La Haine

by Ginette Vincendeau

The story behind the surprise success of a young crew’s film of alienation and rebellion   Released in 1995, La Haine is a raw, edgy drama about three mixed-race young men from a run-down Parisian suburb who decide to take on the police after a friend is brutally beaten. The work of a then unknown young team (director and actors were all under 30), it became hugely and unexpectedly successful both commercially and critically, launching director Mathieu Kassovitz and lead player Vincent Cassel to stardom. The film’s combination of hard-hitting social exposé, stylish black and white cinematography and hip-hop culture also turned it into an enduring cult movie with younger viewers. With style and insight, Ginette Vincendeau provides a thorough understanding of the context of the film’s making, both in terms of the film industry and of French society, of the film’s narrative tension, stylistic sophistication and ideological ambiguity, and of its extraordinary success nationally and internationally. She explains why, out of so many films about disaffected youth, La Haine is the one that caught the audience’s imagination, becoming an instant classic.

Genres: Film

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Ginette Vincendeau is a French-born British-based academic who is a Professor of Film Studies at King's College London.[1]

Vincendeau was educated at the Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris III, gaining a degree in English and at the University of East Anglia, where she completed a doctorate in Film Studies. Before assuming her post at King's, Vincendeau was Professor of Film Studies at Warwick University.

A regular contributor to Sight & Sound magazine, she is the editor of The Encyclopedia of European Cinema (Cassell/BFI, 1995) and biographer of director Jean-Pierre Melville.[2]

Ginette Vincendeau’s research interests are in French cinema, especially popular genres (thriller, film noir, heritage, comedy) and stars, as well as European cinema. She is also interested in issues of film history, national identity, trans-national cinema and women's cinema. She is currently completing a book on the cinematic representation of the South of France, writing a book on Brigitte Bardot and co-editing a book on Jean Renoir.

Reviews

[Ryan Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed coverage and info on one of the best movies ever made.

[Gabriella Mastrelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

In depth delve into a cinematic masterpiece.

[Zulfiqar · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The trio of young men are part heroes part villains all at once social victims, attractive, and sympathetic survivors and "little jerks." Constantly bickering they are nevertheless inseparable, similar despite their contrasting skin color and religious signs; a Muslim Fatma's hand for Said, A Jewish star of David for Vintz, a Catholic cross for Hubert, their shared habitat clothing and language reinforce their common identity as banlineue boys." (La Haine. Vicendeau, Ginette Pg.58)

[Sarah Bucher Stänz]

i should actually read it to fresh up my french...it's dying if i don't!

[Jeff Salzberger]

I read it in English, but that version isn't here.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've ever read cover to cover for an essay.
Take that as you will.