CSUN American History X Scenes Analysis & Film Analysis Discussion (Essay Sample)

American History X Mise en Scene Analysis
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American History X Mise en Scene Analysis
American History X narrates the story of a lower-middle-class family in California, involved in the racial antagonism and violence encouraged by a local white supremacist gang. Set in 1998, the film explores racism from the perspective of a reformed neo-Nazi skinhead who wants to protect his brother from following a path of hate. Set in the wake of the Oklahoma bombings of the same year, the film shows how disenfranchised people can be indoctrinated into hate-fuelled subjects. With rising public concerns about right-wing extremism, the film acts as a scathing critique on society's reluctance to tackle extremism's underlying drivers. It highlights racism and hatred as learned traits based on ignorance, fear, and envy. While the film had a checkered production history, the directors employed various audio-visual elements to disseminate the message.
American History X chronicles the transformation of Derek into a neo-Nazi and back to normal. The movie portrays the changes in their values from involvement in racially-motivated violence to accepting responsibility for past actions and establishing a cooperative understanding between blacks and whites. The story is narrated in chronological order, with a review of past events to explain Derek's main characters and Danny's mentality in the present. Derek's present is depicted in full color as an ode to the complexity of reality, where Derek is deeply involved in the neo-Nazi group from which he wants to distance himself. Past experiences are depicted in black and white, reflecting the characters' narrow-minded thinking that has generated a toxic mono-culture. Daniel determines the interspersing of past and present scenes in a voice-over as he recites an essay written as a school assignment. Due to his father’s teachings and those of his neo-Nazi mentor (Cameron Alexander), Derek perceived all things as black and white and is consumed by the desire to find a scapegoat for his father’s death. Derek's and Danny's past is used to showing how intolerance, racism, bigotry, and hatred are passed down between generations. By encouraging 'affirmative blacktion' and intolerance towards minorities, Derek's father directly contributed to his family's hateful nature. The black and white scenes also emphasize the conflict between blacks and whites embodied in the film.