Gran Torino was directed by Clint Eastwood, who also played the leading acting role in this movie. Clint Eastwood started as an actor in the old studio system, when the major movie companies were still in the business of American life rather than international properties. Clint Eastwood incorporates some old acting styles and characterisitcs of late movies into his character as Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino. This story was written by a new film writer Nick Schenk who decieded to express Hmong hardships and racsim, which was believed to be neglected. The film's production company was Warner Brothers which helped the film win 13 awards and 7 nominations one of the more notable wins inculded a golden globe nomination for the best original song-motion picture.
The films historical context is primarily its setting in Michigan, also to reveal a neglected group of our society the Hmong people. The film reveals a racist old man played as Clint Eastwood who is a Korean War Veteren despising Asians being a critical racist. Throughout the movie Clint Eastwood becomes a positive image and a savior to the Hmong people and the neighbors living by. Eastwood grows fond of the Hmong neighbors and devotes his life to ceasing the gang violence in his neighborhood. Historically it reveals racist views on Asians primarily Hmong people who are neglected in society.
The socio-cultural relation of this film is that it was made for a wide range of audiences that endure the racism and racist views of people towards Asians. The racism revealed proved to be a key factor in Eastwood's character who despised the sight of Asians even approaching his property. The film also reveals the harshness Hmong people are enduring in our country and the antogonizing for being Asian- American. Not all racist films need to portray Latin Americans or Blacks this film calls to Asian racism which is passed upon. I believe Eastwod tried to potray a growth in ones character and reveal that acceptance even for harsh racists like his character takes time to develop.
The film is constructed in a manner which show's racist views and a struggle between character's accepting and acknowledging their surrounding environment. Clint Eastwood constructs the story in which character's develop and racist views are neglected and forgotten as character's relationships grow. The movie is organized by the plot which allows the story to go on. The plot goes from hatred for a race and a neighborhood to a more compassionate care for the main character who learns to accept his surroundings. With the attempt of stealing Eastwood's prized Gran Torino to the gang's constant antagonizing the story moves along significantly as the plot accelerates and goes on too. The nature of the engagement with the characters is that each character creates a new conflict with one another and allows a relationship to grow whether good or bad.
The characters and issues are represented in a straightforward manner in which each issue is resolved either right away, like the attempted stealing of Eastwood's Gran Torino or resolved gradually like the gang issue. The characters become more dynamic or the protagonists, while the antagonists the gang is more stagnant. The shot angles and camera movement allow each scene to build an anticipation or show emotion that isn't as easily portrayed through just seeing the character. In the end when Eastwood dies his body is laying in a crucifix position imitating something biblical and giving a religious death to the denouement of the film. Meaning is created well through sequence because it allows each event to move the plot forward and build to the rising action. The sequence of each event allows anticipation and tension to build even further so the viewers are on the edge of their seat. Lighting plays a key role in the movie because the darker shades and lighting allows the viewer to anticipate something bad occurring or a critical moment to further move the plot further. In this movie sound plays more of a key role than music because each sound allows us to create a new characterization of the character's, while the music is more for a mere transitioning between sequences. The location analysis argue as well as I, has no key meaning to it, Michigan I think was more for scenery rather than particular meaning to it. I think a key vital symbol of the movie is the Gran Torino, which symbolizes justice and the overcoming of racial prejudice. Clint Eastwood a man prejudice and racist to characters especially Asian ones because he fought in the war against them, ends up growing to accept his neighbors and giving his prized car to Thao. The emotional message created through the film-making is that doing the right thing sometimes is even more precious than life itself and allows readers to see the process of development through Clint Eastwood.
