Derek Bentley and his family Free Essay Example

How effective is the end of the film in gaining the viewer’s sympathy for Derek Bentley and his family? In 1991, the opportunity arose for Peter Medak to direct the film, ‘Let Him Have It,’ the true story of how Derek Bentley, a brain damaged, epileptic teenager was tried and executed for murder in the 1950’s. During the period of 1991, Medak felt that the issues surrounding capital punishment needed to be brought to the forefront of public consciousness. He was convinced, as many other English people were, that young, slightly retarded Derek Bentley was railroaded by the British justice system.

The perpetual campaigning for his innocence and detailed media coverage over many years would have ensured Medak that he would receive a great public response from his representation of events. ‘Let Him Have It’ shows how Derek Bentley, a shy introverted character, becomes involved with a group of youths who lure him into a life of petty crime. Derek’s concerns over the activities of the gang are soon dismissed when he realises, Chris Craig, the arrogant and egotistical leader, is essentially his only friend.

At this point, the audience can sense it’s only a matter of time before something dreadful occurs and as the story unfolds we see that their feelings are substantiated. On the 2nd November 1952 Derek and his gun-wielding companion, Chris, find themselves cornered by the police on the top of a warehouse roof they were in the process of burgling. With Chris’ impulsive mind the situation seems destined to end in disaster and it’s apparent to the audience that Derek will be an innocent victim, in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Chaos breaks out at the scene of the crime and ultimately Chris shoots a policeman to death, as Derek watches helplessly. As the two defendants, Derek and Chris, stand trial several weeks later it becomes evident that Chris Craig could not be sentenced to death, following the murderous activity, since he was below the minimum age for execution. Many contentious points were disclosed at the trial and astoundingly the judge revealed to the jury that Derek Bentley was equally guilty of firing the shot.

After just 75 minutes of discussion the jury found both Derek and Chris guilty of the murder charges even though Derek never had been in contact with the gun. Despite Derek having a mental age of just 11 years old, in the eyes of the law it wasn’t significant, as his actual age was all that they accounted for. With this being above 18 years old, the weak and vulnerable character was sentenced to death regardless of the jury’s recommendation to mercy. On the 28th January 1953, Derek Bentley was hanged whilst Christopher Craig served just 10 years in prison.

‘Let Him Have It,’ is particularly controversial in comparison to many other films because it deals with a real life situation. The topic has created numerous debates over whether Bentley should have been hanged or not from the evidence that was disclosed. The fact that the outcome of Derek’s trial led to his death makes people more inclined to give their personal opinion, expressing how they really feel about the case. The ambiguous phrase ‘Let Him Have It,’ that Derek exclaimed as Chris was about to open fire, causes most of the controversy. Did he mean, ‘Let him have the gun’ or ‘Shoot him?

‘ The fact of Derek’s mental age also created disputes as it was clear he was mentally subnormal and ill prepared to undergo cross-examination at that period in time. From my knowledge of the case I think that Derek Bentley suffered a terrible miscarriage of justice. He was below the mental age of criminal responsibility and shouldn’t have even been on trial. Derek hadn’t once been in contact with the murder weapon and was already arrested when Chris opened fire. The evidence alone is enough to liberate Derek from his charges but an error of judgement caused his freedom to be withheld.

I also believe that the statement ‘Let Him Have It’, exclaimed by Bentley is inconclusive to what his intentions were and nobody can be certain that the policeman’s death was at Derek’s request. The last chapter of the film, ‘Cheerio’, is very effective in gaining the viewer’s sympathy for Derek Bentley and his family. The director uses numerous different aspects of cinematography to try and get his purpose across. Lighting is one of the most significant areas in cinematography. It enables the director to show people or objects in the way in which they want them to seen.

In the beginning of ‘Let Him Have It’, when the family are visiting Derek in prison, most of the light is artificial as it creates a dull and eerie atmosphere for the audience. Dark shadows from the prison bars are also seen on the wall so that the audience start to feel compassion towards Derek and his family when they are reminded of this innocent boy in confinement. The shadows from the prison bars are used furthermore when Derek is in his cell dictating a letter for his family. The shadows form straight across his face, alongside fearful expressions, symbolising his terrible time in prison.

During a film it is more usual for the lighting to be off-frame, however, in particular scenes of ‘Let Him Have It’ the source of light is visible in the shots. This occurs when Derek’s grieving family return home from their final prison visit. They are all sitting in the back of a taxi when a large group of the press appears. The continuous camera flashes are the only things that light up the families faces, which results in the scene being mysterious and ghostly and makes the audience uncertain of when the next sudden flash will occur.

Natural light is used in this film to portray peace and hope. It is only used in scenes where there is not much action going on compared to the rest of ‘Let Him Have It’. For example, natural light occurs when Mr Bentley is waiting for the appeal response in the House of Commons. We, as an audience, still believe that there’s a chance Derek’s punishment will be reconsidered so that the execution will not go ahead, but the appeal is unsuccessful. Natural light is also used when Derek’s father is standing alone in the street outside their house.

The natural daylight emphasises Mr Bentley’s isolation in the tranquil surroundings as he feels powerless to intervene with Derek’s punishment, and nobody else is there to help. Just before Derek’s execution the family seem to lock themselves away in their house to mourn. The curtains are shut allowing no natural light through except a few beams from the gaps, which fall directly on the clock to make the audience aware of the little time Derek has left. The flickering candles and burning fire produce the only light in the room as the family grieves.

This creates a very emotional atmosphere for the audience and keeps them intrigued in the final section. In Derek’s last moments the lighting is dull. There is only one tiny window in the corner of the window, which creates the feeling of two different worlds; the prison and outside. Straight after the terrible execution of Derek Bentley the camera follows up the fatal rope and suddenly there is an extremely bright light. This symbolises Derek’s spirit leaving his body and escaping his past.

It is a very significant shot and creates the feeling of eventual happiness for Derek as he had been liberated from his troubles but in the worst way possible. The sound in a film is another major aspect of cinematography. It compliments the visual images to communicate the meanings of the film. At the beginning of the ‘Cheerio’ chapter a large crowd of people are seen gathered outside the prison in support for Derek. The screaming and chaotic noises represent how they feel about the case and portray sympathy for Derek and his family. Whilst the family are visiting Derek the tone of their voices are soft, almost whispers.

This is because they know that nothing they say will make him feel any better. Music starts to play, gradually getting louder in response to the mood of the scene. It creates tension as the family finally leave and have to say goodbye to Derek for the last time. It is a sentimental moment and the audience can hear Derek struggling to hold back his emotions as his family disappear. When Mr Bentley is waiting in the House of Commons the sound is the most significant aspect of the scene. Loud, drowning music is heard as well as footsteps when he starts to pace up and down the room impatiently.

All of a sudden the audience hear a door opening and then a lot of simultaneous discussions from a large group of men. They walk quickly over to Mr Bentley and announce Derek’s unsuccessful appeal attempt. The bad news starts off a rush of music in sorrowful minor chords, which create a sad, eerie effect and keeps the audience alert. As the family arrive home, the audience can immediately hear camera shots by the press but surprisingly silence falls as the family get out of the vehicle. This shows that the paparazzi suddenly realise the negative impact of their presence on Derek’s family.

They start to show some respect as they make a walkway for the family to come through. Mr Bentley’s isolation is portrayed as he is standing in his street very early one morning. All that can be heard is horses feet trotting and milk bottles banging together. Apart from that, there is total silence. The audience try to emphasise with him and try to understand the pain that he is going through. In the film when Derek is dictating a letter for his family he starts to sound much more cheerful than usual and even makes some jokes. His voice seems happier and he starts to smile. All of a sudden he becomes aware of the reality of his situation.

His speech turns quicker, more emotional and with frequent stammers. His voice also becomes stern and abrupt as the anger within him takes over. The audience understand his fury, as this innocent child is being punished for a crime, which he did not commit. For the last part of ‘Let Him Have It’ the clock is extremely symbolic. At every available chance the audience hear it ticking to remind them of Derek’s execution. The music played turns softer and gentler as his death approaches. Tears are heard almost continually in the last few minutes of the film from numerous people, as the emotion accumulates.

As Derek says his final prayers he becomes quieter and slower as his execution draws nearer. The background noises become noticeable so the audience can tell that the equipment is being prepared. This causes a lot of tension and anxiety. On the scene of Derek’s execution there seems to be a lot of commotion. The audience try and sympathise with Derek at his time of need, when he is brought to his death place. A mask is quickly put over his head and the sound of his intense breathing is exaggerated for the audience to create a dramatic effect.

We can hear the rustling of bolts as they are being unscrewed and then the sudden drop of Derek’s body. All at once there is complete silence. The sombre mood builds up emotion for the audience and soft music is played in the background to coincide with the effect. In Derek’s home the mood is just as emotional. The family grieve all together with the clock ticking in the background. It eventually slows down and stops, symbolising Derek’s heart rate as he is killed Composition is a term used to describe elements that contribute to the appearance of a frame for dramatic purposes.

Throughout the last chapter of ‘Let Him Have It’ the most vivid and significant shot is the extreme close-up of Iris’ eye when the family had gone to visit Derek in prison. This expresses, to the audience, her sombre mood and the strain that she has been put under, fighting for her brother’s life. During the visit to see Derek, a number of different shots are used to portray emotions of the characters. A subjective shot is used as Derek is speaking to a member of his family to make the audience feel as if they are included in the conversation.

There are also individual close-up shots showing anger and frustration on all of their faces, as they are helpless to intervene with the justice system. When Mr Bentley is in the House of Commons an establishing shot is shown, which provides important information to the audience about the setting of the scene. The camera then zooms in on the characters to maintain a detailed viewing of the story. Derek’s father is also seen in the street outside his house. A long shot is used followed by a crane shot, which reveals his complete isolation by the remote surroundings and helps the audience to understand his situation.

Throughout the final part of ‘Cheerio’ there are a lot of close-up shots, which brings the story to an end as it focuses on the most significant factors in the story. One of which is the unity of Derek’s family. In many of the concluding scenes we, as an audience, see them grieving together and helping each other through, what is probably, the hardest time in their lives. The clock is a symbolic object, which is also used for many close-up shots. This is to build up tension for the audience and to always make them conscious of Derek’s remaining time. As time goes by a supporting crowd gather outside the prison for Derek.

A crane shot is used to see the surroundings and to show the mass of people who were prepared to campaign for his right to live. This shows the audience the encouragement that was given from the majority of the public, but how it still didn’t change the outcome of the case. In Derek’s last moments the composition effects are very intense. The shots become quick and sharp to keep the audiences attention so that they are intrigued up until the very last shot. As Derek is being led to his death a subjective shot of the rope is used which, makes the audience sympathise deeply with him and it makes them wonder how it ever came to happen.

Straight after the hanging occurs there is an emotional shot of just Derek’s shoes, at the bottom of the hanging platform, which, must have fallen off in the terrible ordeal. This makes the audience aware of the reality of the film and shows the only remains of an innocent child. The camera shot ascends up the rope and suddenly connects with an aerial view over Derek’s hometown, which symbolises his soul after leaving his body. The camera floats through the air, eventually ending up in their house, creating an eerie feeling for the audience.

The last shot of the film focuses once again closely on the clock. But in this frame it has suddenly stopped. Derek’s time is up! Special FX are particular to each film and in ‘Let Him Have It’ the most significant effect is the period detail. The film was set in 1952 so the detail of clothing, hairstyles and everyday objects have to be specific to the period of time. The clothing that is worn seems to be very dull, especially in the ‘Cheerio’ section, reflecting the mood of the film. There doesn’t seem to be any bright colours and most of the clothes are of the same style.

At the beginning of the ‘Cheerio’ section there is a large gathering of people outside the prison expressing their support for Derek. The majority of the crowd are wearing long, dark coats and hats and this image is carried on throughout the film. We can also identify the period detail from the banners that the supporters are holding. They are hand written and appear in just one colour. This shows the lack of technology and resources just 50 years ago. The clothes that most of the people in the film are wearing don’t seem to be very expensive so this gives the audience an idea of their status in society.

At some stage during the film uniforms are seen for police officers, prison wardens and postmen. We can immediately see the difference from what their like at this present time. The hairstyles in the film are very dated in comparison to the modern styles, which are around today. Most of the women’s hair is seen as permed and the men’s is short and smart. The transport that is used throughout the film would have had to be made into what it would have looked like in 1952. In the first scene of ‘Cheerio’ the audience can see a police car that is very dissimilar to any around in today’s society.

When the producers of ‘Let Him Have It’ were filming outside in public places they would have had to make sure that the period detail for the film was in place so that they could achieve the right affect. In ‘Let Him Have It’ when Mr Bentley wonders outside his house into the street, we can tell that there must have been some radical transformations. The cars are old and there are very few of them about. We can see somebody travelling on a bike, showing that this form of transport was much more widely used. The milk is being delivered by a horse and cart and the street lamps are very old fashioned.

These alterations are of great significance because it brings all of the film together and makes the story more realistic for the audience. The di?? cor, which has been created for this film, makes the setting even more true to life. The inside of the prison and Derek’s house represents what they would have looked like back in that period of time. The colours are dull and a lot of floral patterns are used. The piano in the corner of Derek’s house creates an image of the family gathered around it making their own entertainment and the photographs around the house are all black and white as colour pictures wouldn’t have been available.

All of the special FX which have been mentioned, combine together to produce a naturalistic representation of a story which occurred in the 1950’s. Without any of these features the film wouldn’t have been as dramatic and effective. Editing is the process, which selects and organises the shots in a film to make it more interesting and dramatic for the audience. Throughout ‘Let Him have It’ the use of editing prevents continuous shots and is an effective way of getting peoples attention. This is shown in the first scene, when a shot outside the prison is immediately connected with a close up shot into Iris’ eye.

It makes the audience aware of the impact that surprising shots have and how they keep you engrossed in the film. Editing is also used to give the audience a better understanding of the set as it helps them to see things from different camera positions. When Derek’s father is waiting in the House of Commons to hear a response about the appeal, he is standing all alone in a huge entrance hall. The immensity of this room is shown by the arrangement and complexity of different camera angles. The audience start to emphasise with Mr Bentley as it creates the feeling of isolation; such a small and bewildered man compares to the size of the hallway.

‘Let Him Have It’ also uses editing to show the emotions of characters as others are speaking. In the film, when Derek is dictating a letter to one of the prison officers, the different shots make it possible to see both of them separately as Derek is speaking. We, as an audience, can see sympathetic expressions from the officer, and we start to realise how Derek’s presence has an immediate affect on how people perceive the case. Suspense and anticipation are also the result of specific editing.

Near the end of the film there are a number of scenes with a very short time duration, which keeps the audience alert and creates excitement in the conclusion. Tension increases as the shots keep skipping from two different sets. This is shown in the film as Derek is saying his prayers prior to the execution. The film continually goes back to the scene of Derek’s grieving family, so that the audience can see what two groups of people are doing at the same time. The emotion accumulates for the viewers as they watch how the family deals with the situation alongside Derek’s terror and loneliness.

As Derek’s execution is approaching, the film frequently cuts to the scene of a ticking clock. This is a very important symbol of Derek’s remaining life and it makes the audience more enthralled in the rest of the film. ‘Let Him Have It’ is a brilliant reconstruction of the real life case of Derek Bentley. Peter Medak, the director, successfully portrays the innocence of a brain-damaged teenager by showing a legal system less concerned with justice than proving itself correct. Medak secures the audiences sympathy for Derek Bentley by creating an emotional and compelling interpretation of events.