The document provides guidance on analyzing the narrative structure of the film La Haine. It discusses applying Todorov's narrative theory to identify the five stages in key scenes. It also examines how the film uses an episodic structure and narrative devices like binary oppositions and a ticking clock to explore themes of power, poverty, and conflict in French society. Despite the director's claims, the document argues the film has a clear linear structure that uses these elements to discuss important social issues.

2. Starter Task
• Complete your ‘Narrative’ handout
• Step 1
– Identify the Five stages of Todorov’s narrative theory
• Step 2
– Apply the theory to La Haine and note down the scenes / action
from the film in which the five stages are present
• Step 3
– Feedback your answers to the class and make notes

3. Starter Task
Riots are on-going.
Equilibrium A young Arab man has been shot by Police.
Disruption of Vinz finds a Police officers gun and hides it
Equilibrium
Hubert identifies the immediate problem posed by
Recognition of the gun
disruption
The trio return to the Suburb’s to dispose of the
Attempt to repair gun
At least one young man from an immigrant
Reinstatement of background has been shot by Police.
Equilibrium

4. Learning Objectives
• Identify the different Narrative Devices
employed by La Haine
• Discuss and Analyse how Power, Poverty and
Conflict are represented throughout the film
• Analyse a series of key scenes and answer an
short exam style question about La Haine’s
narrative structure and its links to contextual
issues

5. Narrative Device?
• What is a narrative device?
• A tool that a director / filmmaker can use to
progress the narrative of film
• The action or item that provides the next
‘piece in the puzzle’
• Example include
– Binary Oppositions
– Enigma Codes
– Action Codes
– Flashbacks to provide background
information and contextualise a film

6. Narrative Structure
• Upon release Mathieu Kassovitz put forward the notion that
“(my) film was ‘unstructured’ – a series
of disconnected scenes in a film in which
‘nothing happens’”
• He claimed that each scene constitutes a short film in itself,
focusing upon unique aspects of Baneliue life.
• Kassovitz is essentially saying the film has no structure.
Do you agree with this statement?
Close scrutiny of the film reveals a
minutely constructed and classically
coherent film

7. Narrative Structure
• La Haine is structured around a geographical and
temporal dichotomy between daytime in the Ghetto and the
night time Paris – a strong symbolic device.
• What could the split narrative symbolise?
• This symbolic device is one of many binary oppositions
with the film.
Dichotomy: division or
Task – 1 Minute contrast between two
• Can you think of any other Binary things that are or are
Oppositions? represented as being
opposed or entirely
• How are these opposition represent different.
throughout the film?

8. Binary Oppositions
Working Class / Under Middle /
Class Upper Class
Les Banlieues ‘Gentrified’ Paris city centre
Ethnic Minorities White
Violence as Art as
entertainment entertainment
Citizens Police
Immigrant community ‘Native’ or
resistant to assimilation assimilated French
Gentrification: To renovate or improve a housing district or area so
that it conforms to middle class taste

9. Episodic Hatred
• The film begins with a montage of shots capturing riots
taking place in Paris
• This footage is a combination of footage from the riots
that took place in the 1980’s and early 1990’s
• What does this montage suggest about France?
• Riots are a consistent part of modern French history
• Violence, civil disobedience and police brutality are
reoccurring events that certain citizens are used to
• How does this sequence establish some of the
films major themes?

10. Episodic Hatred
• The film is then structured by a series of ‘Episodes’
• Example:
– Sayid & Hubert’s interrogation at the hands of the police
• Many of these episodes builds to a mini-climax and are followed
by moments of relative calm.
• Each episode focuses on a specific theme of the film and as a
result, we can identify clear cut sequences to be included in to
our analysis and exam
• We see examples of Power, Poverty & Conflict in several of the
films episodes
• What is Kassovitz trying to say through this episodic narrative
structure?
• What can we learn about Power, Poverty and Conflict?
• These three elements are commonplace in French society, from the
Government and the Media down to the immigrant street kids of
Les Banlieues

11. Episodic Task
• Each group has a series of resources containing:
• Stills
• Scene Synopsis
• Todorov’s Theory template
• You have 5 minutes to read the synopsis and identify
if/how Todorov’s theory can be applied to your sequence
• Labels the stills that you think correspond to the five
stages
• You will then share your findings with the class
• You must note down what your class-mates say – these
notes will be essential to your understanding of the film

12. Tick followed tock...
• The narrative is broken up in to several episodes each
separated by a ticking clock – a narrative device in itself
• What purposes does the ticking clock serve?
• Signal the beginning/end of a particular ‘episode’
• Moves the narrative forward in a clear and
straightforward way
• The clock is counting down to a single event, at
which the narrative will end
What event is the clock ticking down to?
This clock is a very effective way of building
tension and creates an enigma code

13. ‘Smoking Gun’
• Often in films an object or even a location can act as a narrative device
• For example....
• Can you think of an object in La Haine that could be considered Narrative
Devices?
The Police officers Gun found by Vinz
The gun is closely linked to Vinz throughout the film
and there are several comparisons we can draw
between the object and the character of Vinz
In what ways does the gun resemble
the character of Vinz?

14. Vinz & The Gun
Both the gun and Vinz are essential to the narrative of the
film
• The gun and Vinz can both be seen as violent weapons
that can cause death
• Both are likely to ‘go off ’ at any point
• If we compare Vinz’s anger to a bullet in the gun we can
say that both are ‘loaded’ the resolution of the narrative
hinges on how both Vinz’s anger and the bullets in the
gun are used
• A gun is just an object until it is used – only then does it
become a weapon

15. There are four work stations around the
class
Task
Each station contains the following:
•Stills from a Key Scene
•A synopsis
•An exam style essay question
You will have 6 minutes at each station to
study the resources then complete a short
one-paragraph answer for the essay
question set
When 6 minutes are up you must move to
the next station and repeat the exercise
with new resources
Question needs to be related – what
purpose does this scene serve to the
narrative? – does it progress the narrative
at all or does it serve another purpose?

16. Summary
Despite the opinions of the films create we can identify a clear linear
narrative structure within La Haine
The episodic nature of the film introduces and discusses social issues
that serve as the backdrop for La Haine
Not all episodes or elements off the film can be considered ‘narrative
devices’
– Hubert in his bedroom does not reveal any important Narrative
information, it serves another purpose
– We are encouraged to empathise with the character and we are
also reminded that he is young, troubled and surrounded by
Power, Poverty & Crime
– We also learn that he is in touch with his environment in a way
that Vinz and Sayid are not