Breaking my own rule of posting only songs in French. However, since we are discussing this film tonight, with my “formidable” FREN 305 group and guest speaker, sociologist Vanessa Lynn, I decided to post the opening credits of Kassovitz’s La Haine, featuring Bob Marley’s “Burnin’ and Lootin.’”

The video below includes only the short narrative at the very beginning of the film, which Hubert tells Vinz later in the film, and which is repeated, with a slight modification, at the end of the film: “

C’est l’histoire d’un homme qui tombe d’un immeuble de 50 étages. Le mec, au fur et à mesure de sa chute, il se répète sans cesse pour se rassurer : « Jusqu’ici tout va bien… Jusqu’ici tout va bien… Jusqu’ici tout va bien. » Mais l’important, c’est pas la chute. C’est l’atterrissage.

“Burnin’ and Lootin’” Bob Marley

This morning I woke up in a curfew
O God, I was a prisoner too, yeah!
Could not recognize the faces standing over me
They were all dressed in uniforms of brutality, eh!

How many rivers do we have to cross
Before we can talk to the boss? Eh!
All that we got, it seems we have lost
We must have really paid the cost

Burnin’ and a-lootin’ tonight
(Say we gonna burn and loot)
Burnin’ and a-lootin’ tonight
(One more thing)
Burnin’ all pollution tonight
(Oh, yeah, yeah)
Burnin’ all illusion tonight

Oh, stop them!
Give me the food and let me grow
Let the Roots Man take a blow
All them drugs gonna make you slow now
It’s not the music of the ghetto. Eh!

Weepin’ and a-wailin’ tonight
(Ooh, can’t stop the tears!)
Weepin’ and a-wailin’ tonight
(We’ve been suffering these long, long-a years)
Weepin’ and a-wailin’ tonight
(Will you say cheer?)
Weepin’ and a-wailin’ tonight
(But where?)

Give me the food and let me grow
Let the roots man take a blow
All them drugs gonna make you slow
It’s not the music of the ghetto
We gonna be burnin’ and a-lootin’ tonight
(To survive, yeah!)
Burnin’ and a-lootin’ tonight
(Save your babies’ lives)
Burning all pollution tonight
(Pollution)
Burning all illusion tonight
(Lord-a, Lord-a, Lord-a, Lord!)

Burning and a-looting tonight
Burning and a-looting tonight
Burning all pollution tonight