The Kite Runner Directed by Marc Forster
1. “The Kite Runner”, directed by Marc Forster, is a film that contains many elements; power, childhood, loyalty and bravery. These elements are highlighted in many ways through the use of camera angles, emotional audio, and both verbal and non-verbal communication.
2. Here, Hassan and Amir are discussing kite running, a sport which is very popular among the children in Kabul. It involves two people, one holding the kite spool, and the other controlling the movement of the kite. The idea of the sport is to take down the opponents kites, by cutting or slicing through the kite string. The strings are usually made of razor wire, to allow this. This scene shows Hassan’s absolute loyalty to Amir, and his complete faith in his ability, regardless of what Amir says. He never doubts that Amir can win the next tournament, and as we see later, he is correct. The fact that Hassan says “If you have the right kite, you’ll win the tournament this year” and then later proceeds to choose the very kite that wins them the contest demonstrates that while Hassan may not have academic knowledge that Amir has through his education, he has intuition, which provides him with a worldly knowledge, which in some cases is more valuable. This long shot shows the foreground as clear, with rich colour and flourishing greenery around, representing hope, new life, and symbolising good and prosperous times, while the background as dead-looking; blurred and grey, which could possibly be foreshadowing the events that are to come.
3. In this scene, we begin to see more of the relationship between Amir and Hassan. Amir holds the power balance in this scene, as he is reading to Hassan, controlling the situation. The fact that he is holding the book and the fact that Hassan has to look over his shoulder to see the book as Amir reads it shows that Hassan is clearly the weaker party in this situation. This scene also emphasises a particular value that is repeated throughout the film;
2. Here, Hassan and Amir are discussing kite running, a sport which is very popular among the children in Kabul. It involves two people, one holding the kite spool, and the other controlling the movement of the kite. The idea of the sport is to take down the opponents kites, by cutting or slicing through the kite string. The strings are usually made of razor wire, to allow this. This scene shows Hassan’s absolute loyalty to Amir, and his complete faith in his ability, regardless of what Amir says. He never doubts that Amir can win the next tournament, and as we see later, he is correct. The fact that Hassan says “If you have the right kite, you’ll win the tournament this year” and then later proceeds to choose the very kite that wins them the contest demonstrates that while Hassan may not have academic knowledge that Amir has through his education, he has intuition, which provides him with a worldly knowledge, which in some cases is more valuable. This long shot shows the foreground as clear, with rich colour and flourishing greenery around, representing hope, new life, and symbolising good and prosperous times, while the background as dead-looking; blurred and grey, which could possibly be foreshadowing the events that are to come.
3. In this scene, we begin to see more of the relationship between Amir and Hassan. Amir holds the power balance in this scene, as he is reading to Hassan, controlling the situation. The fact that he is holding the book and the fact that Hassan has to look over his shoulder to see the book as Amir reads it shows that Hassan is clearly the weaker party in this situation. This scene also emphasises a particular value that is repeated throughout the film;