Using the five key concepts, compare and contrast Erin Brockovich with The Insider Essays

Using the five key concepts, compare and contrast Erin Brockovich with The Insider Essays Using the five key concepts, compare and contrast Erin Brockovich with The Insider Essay Using the five key concepts, compare and contrast Erin Brockovich with The Insider Essay Essay Topic: Film Audience: Both texts are of a socialist realist genre. They both tell the tale of working class people attempting to blow the whistle on a much larger corporation which is intentionally poisoning or polluting a commodity which consumers are obliviously utilizing. In the case of Erin, its the water supply which is being contaminated with a carcinogenic known as chromium-6. It is found later that it causes miscarriage, growth disorders and spinal problems in many of the people of Hinckley. The Insider tells the story of a middle-aged family-man who is made redundant for no apparent or plausible reason before being persuaded to go on a show watched by millions, 60 Minutes to expose his employers as lacing cigarettes and making them even more hazardous to health. Both films portray the little mans struggle. They tell the David versus Goliath story with which the audience can empathise because they are on their level. The demographic majority of movie-goers would feel compassion for the protagonists because they face the great exertion that is daily life for say, a single-parent mother struggling to cope with her three children and lack of career; or the middle aged, stressed out ex-corporate employee with a family to support and a house to keep. Values Ideology: Since both films are attempting to capture a real life feeling, the language is colloquial, and often littered with swear words. However, behind their language lies the narrative the two respective directors wanted us to see: a person coping with immense stress. Crowes portrayal of a man under stress is exquisite, from the tone of the voice to the way he sits; he raises the intensity of the film to an almost unbearable level. Considering the difference between his character in Gladiator, Crowe does excellently in adjusting to the unheroic but determined family man he plays in Wigand. Julia Roberts sets out with nothing to lose, but ultimately gains everything she could ask for (including a six-month relationship with a man who adores her children). Its inspiring to watch, and gives the audience something to take away from the experience. Representation: Both directors use certain conventions to escalate the idea that we are watching true stories. From the way Erin smokes her cigarette after her failed interview, to the tense posture of Wigand in the hotel room as Bergman uncontrollably screams down the phone as he fears for his subjects sanity and perhaps his life. Contrasts are made throughout Erin which are used to prove the necessity of PG Es water monopoly to the people of Hinckley the scenery is barren, desolate. From the parched terrain of Hinckley to the courtroom saturated in red tape the respective corporations in each film are represented as overpowering, manipulative and even corrupt. Representation: The sheer financial power of PG E is shown in Erin Brockovich when they are quoted as being a $30 billion corporation, but their manipulative yet inconsiderate representative offers $250000 as a settlement which Erin comically discards. Institutions: Both films provide whats expected of characters with immense responsibilities whilst coping with enormous stress. Despite her professed aversion for lawyers (I hate lawyers! ), she incarnates many of the skills a lawyer needs to make a case go. As Erin tells us in the beginning of the film, she is good with people: a lawyerly skill just as important as legal research. Her ability to relate to the clients pain sets up the dynamic which allows the lawsuit against the giant utility to get off the ground. At the beginning of The Insider, Wigand becomes a rock under the pressure, and copes rather well before the corporate giants he faces at his dismissal. He is a family man, worrying about health benefits being lost after his redundancy because his daughter suffers from asthma. One of my favourite scenes in the film is when he comforts her: So whats whats happening to you now is cells called mast cells told your lungs dont breathe any more of that dust in. and the airways in your lungs are like branches. And when the branches close up, you get an asthmatic attack. And, we give you medicine, and you get better. Huh? Okay? Youre better already, arent you? By portraying both characters as loving and compassionate in their homes, yet determined, unwavering individuals against the outside world, the directors provided a perfect model for the real-life stories involved. Language: The scripts used for each protagonist involves a lot of swearing, which in my opinion is justified because it portrays the torment and anxiety they are facing. Erin is brash, upfront and is reluctant to authority. Wigand on the other hand is rather submissive to his past employers, but soon comes out of his shell when faced with the crisis affecting his family. The forceful speech in each text creates a sense of urgency and pressure, yet whilst in the home they are caring and benevolent, providing further contrasts to their character.