slumdog millionaire

• Slumdog Millionaire

  2008 film directed by Danny Boyle, UK
• Film

  • Component 2: Global Film; Narrative, Representation & Film Style
• Narrative

  The narrative is told through a series of flashbacks as Jamal Malik (18 at the time) recounts how he is able to answer each of the 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' quiz questions correctly
• Cinematography

  • Canted shots of the quiz studio creating confusion and reflecting the feelings of the protagonist
  • Monochromatic colour used to signify the 'current' strand of the narrative
  • Hand-held cameras taking the audience into the slums and adding to the frenetic pace
  • Change from 35mm to smaller digital cameras to avoid spectators and film within the confines of the slums
• Mise-en-Scène

  • Contrast between glossy studio setting and grimy police station/slums
  • Use of titles to frame the link to the television quiz
  • Subtitles add to sense of realism
• Editing

  • 11 frames per second creating slow-motion, dream-like feel
  • Flash cutting to create sense of confusion between narrative threads
  • Cross cutting to show different narrative strands
  • Won 2009 Academy Award for Best Film Editing
• Sound

  • Diegetic sounds from TV studio and leitmotif indicate setting and link to Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
  • Sound bridges connect different narrative elements
  • Urban soundtrack by A.R. Rahman reflecting gritty realism and Mumbai/Western fusion
• Social Context

  • Boyle and Beaufoy aimed to portray the energy and community of the slums to challenge traditional representations
  • Controversy around how cast/crew were paid and film's representations
• Historical Context


  • Film draws on and references Bollywood tradition
  • Cultural significance of cinema in India referenced
• Narrative


  • Narrative built around the game show with cumulative tension
  • Use of flashback and non-linear structure
  • Questions mark the chapters in Jamal's life
  • Applying narrative theory such as Propp, Todorov, Levi-Strauss