Crash

Prelude

This report will endeavor to analyze the key characters from Million Dollar Baby directed by Clint Eastwood and Crash directed by Paul Haggis. Both these films carry controversial subject matter, relating to how race, class, stereotypes and discrimination are portrayed in the media. This report will focus on Frankie, played by Clint Eastwood, Maggie Fitzgerald, played by Hillary Swank, Eddie �Scrap Iron’ Dupris, played by Morgan Freeman from Million Dollar Baby and Jean Cabot, played by Sandra Bullock, Officer John Ryan, played by Matt Dillion, Farhad played by Shaun Toub, Anthony, played by Chris �Ludacris’ Bridges and finally Peter, played by Larenz Tate. This analysis will also include complimentary information on the distinction between classes that these characters display, the way their stereotypes (and reverse stereotypes) affect their interactions, the power struggles that occur and finally the ideologies that develop from these.

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Crash Summary

“You think you know who you are. You have no idea” вЂ" Tag

Crash is the story of several characters from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds after a collision in one incident, a car crash. These different characters all belong to different stereotypes and this in turn their judgment, beliefs and actions are affected. Several stories interweave during a two day period in Los Angeles involving a collection of loosely related incidents and characters, these being a black police detective with an ill mother and a thieving younger brother, two young African-American car thieves are philosophize on their current condition within society, a district law attorney and his pompous wife, a chauvinistic police officer and his younger, naÐ"Їve partner, a successful black movie director and his wife, a Persian immigrant family and finally a Hispanic tradesman and his family. The film endeavors to show the importance of base values such as respect and loyalty, and how these have been lost in modern America. This can be summarized in the first line of the film вЂ" “It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.”

227 wds.

Character Analysis

Jean Cabot, played by Sandra Bullock

Jean Cabot is a middle aged, wealthy woman who has married into political power. She comes from an upper class, white, well educated background and as a result her character is close minded, prejudiced against others, arrogant and bratty. It can be argued that while her wealth and education make her a privilegded citizen in comparison to other characters in the film, her consequential beliefs and prejudices become her demise. This can be seen following an accident in her home, when she confesses to her hispanic housemaid, Maria, that she is in fact the closest person to her character in the film, despite her social networks.

Jean Cabbot therefore belongs to the вЂ?high-society dame’ stereotype. This stereotype generally has a disregard for the unknown, causing discrimination of a variety of other ethinicites, despite a well educated background. Furthermore, this stereotype is very elite and this creates a sharp disctintion between other social groups creating an increased sense of amimosity, which can be seen in her increased sense of fear of the ethnic tradesman who visits her house. While she upholds a faÐ"§ade of many close friends, her world is superficial and there is a strong lack of commendable qualities, such as kindness, loyalty, and true love not only in her character, but also in the circles she mixes in. This empty lifestyle leads her to begin an angry and viscious attitude, which she expresses on the phone to these вЂ?friends’. Richard Alleva suggests that вЂ?none of the characters are ideologically motivated, but anger arms itself with the languange and red-faced rage of racism’ . This idea that it is our lifestyle, rather than our true feelings, is the message that the film wishes to communicate. By protecting ourselves from each other, we will inevitably crash into each other in order to know we still exist.

Jean’s stereotype is shown using a variety of semiotic techniques. Firstly, the clothes the character wears and her home are signs that connotate wealth. Secondly the connotations of her demeanour towards other ethnicities are indicative of the discrimination and prejudices that are characteristics of her stereotype. Through these signifiers, we can see that these ideas will be major issues and complications that her character will experience throughout the film. This allows us to gain a deeper analytical understanding of the message Haggis is communicating; it is common human goodness that prevails, rather than petty discriminatory instincts .

402 wds.

Officer John Ryan, played by Matt Dillion

Officer John Ryan is a chauvinist white male police officer with