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Implicit Criminologies in the Filmic Representations of Genocide

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Representing the Experience of War and Atrocity

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Crime, Media and Culture ((PSCMC))

Abstract

The popular success of commercial films depicting events of mass atrocity is the theme of this contribution. Films on the theme of the Holocaust or the Rwandan genocide, for example, demonstrate a demand amongst audiences for a cinematic experience of genocide. The author addresses the extent to which filmic representations of genocide include elements that purport to elucidate the causes, organisation and perpetration of such events of mass atrocity. Genocide films tend to harbour implicit criminologies and it is to those that attention is directed in this contribution. A reflective documentary analysis is conducted on the films Schindler’s List (Spielberg, 1993), Conspiracy (Pierson, 2001), Hotel Rwanda (George, 2004) and Sometimes in April (Peck, 2005). These films enable the exploration of representations which chronicle the experience of genocide from the perspectives of victims, perpetrators and bystanders.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Internet Movie Database (IMDb) image gallery for Schindler’s List (1993) contains a number of images relating to scenes and discussions in the text. Online at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108052/mediaindex?ref_=tt_pv_mi_sm (Accessed 12 June 2018).

  2. 2.

    Schindler’s List (1993). Train scene, YouTube video. Online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYQJhaI0XHE (Accessed 31 August 2018).

  3. 3.

    Conspiracy (2001). Heydrich’s mandate for a Final Solution scene, YouTube video. Online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kucc9UscnrI (Accessed 7 September 2018).

  4. 4.

    Conspiracy (2001). Lange’s interruption and Kritzinger’s opposition scene, YouTube video. Online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWUu6ip6Y_w (Accessed 9 September 2018).

  5. 5.

    Hotel Rwanda (2004). Meeting with Georges Rutaganda and roadside massacre scene, YouTube video. Online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZSbtpbk1DA (Accessed 15 October 2018).

  6. 6.

    Sometimes in April (2005). Augustin and Xavier at Interahamwe roadblock scene, YouTube video. Online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh-YoutePxY&t=28s (Accessed 22 October 2018).

Films

  • Conspiracy. (2001). [DVD] Frank Pierson. Dir. UK/Germany: BBC/HBO.

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  • Hotel Rwanda. (2004). [DVD] Terry George. Dir. Rwanda/South Africa: United Artists.

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  • Schindler’s List. (1993). [DVD] Steven Spielberg. Dir. Poland: Universal Pictures.

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  • Sometimes in April. (2005). [DVD] Raoul Peck. Dir. Rwanda: HBO.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Macclesfield, UK

    Mark Bostock

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  1. Mark Bostock
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Keele University , Keele, UK

    Ronnie Lippens

  2. Liverpool John Moores University , Liverpool, UK

    Emma Murray

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Bostock, M. (2019). Implicit Criminologies in the Filmic Representations of Genocide. In: Lippens, R., Murray, E. (eds) Representing the Experience of War and Atrocity. Palgrave Studies in Crime, Media and Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13925-4_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13925-4_6

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