Slumdog millionaire - a perfect ending?

Is the ending of slumdog millionaire a Hollywood ending?

Hollywood ending- a conventional ending in a film, typically regarded as sentimental or simplistic and often featuring an improbably positive outcome
















Slumdog millionaire has a Hollywood ending because the film concludes using a number of narrative structures. one of these is the equilibrium from Todorov's narrative theory. The main characters have gone through lots including overcoming challenges and now are in the new equilibrium which means this is the new "normal" for the characters. It also shows that its a happy ending because Jamal and Latika can now live a happy life. This helps make the ending powerful because lots of the film has shown Jamal and Latika in trouble and in bad situations but now, at the end, they can finally be happy.
On the other hand, the ending of slumdog millionaire is inappropriate. Even though it is a happy ending the dance scene doesn't match the style or even genre to the rest of the film. Through most of the film the style has been generally serious and even quite dark in places, like when a young child is blinded, but in the final scene all of that changes because of a bright, colourful,exciting and fun dance scene. It's mainly inappropriate because it doesn't match the rest of the film. I think if the film was a musical, like grease, the final dance scene would fit in far better and match the rest of the film.

Slumdog millionaire could be seen as a Bollywood film because of the final, dance scene. This is because of what the characters are doing, which is dancing which is often associated with Bollywood. It could also be associated with Bollywood because of the music used in the scene which relates to Bollywood because of the style and genre of the song.  

Slum dog millionaire A3 narrative grid.

slumdog millionaire viewing notes

Slumdog millionaire vieSLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Viewing Notes

Chapter 1: One Question Away

1.       Some of the opening scene is set in the ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’ studio. Where do you think the rest of it is set?

A police station possibly.

2. What effect does cutting between two different times and places have on you?

 Cross cutting, shows they are at different places and most likely, different time periods.

3. What questions do you have at the end of this scene?

Why don’t they believe him? Who are they?

Chapter 2: Tell Me How You Cheated

1. What do you think Jamal is being accused of?

 Cheating on who wants to be a millionaire, which has happened before in real life.

2. How do we feel about Jamal when he is being tortured in this scene?

 We feel sorry for him but we don’t know whether he cheated or not.

3.   How is Jamal represented when he replies “The answers”?

 Calm because he knows he hasn’t cheated.

Chapter 3: Children of the Slums

1. What is your view of the slum based on how it is represented in this scene?

 The conditions look very poor and is very over crowded and busy. It also shows how the children are in danger because they are being chased by fully grown adults and are running across roof tops which is very dangerous, especially because it’s a young child doing it.

2. How do think this scene might be related to the previous scenes?

 We think that the child the scene follows is a young Jamal

               

Chapter 4: Superstar!

1. What moments of comedy are evident in this scene?

 When  Jamal is locked in the toilet and a celebrity/hero arrives and he wants to meet him. There is now way he will escape apart from going through the poo and in the toilet. He does this because he is so desperate to meet and get an autograph from the celebrity.

2. How do you feel about Jamal in this scene?

 Its very funny but it just shows how much he wanted to meet the celebrity and get an autograph from him and he will do anything to achieve.

3. How do you feel about Salim?

 He locked Jamal in the toilet because he was angry about him taking too long in the toilet which ended in him losing a customer.

4. How does the flashback to the cesspit scene link to what is happening on ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’

He uses the flashback to work out the answer to the question.

Chapter 5: India's National Emblem

1. How do we feel about the Police Inspector and Sergeant?

 I think it is unfair they are torturing him because they don’t know he cheated and they don’t believe him

2.   How does this affect how we feel about Jamal? 

 We feel sorry for him because we think its likely that he didn’t cheat as he is the protagonist in the film which means he isn’t going to do anything bad.

Chapter 6: Bow and Arrow

1. How is Salim and Jamal’s life irrevocably altered in this scene?

 Their life is altered because their mother is killed.

2. How does this scene link to the question asked by Kumar at the start of this scene?

The scene links to the question because when running away, they spot God Rama and he sees that he is holding a bow and arrow.

3.  What does Jamal blame for the awful occurrence in this scene?

 He blames Rama and Allah for his mother’s death

  

 

Chapter 7: Orphaned and Homeless

1. How do Salim and Jamal’s reactions to Latika differ?

2.   How does this affect your views of the brothers?  

               

               

Chapter 8: A Bloody Saint

1. How do you feel when you see the children scavenging on the rubbish dump?

 I feel sorry for them, and I think most people would agree with this, mainly because of how young they are having to work incredibly hard doing a really horrible job.

2.      What is your view of Maman in this scene?

 To start with he seems nice as he gives the children drinks and it looks like he’s going to take them somewhere nice where they can play and have fun

Chapter 9: Little Beggars

1. What are the children expected to do?

 They are expected to work just as much or even more than when they were at the rubbish dump.

2. How does Salim’s role develop in this scene?

 Salim becomes more of a leader to the group of children as he starts ordering them about and telling them to work.

 3.How does this alter your views about him?

 This makes me think he isn’t very nice and can be horrible. As well as bossing people about, he threatens to drop a baby

4. Are there any moments of comedy in this scene? Describe them.

 The children try and alert the police that they are in danger but they do nothing apart from get the children to leave.

Chapter 10: Run!

1. What does Maman do in this scene?

 He blinds one of the children.

2. How does this alter how we feel about him?

 It changes from us seeing him as a bit of a hero to the children to now him being a villain and as someone very scary.

3. a. What does Salim do in this scene that surprises us? 

 He chucks the acid over the assistants face.

3.b.  What does this show us about Salim?

 He is willing to hurt and make sacrifices to escape.

4. a. What does Salim do in this scene which we expect, based on previous scenes?

 He escapes making sure jamal is with him. They both manage to escape.

4. b. How do feel about him by the end of the scene?

 Because they escaped he had to leave Latika behind meaning she’s most likely in danger.

               

Chapter 11: Riding the Rails

1. How does this scene provide relief from the previous scene?

It shows relief because the children can finally escape from Maman so they don’t have to do work anymore.

Chapter 12: Is this heaven?

1. How does the India shown to the tourists compare with ‘the real India’ Jamal tells the Americans about?

 Tourists only see the grand, prestigious and rich side of India like the Taj mahal but when visiting they don’t ever see all the poverty. Also when Jamal tells the toursits about it he just made it up so they gave him money for the tour. This sparks ideas for him to do other things to make money.

2.   How do the America tourists show ‘the real America’?

They show the real America by giving Jamal some money to make him feel better about getting beaten up.

Chapter 13: Benjamin Franklin 

1. Why did Jamal come back to Mumbai?

 He goes back to Mumbai to look for Latika but he also runs into Arivind, who is the boy he watched being blinded.

2. What does that show about him?

 It shows how much he likes Latika and wants them to all be together again.

 

Chapter 14: The Unlucky One 

1. How does Jamal’s meeting with Arvind make you feel?

 It made me happy they found each other again but it was quite sad because Arvind was blind and nothing was wrong with Jamal.

Chapter 15: On His Knees

1. Where is this scene set?

 It is set in a brothel owned by maman.

2. Who is the conflict between in this scene?

 Between the 2 brothers and Maman because he is still out to catch them.

3. Compare how we feel about Salim and Maman in this scene.

 There is a sense of fear around Maman because he is so eager for revenge as he wants to catch salim. We feel sorry for salim because he has been looking for Latika for a long time and the minute he finds her hes in danger again.

Chapter 16: My Enemy's Enemy

1. How is Jamal presented as chivalrous in this scene?

2. Salim goes to find Javeed. What does this show about his ambitions?

               

Chapter: 17: The Man with the Gun

1. Compare how Salim and Jamal’s feelings towards Latika are presented in this scene. What motivates them?

Salim just wants the money but Jamals is doing it to protect Latika.

Chapter 18: Friends and Family

1. What is Jamal’s job now?

 He sells things

2. How is Jamal represented in this scene? Consider his answers to the trainer at the start and his resourcefulness in locating his brother.

 He seems to threaten people far more then he did before thanks to now having a gun.

 

3. Which recognisable aspects of Britishness are featured in this scene?

Chapter 19: The Old Slum

1. How has the slum changed?

 The buildings look more like buildings instead of badly made shacks and they look more established.

2. How does this link to the social context of the film?

3.a. Jamal is angry in this scene.  a. How is the extremity of this anger shown?

 He threatens people with the gun and will kill them if they don’t help him

b. Jamal contains his anger. How does this affect your view of him?

  Although it makes me feel better about him for not killing anyone he still has killed someone before and we will always be reminded of that.

 

4. Salim describes himself as “at the centre of the centre” of business in India. How does this affect your view of him?

This changes the way we view him because he used to be a poor nobody but now everyone knows him, he rich and very successful.

               

Chapter 20: Why Are You Here?

1. Salim gets his gun ready, then prays. What is your view of Salim here?

 He doesn’t have the nerves to kill anybody.

2. How is the contrast between rich and poor shown in this scene?

 It cuts from big expensive buildings to small badly built slum like buildings

3. How have the feelings between Jamal and Latika evolved? 

 They aren’t restricted by Maman now. Jamal likes Latika but she doesn’t seem very happy to see him

4. How has Latika changed?

 She doesn’t like Jamal as much

5.    Has Jamal changed or is he still the same? 

 Jamal hasn’t changed, he wants Latika to come with him.

Chapter 21: You Could Lose Everything

1.       Why do you think Jamal continues to keep playing, despite knowing that he could ‘lose everything’?

He keeps playing because he knows he has the chance to win the jackpot and he might know the answer because of past experiences

Chapter 22: So Close 

1. How do we feel about Jamal in this scene?

 We feel bad for him because he was so close to saving Latika

2. How do we feel about Latika in this scene?

 We feel sorry for her because she is captured and hurt.

3. How do we feel about Salim in this scene?      

4. How does this scene accelerate the action in order to build towards the climax of the film?

 It keeps tension building until the final question. All the chasing could be foreshadowing to Latika running to get the phone in the final question at the end.

               

Chapter 23: The Answer Is B.

 1. What does Kumar do in the toilets at the start of this scene?

 He tells him the answer is D, but the actual answer is B

2. How does this alter what you think of Kumar?

 We start to think that Kumar doesn’t want him to win.

3. Why do you think Jamal doesn’t take Kumar’s suggestion?

 Because he doesn’t trust him

4. How do you feel about Kumar at the end of this scene?

 He seems more like an antagonist now.

Chapter 24: Please Forgive Me

1. Why did Jamal go on ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’?

 Earlier on Latika calls the show a chance to escape which is exactly what the show is about.

2. What does Salim do in this scene that you didn’t expect?

3. How does this change how you feel about Salim?

Chapter 25: We Love You, Jamal! 

1. Why do think all of the crowds ‘love’ Jamal?

 I think they love him because he started out as a poor nobody but now he’s done amazing things and he is like a celebrity.

2. How do you feel as Jamal and Latika battle to get to the studio?

 We are really nervous because we want them to get to the studio so they can win the money.

3. How is cross-cutting used to emphasise this?

 It cuts between the poor slums and the rich buildings and television studio.

Chapter 26: The Third Musketeer

1. Why does Jamal play, even though he doesn’t know the answer. Consider why he went on the show.

 Because he knows there is a small chance he’s right.

2. How do you feel when Latika answers the phone?

 Although we can see she is going to answer it thanks to cross cutting its still a big surprise when she answers the phone because he wasn’t expecting her to answer.

3. What does Salim do in this scene to emphasise how his character has changed throughout the film?

 He is doing something for his brother instead of himself.

4. How do you feel about Salim’s death?

 He sacrificed himself so his brother could be happy which I think is a very brave thing to do

5.   How do you feel about Kumar as he encourages Jamal to celebrate? 

 It seems quite fake after he tried to give Jamal the wrong answer earlier in the show.

Chapter 27: It Is Written

1. How does this scene contrast to the end of the last scene? Is it what you would expect?

 There is far less tension and pressure in this scene after him winning all the money

2.   How do you feel as this scene builds up to the climax?

 Jamal and Latika finally meet again without anyone stopping them

3.   Boyle includes a montage of flashbacks from throughout the film in this final scene. How does this add to the build up?

 Because it shows his journey which has helped him win who wants to be a millionaire

4. What is the final resolution?

 They finally can be together.

Chapter 28: End Titles

1.       How does the Bollywood dance sequence at the conclusion of the film make you feel?

To be honest I thought it was a bit weird because it didn’t really have anything to do with what had happened in the filmwing notes:

Circular narrative task 2

This is the 2nd circular narrative task

I used time lapse, match on action and I had a go at a whip pan