Analysis Of The Movie Requiem For Detroit - 1357 Words

Requiem for Detroit? is a historical documentary, released in 2010 and directed by Julien Temple, about the decline and collapse of Detroit, one of America’s largest cities. It chronicles Detroit’s journey through its success in the automobile industry all the way through its urban decay and industrial collapse to the present day. As the film draws a close, Temple also suggests some ways forward for Detroit. He presents possibilities and clearly shows which he thinks is most likely through his use of interviews with subjects and visual representations of these offered opinions. The intended reading that Temple offers viewers is a complex one, with many anti-consumerist and anti-corporate ideas and leanings. Despite the ‘doom-laden’ feel of much of the text, Temple paints optimism for the potential for a progressive and productive future for Detroit. Throughout the documentary he clearly expresses this intended reading through effective use of motifs, shown by visual and sound techniques, music and interviews with both privileged and non-privileged characters. One element of film that Julien Temple consistently reverts to throughout his film Requiem for Detroit? (Temple, 2010), is the element of motif. Both visual and aural motifs, used separately and in conjunction, are used to great effect to present and enhance the reading of the film that the director intended. Some key motifs used are fire, abandoned buildings, graffiti and many sound effects depicting destruction andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Movie Requiem For Detroit 1338 Words   |  6 PagesJulien Temple in his 2010 documentary, Requiem For Detroit?, brought light to the evolution of the motorcar industry in Detroit and how it affected the development process throughout the state. Detroit’s development was dependent on the modernised industrial revolution that brought forth the expansion of suburban life and growing consumerism. This also came to be known as the ‘American dream’. He also foregrounds to his viewers, what a post capitalist society looks li ke which came as a result of