Elephant (1989) - Apathy In Times Of Violence

[@YouHaveBeenWatchingFilms]

How do you feel about Elephant? How do you think it compares to Alan Clarke's other works (his films and his television productions)? Which films would you recommend similar to Elephant? Thanks for watching!

[@Sunderbanz322]

Thank you for this analysis. This film really holds up with all the brutal and horrific conflict happening in the world right now.

[@fireemblem2770]

yes yes yes!!!!! THANK YOU for covering one of my favorite films ever created. I watched this because I heard it was well made, and it is 100% amazing. But I never knew much about the Troubles in Northern Ireland until watching this. I cannot say enough good things about this film. LOVE IT!

[@emma-vn3nl]

The best, thank you!!!

[@ImnotassweetasIusedtobe]

Oh wow, I was expecting this to be about the Gus Van Sant film "Elephant," which also fits the topic description quite perfectly, so I am surprised and excited to be introduced to this film

[@YouHaveBeenWatchingFilms]

I might talk about Gus Van Sant's version in the future, but I'm an Alan Clarke fan at heart 🥰

[@erikstrong6384]

I also thought it was the 2003 gus van Sant movie about two boys who shoot up their school

[@MoonJoonJr1]

Fantastic video, I stumbled over this movie while doing some research after watching van sant's elephant, and it blew me away even more. Coming from Germany, I've never even heard of Alan Clarke and was instantly interested in watching some more of his work. The approach he took is so unique and unlike anything I've seen before and as many others I was completely unaware of the historic events behind it. You're doing a great job here, the selection of movies you've picked out so far is just amazing.

[@kazy8029]

I had to pause the video and watch Elephant which left me queasy like very few films can. Each kill made me feel more uncomfortable just watching people disappear so... casually is the only way I can describe it. The lack of context or music or anything to really elevate the violence which is so common was draining. It's hard to talk about Elephant because with any context all you can talk about is speculation and how it made you feel. You could examine how each kill is different or how maybe some killers might have become victims by the end. You could talk about the final kill that seems like acceptance rather than fear. You could but it would be awkward since everyone has a different relationship to violence. The movie really becomes its name by being easily describable yet uneasy but important to talk about. When all you have left is violence, all you have is loss.

[@scrumpyminklemonk]

This and Cabaret would be a perfect back to back watch

[@Hoots_Maguire]

It's truly a brilliant film, and Clarke is the one of the trio (along with Loach and Leigh) of great British filmmakers coming up in the 70s who never received the recognition he deserved. It of course is down to the controversial and confrontational nature of his films. The powers-that-be were OK with marginal characters who were properly meek but the skinheads, football hooligans and terrorist hitmen of Clarke's movies were unacceptable even to think about. And in the typìcal English way of avoiding the open discussion of conflict, they were just ignored. For my money the best Britsih film on the Troubles is Steve McQueen's Hunger (2008), which takes the opposite approach of piling on context and background. I feel the Clarke approach has some merit, but the British viewing public really needed to learn the facts of their own complicity in sustaining colonial violence, which McQueen's film really tackles head-on. It's also just so well constructed in its rhythm of silence-talk-silence, a towering masterpiece.