Screening Fleeing and Surviving Fascism
ransit；Arendt)
One of the issues that Arendt discusses in the passage is the people’s denial of their situation. Despite people being refugees, they seem to be in denial of their reality, and they would instead be called immigrants or newcomers. This makes it easy for people not to address their reality. They tend to think that their situations are temporary while this may not be the case. They end up staying in foreign countries longer than they expected. The same can be seen in the case of George, who thinks that he is in transit, but he ends up staying longer than he had intended. He forms relationships with people ends doing things he did not think that he would do for them. Arendt also addresses the issue of uncertainty. Been a refugee means leading a life of uncertainty, not been sure of what will happen in the next minute. Arendt notes that the refugees do not talk about the past, but instead, they find a way that they can master the uncertain future. In the film, there is so much uncertainty, while the situation has not worsened in the city, there is an anxiety of what will happen in the future. The other prevalent issue in the article as well as in the film is the loss of identity, George, like the other refugees in the article, has lost his refugee. They may have a personality, but it is worthless at this point. Arendt notes that the refugee has little they can do to decide who they are. On the other hand, George is trying so hard to acquire the identity of another, that will benefit him more than his. The refugees do not have any rights, and therefore they have to try to survive and manage with what they have.
(Transit; Image; Film Still)
The camera is positioned at the front of the characters. The positioning of the camera in this setting is essential because it helps in telling the story. One can see all the characters and even read their emotions on their face and their body appearance. It also makes the audience feel engaged with what is happening in the scene. The shot looks natural; the characters are having a fun time enjoying some drinks, which is natural. Backlights have been used, and they are overhead, helping to focus more on the subjects that are in the film. There is the use of practical set lighting, which helps in revealing wide portions of the set. This kind of light brings out an atmosphere of uncertainty. The people were living in a state of uncertainty, not aware of what would happen the next moment. The group of people is looking at the couple curiously wondering what is happening. The actors are dressed casually, and they seem to be relaxed since one is holding a drink on the hand. One of the themes that can be seen in this film still is love. The couple is hugging in a way that shows affection and intimacy. As if the lady is trying to console the gentleman that everything will be fine. The lighting used in this setting does an excellent job of bringing this out. The people surrounding are looking at the couple in a manner that shows they are close and they care.
Transit；Scene analysis
Artists play such an important role when it comes to recording and telling historical events. Anna Seghers make a good point in her statement. Artist makes it easy for the audience to see the reality of a situation. For instance, by reading and watching stories about the war, people can know what went on, the dangers that came with it and the plight of refugees. It is through art that the audience looks at the crisis in the eye by visualizing what they are reading or watching and be able to form a mental picture. The audience is then quickly transported to the time that the crisis was happening.
One of the things that artist do is they make people have a clear picture of what happened historically and from different perspectives. People can visualize what was going on by reading what the artist has written. For instance, people can tell what was going on during the war by understanding what the artist has written. The way an artist narrates a story also makes it very vivid and easy to remember. Another role that the artists play is that they make people connect emotionally with what is going on in the story. For instance, in Arendt’s essay “We Refugees” the account has been told from the perspective of the refugees. One can relate to the refuges and the challenges that they were going through by merely reading the essay. One gets empathetic, seeing how they are living with uncertainties, not knowing what will happen the next moment and all they can hope for is a better future.
Petzold’s film Transit also does an excellent job in showing the role of the artist, despite the movie been shot in a different setting other than that in the book that inspired it one can still understand the plight of the refugees. One of the things that the audience can see is the loss of identity. George moves to a new city, and his identity is worthless as he tries to take up other people’s identity so that he can benefit from them. The audience can also see the uncertainties that the people are living in. Despite the situation been calm in the city, people are unaware of what will happen the next moment. The audience can relate to what the characters are going through and be empathetic.
Arendt describes clearly the living conditions that the refugees were in, so does the film. Artists can bring out the living conditions of the issues that they are addressing clearly that the audience has an easy time understanding despite not having been there. Artist also helps the audience to experience the crisis or the story that they are telling differently depending on the perspective that they are using. For instance, one of the main characters in the film is George, and the audience can experience the crisis by watching his experiences and following his story, from the beginning of the film to the end.