960s, such as Third Cinema, the focus on film started shifting towards portraying real life experiences with a focus on self-expression and ideology, instead of the more romanticized films popularized through Hollywood. During this time the film industry was still typically male-dominated, although starting in the 1980s more female directors were able to gain prominence, often focusing on the same more political themes, such as the influence of dictatorships and colonization within Latin America. The portrayal of women in films has also grown throughout the years, although there are still films that ignore and sexualize their female characters.

The Bechdel Test [see the clip on this website] is a kind of litmus test to assess a film’s female representation. and in order to pass the films had to pass three criteria: 1) having at least two female characters 2) talking to each other in a scene 3) about something other than a man. While this seems like an easy thing to do, there are many older films (and even more modern ones) that fail the Bechdel Test, showing how the male focus is still there in our society. The impact of genres such as urban cinema and Third Cinema has meant that female representation and the struggles of women within society has become a more popularized topic within the industry, and a growth of female directors has helped this as well. Women are much better represented today than they were in the earlier ages of film, although there are still issues with certain portrayals and the industry still has a long way to go.

In order to see the influence of topics of representation and gender in modern day urban cinema films, this research kit will briefly examine how these themes are used with Do the Right Thing (1989) and In the Heights (2021). 

Do the Right Thing was directed by Spike Lee in 1989, and was one of the early urban cinema films to gain recognition in America. Do the Right Thing was directed as a more comedic film, using entertainment and humor to showcase a more important political message. It focuses on the relationships between African Americans and Italian Americans living in the same community, using the metaphor of a heat wave to show the growing tensions among them that will eventually lead to violence. The film implies that no matter how good the relationships seem to be between whites and blacks, there is always a certain level of distrust that will eventually give in to violence. 

The basic plot of the movie is that African Americans living within the New York neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyesant are frustrated that the Italian-American owned “Sal’s Pizzeria” only features portraits of other Italian Americans within the pizzeria instead of showcasing any African Americans, despite the neighborhood being mostly African American. These tensions build up throughout the movie, and escalate when white policemen use excessive force on the African American DJ Radio Raheem (who was attacking Sal for breaking his boombox) and end up killing him. While the immediate aftermath is angry but peaceful, eventually Mookie (who has been on good terms with both sides) gets angry enough to throw a trash can through the window of the pizzeria, setting off an all out riot/looting of the store. Spike Lee’s intention was to show that at some point peaceful protest isn’t enough to take a stand against racism, and sometimes violence is needed to ensure that they are taken seriously. The urban cinema aspect of the film (showing the growing issues of an African American community) allows the audience to relate to how this applies in the real world and makes them more aware of the social and political issues common in the African American community. 

While this film does a good job with representation the gender element is a bit lacking, as there are only three female characters within the large cast and they are portrayed rather one-dimensionally. They are often seen trying to get the men in the movie to stay on the right track and provide moral/emotional comfort. Some of them are also very sexualized, making it seem like their role is to be the “looks” of the film without much development or purpose within the storyline. The film also does not pass the Bechdel Test, although there are a few scenes where the females talk to each other. 

In the Heights was directed by John L. Chu in 2021, although the story is based off of a Broadway musical of the same name by Lin-Manuel Miranda in 2008. In the Heights depicts a Latin American dominated community in Washington Heights in New York. It focuses on the relationships and dynamics of the characters in the community as changes in the community force them down different paths. The focus is on them coming to terms with who they are and their ethnicity. 

There are a few main characters with their own storylines. Usnavi de la Vega is running the neighborhood bodega with his cousin Sonny but wants to go back to the Dominican Republic, where his family was from. Nina Rosario was the first person on the block to get into college (Stanford) but she is struggling to fit in and pay tuition and wants to drop out. Benny works at the Rosario’s taxi company with hopes of taking over the business. Vanessa is working at the hair salon run by Daniela, Carla, and Cuca, but wants to get out of the Heights and become a fashion designer. Abuela Claudia is an older woman who immigrated from Cuba to New York, and now looks after the people in the neighborhood. The movie focuses on the changes that are occurring in all of their lives (the hair salon moving to the Bronx, Vanessa moving uptown, Kevin Rosario selling his business, and Usnavi moving to the Dominican Republic) all culminating with a blackout that leads to Abuela Claudia’s death. After this they have to come to terms with who they are and whether the meaning of home lies within their identity, ethnicity, and culture or if it is a specific place (Washington Heights). 

This movie also has a pretty diverse cast. although it received backlash due to misrepresenting the demographics of the Washington Heights community and not casting more Afro-Latino actors with darker skin colors. There is a lot of focus on different Latin American backgrounds (Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, etc) and cultures, which will hopefully inspire more films with Latin American diversification. It also has good female representation, with Nina and Vanessa being fairly developed female main characters that have an important role in the plot, and Daniella, Carla, and Cuca as important secondary characters. The film passes the Bechdel Test, and while there are certain things it could have improved on, the representation of women is good for a fairly large cast.  

In the Heights and Do the Right Thing have many similar elements, such as focusing on a particular neighborhood community or using the concept of an increasingly hot summer day as a metaphor building up to the climax of the story. Despite these similarities, the two films are contextually very different despite being of the same urban film genre. Therefore it seemed like an interesting idea to examine how different film techniques (color, sound, camera angles, etc) can be used to emphasize different messages to the audience.

Color can be used by the director to showcase different tones and moods within the background of a story. Do the Right Thing uses a lot of warm colors to show an increasing sense of anger within the plot, and films like West Side Story (2021) also showcase a lot of color in the backgrounds of scenes or within the wardrobes of main characters to demonstrate the idea of changing loyalties between the two main groups.

Camera angles and shots can be used to increase the tension or build up of a scene, or show the closeness and relationship between characters. Do the Right Thing uses a lot of extreme camera angles, taking shots from higher up or below to show how characters relate to each other (for example a character showing dominance over another) or using Dutch angles where the whole camera is tilted to make things seem more irregular. The Dutch angles were also used in Do the Right Thing to make Radio Raheem seem bigger and more intimidating, which would make him seem of more of a threat to the viewer and to the police within the story, helping to explain why they decided to use excessive force.

Cinematography and special effects are also used within In the Heights to emphasize the different locations and ground the musical scenes within reality. Camera angles are used to focus specifically on the different characters and their relationships to each other, making the shots more personal and emphasizing the aspect of identity within the film. 

Hopefully the background provided in this summary is sufficient for understanding the importance of urban cinema, gender, and film techniques, and will help the user answer the research questions with additional help from the annotated bibliography. 

Annotated Bibliography

URBAN CINEMA

Rodríguez, Paul A. Schroeder. Latin American Cinema: A Comparative History. 1st ed. University of California Press, 2016. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctv1xxx7g.

This is a secondary source that focuses on how Latin American cinema as a whole has developed throughout the years. While it covers a large time period and therefore has much information that could be seen as irrelevant, it also helps demonstrate how Latin American cinema has changed and focuses on the important trends that have developed. It also discusses which factors influenced the shift of cinema in certain time periods, including new political or social policies, which allows one to figure out how culture influences media in places other than Latin America. Through the book Rodriguez is able to show how cinema can capture different aspects of society (local, national, and transnational) and how these show the importance of film in Latin America (293).  Chapter 10 (Latin American Cinema in the Twenty-First Century) was particularly useful because of its focus on how modern influences have developed film, and which factors have not changed as much. The focus on the rise of women directors (265) and their impact on cinema in more recent years also shows the influence of gender in media. This chapter also focuses on how different directors of films in similar genres can focus on different messages, which relates to how directors use urban cinema in films (266-289).

Shiel, Mark and Tony Fitzmaurice (ed). Cinema and the City: Film and Urban Societies in a Global Context. Blackwell Publishers, 2001. 10.1002/9780470712948

This secondary source focuses primarily on how different city types promote different film cultures, as well as the relationship between politics, economics, and social structures and the development and consumption of film. It also focuses on how themes such as power, globalization, and resistance are seen in film in an urban environment. While this book doesn’t so much focus on urban cinema in general, it provides a lot of background on how urban life and cinema are seen in film and how the growth of cities has changed film as a whole. This ties into the concept of urban cinema because it can be seen why urban cinema might be different in different regions, as well as focusing on a lot of themes that are seen in urban cinema. The essays within the books focus on different aspects which helps bring smaller aspects of film and cinema into a broader picture. The first two chapters provide a lot of background on themes that are commonly seen in urban cinema and talks about the influence of the city in cinema as a whole. The other chapters often focus on specific places or specific movies that relate to those places to talk about how cinema has developed there and general themes that are encompassed within the movie. This book also goes a little into the background of film techniques used in different movies, which can make it easier to understand how film techniques are used to showcase different messages.

Webb, Lawrence. The Cinema of Urban Crisis: Seventies Film and the Reinvention of the City. Amsterdam University Press, 2014. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt128784d.19.

As in previous book, Cinema and the City, this book focuses more on the relationships between the development of cities and the development of film as a whole than a specific focus on urban cinema. However the themes discussed by Webb help tie into why urban cinema developed as it did and how the urban environment has influenced other regions as well, such as the inclusion of certain elements (power, gentrification, etc). On page 14 it is mentioned how the development of Third Cinema in third world countries relates to this concept, but how it changed in America and Europe were very different. Chapter 3, which focuses on New York, was particularly interesting as both In the Heights and Do the Right Thing are set there. It provides a lot of information on how different aspects of New York has played a role into the growth of the film industry, how New York is viewed in cinema, as well as how specific events that took place (such as the New York fiscal crisis in 1975) play into how cinema changed. Again, while urban cinema is not really specifically mentioned, this book provides a lot of insight on how the changing city is an important aspect of film that played into the development of urban cinema and also relates to how social, political, and economical issues are seen on film.

GENDER ROLES IN FILM

Collins, R.L. “Content Analysis of Gender Roles in Media: Where Are We Now and Where Should We Go?.” Sex Roles 64, 290–298 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9929-5

This secondary source focuses primarily on the concept of gender roles in media, and how a lack of representation among gender groups could be impactful. While this article is not directly related to how Latin American women are portrayed in film, it does provide a good basis for how women are generally portrayed in media and how this has changed over the years. The article also focuses on how casting in certain roles could lead to the development of biases, such as making women seem more submissive while men have more dominant characteristics. One section specifically focuses on the sexualization of women and how it differs between different groups/in different media settings. This section is especially relevant considering how many Latin American films seemed to play up the idea of sexualizing women, especially in the Good Neighbor’s films. While the article states that the impact of this type of representation has not been thoroughly researched, at least at the time of its publishing, the information and statistics referenced provide a good basis on how gender has been frequently seen in films.

Robin, Diana, and Ira Jaffe. “Introduction.” Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies 15, no. 1 (1994): 1–19. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3346611.

This secondary source focuses on the history and work of women directors within the world of Third Cinema. It discusses the history and impact of Third Cinema as a whole and then narrows its focus on women specifically, and how they were influenced by the increase of Third Cinema in the 1970s and 1980s. Pages 4-19 seek to analyze and examine other essays and films discussing the development of women in Third Cinema, with many of them relating to Latin American film specifically. The inclusion of these essay analyses not only provide information to how film portrays women all over the world, but it also allows readers to view these individual essays on their own and gain even more information about these topics. Each one also discusses different aspects of the themes used in the films, such as feminity vs power, and exploring how the themes of colonialization or dictatorships change the films as a whole.

Wilson, Kristi M. and Clara Garavelli. “Gender, Sexuality, Film, and Media in Latin America: Challenging Representation and Structures.” Latin American Perspectives 48, no. 2 (March 2021): 4-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0094582X20988718.

This secondary source focuses on how gender and sexuality is portrayed in Latin American films. The article talks about the growth of Latin American cinema in general, and how social, political, and economic issues helped contribute to its development and impact. It also focuses on women and LGTBQ+ members in film, as well as how cinema has had an impact on those groups. Wilson and Garavelli draw from many Latin American Films to provide examples of these issues, which provide insight on when these developments began taking place.

An important point brought up in the article is how women’s political interactions seem in film are largely domestic rather than public, which promotes an “emphasis of interiority” that makes it seem as though women’s issues are less important than mens (9). The topic of sexualizing women is also briefly explored on page 10, particularly referencing how these types of references in films are often a target for women’s activism. It is also mentioned that a rise of new media could promote diversity and help draw attention away from these stereotypes, which relates to how film can influence audience behavior.

SPECIFIC FILMS AND FILM TECHNIQUES

Benamou, Catherine. “Getting to the Heights: The Latinx Neighborhood at Work and Play in Jon M. Chu’s and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s New Musical.” Mediapolis 6, no. 4 (September 2021). https://www.mediapolisjournal.com/2021/09/getting-to-the-heights/

This is a secondary source that discusses many aspects of In the Heights, including some of the major plot points/character developments, controversies surrounding the casting, and how it uses its urban setting/neighborhood to center the plot. The wide range of factors discussed within the article helps the reader see the film from various perspectives, such as the director vs an audience member. This is very helpful in figuring out how different techniques can be utilized to change the audience’s perspective and make them see things in a new way. This article could also be compared to the article that discussed film techniques in Do the Right Thing to see how two films that are located in similar areas with similar characters can focus on totally different messages. The source also provides important statistics regarding Latinx representation in films, which is helpful when discussing how the film culture has developed over the years.

Chu, John. In the Heights. Warner Brothers, 2021. 1:23:12-1:27:48. Film Clip

This scene has the musical number “Paciencia y Fe”, and is used as Abuela Claudia’s death scene in the film. Throughout the song Abuela Claudia is talking about immigrating from Cuba to New York with her mom, and the challenges they eventually faced upon arrival. At the end of the scene she is metaphorically given a choice between life and death, and chooses death. This scene has a really good example of using color to add context to a film. When the song first starts out she is shown walking on to the subway in a modern day setting. However when she starts talking about her life in Cuba the color on the subway turns yellow, which signifies warmth and happiness. Whenever New York is mentioned the lights are all blue, signifying coldness and depression. There is a slight back and forth between these colors while she is comparing both places, and eventually turns completly blue when she starts talking about her move to America. Another interesting aspect about the subway scenes is that the camera becomes more restricted and shifts between only focusing on her and the whole subway when the song starts talking about the challenges of living in New York (1:25:42-1:26:01), instead of the more open sweeping shots most of the number uses. As she starts talking about the present day again it all goes back to a more modern setting. Finally, as she’s choosing between leaving or staying there is a contrast between yellow/red (leaving) and blue (staying), which emphasises that she’s ready to move on. Another interesting aspect of the scene is that the costumes of the extras are almost identical, signifying how similar the lives of immigrants are.

Fabe, Marilyn. “Political Cinema: Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing.” In Closely Watched Films: An Introduction to the Art of Narrative Film Technique, 1st ed., 191–206. University of California Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt7zw19h.16.

This secondary source focuses on Do the Right Thing, particularly how the cinematography influences the message of the film. This includes how Spike Lee used color, camera angles, and the use of “opposites” in the direction of the film to get at the heart of what drives racial tension and how it impacts society. This article helps demonstrate how urban cinema can focus on different things, and could be used to contrast the more light-hearted portrayal of urban cinema in In the Heights.

An aspect of Fabe’s article that is particularly important to the topic is how she focuses on the use of opposites in Do the Right Thing. These opposites can be seen in smaller aspects of the cinematography, like in the color scheme or dance sequence, as well as in the bigger elements of the film, like how the characters are developed. These attitudes can change how the audience views the characters and therefore the message of the film as a whole, which allows for a more powerful delivery that forces the audience to think about what the film is really trying to say. (194-197, 200-203) She also discusses how Spike Lee decided to clean up the area of the city where he filmed and how this was seen as controversial, which is another interesting element that is important when focusing on how the city is used in cinema. (196-197)

Lee, Spike. Do the Right Thing. Universal Pictures, 1989. 34:42-36:23. Film Clip.

This scene shows a confrontation between Clifton, who is a white male, and Buggin’ Out, who is African American, and his friends. This scene starts with Clifton walking back to his brownstone, accidently bumping into Buggin’ Out from behind. Buggin’ Out looks down and notices that his sneaker has been scuffed, which he assumes Clifton did when he was walking by with his bike. He and his friends then chase Clifton down and confront him about the sneaker in front of the brownstone, before Clifton leaves the argument by heading inside with his bike. He technically “wins” the argument as Buggin’ Out and his friends assumed he was an outsider, as he was wearing a Massachusetts jersey, but he responds that he is from Brooklyn before walking inside. This scene not only does a good job showing the relationships between African Americans and whites and their different perspectives on society (for example, when Clifton says “it’s a free country” and Buggin’ Out and his friends laugh), but it also is a good analysis of how Lee uses camera angles to subtly change the tone for the audience. The camera is going back and forth between Clifton and Buggin’ Out and his friends for the majority of the argument, although when the camera is focused on Buggin’ Out it is tilted up, making him seem more powerful and showcases that he has the upper hand. When it is on Clifton it is pointed slightly down, making him seem slightly weaker, but is also fairly eye-level showing how calm he is. When Clifton leaves the argument the camera is pointed up, showing that he has gained power, but the camera on Buggin’ Out is also directed up. It isn’t until Clifton says he’s from Brooklyn and “wins” the argument that it shows Buggin’ Out and his friends with a downward angle, showcasing their loss. These continous shifts help the audience understand who is in control during the scene and allows them to get a better understanding of what is happening.

Other Sources Used in Overview

Dodge, Kim. “What is Third Cinema?” Third (World) Cinema, 2007. https://www.thirdcinema.blueskylimit.com/thirdcinema.html.  

LeBlanc, J. “Third Cinema.” Encyclopedia Britannica, November 26, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/art/Third-Cinema.

“Urban Cinema .” Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. Encyclopedia.com. (April 25, 2022). https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/urban-cinema