PROJECTOR: Item 1 - Drive Elevator scene
SPEAKER: For my research project I will be looking at the prominent use of violence in the films of Nicolas Winding Refn. Violence is an attack from a build up of stress and in Freudian terms, sexual tension. Refn shifts between several genres and presents his audience with a dream-like reality where stylisation dominates over content. As you have just seen. some have viewed Drive [1] as overly violent, especially in the elevator scene where Irene and Driver kiss. But as the kiss ends, so do the dream like settings, the lighting turns back to normal [14]. Reality is mean and Refn knows this from his tough upbringing in Denmark. Perhaps Refn's introduction to America when he turned 8 drew him to the character of Driver, who is an outsider, morally schizophrenic, an enigma to the rest of the characters in the film.
In past films, for example Terence Malick's 'Badlands' the characters of Kit and Holly are so alienated they are driven to a killing spree across America. This has caused alienation themes in films to interlink with violent ones. Driver transforms himself into a superhero by doing what is necessary, does Refn suggest violence is merely 'getting things done'? Carey Mulligan's Irene was a mirror image of Refn's wife, 'The moment Carey walked through the door I knew I wanted to protect her. And then I realised that this whole film is basically about my relationship with my wife and what I would do to protect her.' [14] Drive is a homage to L.A, the perfect crime city filled with make believe enchantments and violent warfare. Thus, Drive categorises itself as a Noir and action-romance film.
PROJECTOR: Item 1 - Scene of Driver's motel being ransacked by armed men.
SPEAKER: That particular scene was one that combined violence with suspense and created a thriller aspect. Refn does not consider himself a violent man but he has a 'fetish' for violent emotions and images that he can't explain. He sees violence as a survival instinct, something humans were built to do, but even though we are more domesticated now does not stop our violent urges- which itself can be an act of violence. [8] Refn doesn't want to know why he has a fetish, because if he analyses himself it will cause him to not film these themes anymore. 'Art is best when it is all about the flow of emotions'. Refn always links his movies back to what his life was like in that period, such as Bronson which in some ways was an autobiography whereas Drive is his first love story about his wife and the behaviour he would succumb to protect her. Refn suggests 'art is an act of violence. It's meant to penetrate you, and be part of you, but it's not negative, it's not destructive. REAL violence is destructive. War is destructive. And the DNA of violence and war are the same thing. The only difference is where war destroys, art inspires'. [11]
PROJECTOR: Item 2- Scene of Radovan punching Frank several times and another man holding a knife to Frank's throat.
SPEAKER: Pusher has a documentary feel, he partakes in more realistic filming to add to his potential auteur characteristics. Refn realised, much like director Joe Wright that growing up as an adult in this world was a 'horrible, horrible nightmare' that the world is terrifying. Refn presents so much violence in his films because it represents how life really is. In this way Refn could categorise himself as an auteur due to his violent and realistic themes that occasionally juxtapose themselves with dream like settings. Refn presents the audience with an illusion but then tears it away by replacing it with a gritty, realistic world. Modern audiences are desensitised to violence, such as the horror film 'Cannibal Holocaust', if not for the violence we would have never even heard of it, no one would have bothered watching it. [10] Watching somebody get shot to death is like watching an advert for modern audiences these days. It takes something really shocking to make us feel uneasy, maybe that's what Drive was aiming to do, push the envelope in shock cinema such as Hitchcock's Psycho. Refn set out to make a violent film, but the use of violence is decadent, it mixes with the film's other visceral elements well and arouses emotions. Done by any other director, it probably wouldn't have been as good. [6]
PROJECTOR: Item 2- Clip of Frank fighting with Tonny.
He may not be considered an auteur because he did not write Drive but he made that film into something completely different to the novel. It's also original for the author to write the screenplay to their book adaption. I think that Refn's unique stamp on the film industry and his talked-about violence themes categorise him as an auteur despite William Goldman's anti auteur theory.
Abigail Remmer
In past films, for example Terence Malick's 'Badlands' the characters of Kit and Holly are so alienated they are driven to a killing spree across America. This has caused alienation themes in films to interlink with violent ones. Driver transforms himself into a superhero by doing what is necessary, does Refn suggest violence is merely 'getting things done'? Carey Mulligan's Irene was a mirror image of Refn's wife, 'The moment Carey walked through the door I knew I wanted to protect her. And then I realised that this whole film is basically about my relationship with my wife and what I would do to protect her.' [14] Drive is a homage to L.A, the perfect crime city filled with make believe enchantments and violent warfare. Thus, Drive categorises itself as a Noir and action-romance film.
PROJECTOR: Item 1 - Scene of Driver's motel being ransacked by armed men.
SPEAKER: That particular scene was one that combined violence with suspense and created a thriller aspect. Refn does not consider himself a violent man but he has a 'fetish' for violent emotions and images that he can't explain. He sees violence as a survival instinct, something humans were built to do, but even though we are more domesticated now does not stop our violent urges- which itself can be an act of violence. [8] Refn doesn't want to know why he has a fetish, because if he analyses himself it will cause him to not film these themes anymore. 'Art is best when it is all about the flow of emotions'. Refn always links his movies back to what his life was like in that period, such as Bronson which in some ways was an autobiography whereas Drive is his first love story about his wife and the behaviour he would succumb to protect her. Refn suggests 'art is an act of violence. It's meant to penetrate you, and be part of you, but it's not negative, it's not destructive. REAL violence is destructive. War is destructive. And the DNA of violence and war are the same thing. The only difference is where war destroys, art inspires'. [11]
PROJECTOR: Item 2- Scene of Radovan punching Frank several times and another man holding a knife to Frank's throat.
SPEAKER: Pusher has a documentary feel, he partakes in more realistic filming to add to his potential auteur characteristics. Refn realised, much like director Joe Wright that growing up as an adult in this world was a 'horrible, horrible nightmare' that the world is terrifying. Refn presents so much violence in his films because it represents how life really is. In this way Refn could categorise himself as an auteur due to his violent and realistic themes that occasionally juxtapose themselves with dream like settings. Refn presents the audience with an illusion but then tears it away by replacing it with a gritty, realistic world. Modern audiences are desensitised to violence, such as the horror film 'Cannibal Holocaust', if not for the violence we would have never even heard of it, no one would have bothered watching it. [10] Watching somebody get shot to death is like watching an advert for modern audiences these days. It takes something really shocking to make us feel uneasy, maybe that's what Drive was aiming to do, push the envelope in shock cinema such as Hitchcock's Psycho. Refn set out to make a violent film, but the use of violence is decadent, it mixes with the film's other visceral elements well and arouses emotions. Done by any other director, it probably wouldn't have been as good. [6]
PROJECTOR: Item 2- Clip of Frank fighting with Tonny.
SPEAKER: In Pusher, the characters are brought up around drugs, even glamourising them to an extent, this makes them violent. Frank turns on his friend Tonny in a split second and fights him until he's unconscious. The film itself seems to be a warning that drugs and alcohol bring out repressed emotions such as violence. The whole movie is expressed very physically.
William Goldman argues that this part of Refn's work (the auteur theory) does not exist. Gore Vidal argued that 'the true influence of the director died with the coming of sound'[7], Refn uses violent images that are processed within our minds and can ultimately influence us and that makes him more of an auteur. Refn puts a lot of his views towards feminism and violence in every film, he thinks that violent men are very much feminine, such as Driver who despite his violent actions is also very shy, self-conscious and feminine. To Refn, watching one of his films is relieving yourself of pent up feelings and tensions by putting yourself in the viewpoint of his aggressive characters. 'Making violence is very much like sex. If you believe the build up to the climax it becomes so much more engaging'. Driver uses his violent emotions because he cannot communicate with the rest of society like others can, this perhaps makes him more intimate and primal than the rest of the characters because he uses his actions rather than his words to explain himself.
PROJECTOR: Item 3- Clip of Tonny killing a man, stabbing him with a screwdriver.
SPEAKER: In Pusher II, Refn admitted to killing off the characters in very ambiguous ways to add authenticity, in reality people just disappear, we talk about it for some time but we sometimes never really know where they've gone. Pusher II had none of the drug glamorisation as the first one did but instead had a cold, negative outlook on Refn's country. The Pusher trilogy shows the characters becoming violent because they are trapped in a hopeless society, Refn may be trying to hint this to his views and make a change. Indeed, Refn wants to make a positive change with his stamp on violence ' But we're also obsessed because the media has glamorised crime, repackaged and resold it very falsely as escapism with a positive bent, and I could not disagree more with that. I think that being able to work in art, you have a responsibility, you have to remember that you do affect people. Shouldn't you do something good with that?'.
PROJECTOR: Item 3- Tonny is beaten up in the prison yard.
SPEAKER: William Goldman states that the film title must succeed the director's name such as 'Steven Spielberg's Jaws'. [7] However, Drive is always seen as 'the movie with Ryan Gosling in' not Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive. So in this way he might not be considered as an auteur. Although he didn't write the screenplay for Drive, Hossein Amini did, he wrote and directed the Pusher trilogy and Only God Forgives. William Goldman argues that this part of Refn's work (the auteur theory) does not exist. Gore Vidal argued that 'the true influence of the director died with the coming of sound'[7], Refn uses violent images that are processed within our minds and can ultimately influence us and that makes him more of an auteur. Refn puts a lot of his views towards feminism and violence in every film, he thinks that violent men are very much feminine, such as Driver who despite his violent actions is also very shy, self-conscious and feminine. To Refn, watching one of his films is relieving yourself of pent up feelings and tensions by putting yourself in the viewpoint of his aggressive characters. 'Making violence is very much like sex. If you believe the build up to the climax it becomes so much more engaging'. Driver uses his violent emotions because he cannot communicate with the rest of society like others can, this perhaps makes him more intimate and primal than the rest of the characters because he uses his actions rather than his words to explain himself.
PROJECTOR: Item 3- Clip of Tonny killing a man, stabbing him with a screwdriver.
SPEAKER: In Pusher II, Refn admitted to killing off the characters in very ambiguous ways to add authenticity, in reality people just disappear, we talk about it for some time but we sometimes never really know where they've gone. Pusher II had none of the drug glamorisation as the first one did but instead had a cold, negative outlook on Refn's country. The Pusher trilogy shows the characters becoming violent because they are trapped in a hopeless society, Refn may be trying to hint this to his views and make a change. Indeed, Refn wants to make a positive change with his stamp on violence ' But we're also obsessed because the media has glamorised crime, repackaged and resold it very falsely as escapism with a positive bent, and I could not disagree more with that. I think that being able to work in art, you have a responsibility, you have to remember that you do affect people. Shouldn't you do something good with that?'.
PROJECTOR: Item 3- Tonny is beaten up in the prison yard.
He may not be considered an auteur because he did not write Drive but he made that film into something completely different to the novel. It's also original for the author to write the screenplay to their book adaption. I think that Refn's unique stamp on the film industry and his talked-about violence themes categorise him as an auteur despite William Goldman's anti auteur theory.
Abigail Remmer
