I will be analysing this clip of the final fight scene from the film 'Equilibrium'.
Narrative:
‘Equilibrium’ is about a dystopian world in the future where humans are stopped from feeling emotions, as they are believed to be the root cause of conflict. The main character, John Preston, is a ‘cleric’ - people who locate and destroy emotionally stimulating materials such as art and music and kill the people using them. Preston stops taking his Prozium (the drug that stops emotion) and then fights back.
The film does not really begin with an ‘equilibrium’ – the beginning to the story before the problem arises – as everybody is already taking Prozium. The disruption occurs when Preston stops taking his Prozium and discovers and underground group of people who do not take the drug. The resolution is when Preston kills the leader, known as the ‘Father’.
The music in the film is very typical of the action adventure genre. It has a fast drumbeat and has a slightly futuristic sound.
Iconography:
One of the most iconic things in this film is Preston’s clothing. As a cleric, he wore a completely black uniform, the same as everybody else. When he goes to the fight at the end of the film, he is wearing a white uniform. This represents his stand for good, not evil, and also shows that he is unlike everybody else – he is not conforming to their rules. The two guns that Preston uses are very iconic, as they represent the special style of fighting that the clerics are taught, which he then uses to kill the Father. The bad guys are also easily separable from Preston, with their black outfits with the large black helmets.
Characters:
The protagonist, Preston, is an interesting hero, as he began as part of the large organisation which he ends up destroying. He is not worried about killing large numbers of people, but does it to free everyone from their controlling lifestyle. Preston is also made more three-dimensional as a character, as we find out about his past and his wife’s death, and how he felt nothing as he watched her burn.
Settings:
Set in the future, the dystopian state called Libria is a place where everything is ordered and identical. Everything is in control and there is no obvious threat. The thing wrong with this city is not a murderous monster or a serial killer, but each person’s lack of control over their own feelings and their own choices. The setting of a dystopian future is typical of the genre. For example, this is also the setting of the film ‘V for Vendetta’.
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Homework: Genre and Narrative Analysis
This is a clip from the film '21'.
Genre:
The genre of the film ‘21’ is a teen drama. The film is about a group of American High School students who travel to Vegas on the weekends in order to count cards and make lots of money.
This film is shown to be a teen film as the majority of the main characters are teenagers at school. It also contains plenty of teen-style humour and deals with friendships and romantic relationships. The film is also a drama, as it deals with betrayal, gambling addiction and other emotive subjects that strain the relationships within the group. The film’s thrills come from the plot twists, not action – as they commonly do in dramas.
Propp’s Key Characters:Some of these key characters relate to the film, but as the film is a drama, there is not really a ‘hero’ or someone to save the day. The hero for this film would have to be the main character, Ben, who manages to foil Micky Rosa (the leader of the blackjack team) after he tries to escape with the group’s money. Ben is a very smart teenager and he plays the hero by outsmarting the villain. Ben, in a way, is also an anti-hero, as he falls into a downward spiral as he becomes more and more greedy, trying to win as much money as possible and endangering his friends.
The ‘princess’ character is Jill, the protagonist’s love interest. Instead of being weak and helpless, Jill is an intelligent character, slightly challenging the stereotype.
The villain is shown to be the casino manager, Cole Williams, near the start of the film, though it is later revealed that Rosa is also a villain. Williams helps the group to get their money back, but then demands that they give it back at gun point.
‘Helpers’ include Ben’s original friends and also some members of the blackjack team, who help him see the error of his ways and get him back on the right track.
The ‘princess’s father’ does not really appear in the film.
Todorov’s Narrative Theory:’21’ is fairly conventional when it comes to the narrative structure.
Equilibrium: At the beginning of the film, we see Ben, the protagonist, applying for a place at Harvard Medical School. There is nothing particularly special about his life, apart from his above average intelligence.
Disruption: Ben joins the card counting group and begins to travel to Vegas on the weekends, where he quickly becomes addicted to the rush of winning. Rosa, their leader, steals all the money that Ben has made to get into Harvard Medical School, and Ben has lost everything that he has worked for.
Resolution: The card counting group work together to trick Rosa and take the money back that he stole. This appears to be the happy ending, but Williams (the casino manager) forces them to give up the money at gun point. Ben rejoins his friends, and uses the story of his life in Vegas counting cards to impress the Harvard administrator and to get him a scholarship.Ben joins the card counting group and begins to travel to Vegas on the weekends, where he quickly becomes addicted to the rush of winning. Rosa, their leader, steals all the money that Ben has made to get into Harvard Medical School, and Ben has lost everything that he has worked for.At the beginning of the film, we see Ben, the protagonist, applying for a place at Harvard Medical School. There is nothing particularly special about his life, apart from his above average intelligence.
Genre:
The genre of the film ‘21’ is a teen drama. The film is about a group of American High School students who travel to Vegas on the weekends in order to count cards and make lots of money.
This film is shown to be a teen film as the majority of the main characters are teenagers at school. It also contains plenty of teen-style humour and deals with friendships and romantic relationships. The film is also a drama, as it deals with betrayal, gambling addiction and other emotive subjects that strain the relationships within the group. The film’s thrills come from the plot twists, not action – as they commonly do in dramas.
Propp’s Key Characters:Some of these key characters relate to the film, but as the film is a drama, there is not really a ‘hero’ or someone to save the day. The hero for this film would have to be the main character, Ben, who manages to foil Micky Rosa (the leader of the blackjack team) after he tries to escape with the group’s money. Ben is a very smart teenager and he plays the hero by outsmarting the villain. Ben, in a way, is also an anti-hero, as he falls into a downward spiral as he becomes more and more greedy, trying to win as much money as possible and endangering his friends.
The ‘princess’ character is Jill, the protagonist’s love interest. Instead of being weak and helpless, Jill is an intelligent character, slightly challenging the stereotype.
The villain is shown to be the casino manager, Cole Williams, near the start of the film, though it is later revealed that Rosa is also a villain. Williams helps the group to get their money back, but then demands that they give it back at gun point.
‘Helpers’ include Ben’s original friends and also some members of the blackjack team, who help him see the error of his ways and get him back on the right track.
The ‘princess’s father’ does not really appear in the film.
Todorov’s Narrative Theory:’21’ is fairly conventional when it comes to the narrative structure.
Equilibrium: At the beginning of the film, we see Ben, the protagonist, applying for a place at Harvard Medical School. There is nothing particularly special about his life, apart from his above average intelligence.
Disruption: Ben joins the card counting group and begins to travel to Vegas on the weekends, where he quickly becomes addicted to the rush of winning. Rosa, their leader, steals all the money that Ben has made to get into Harvard Medical School, and Ben has lost everything that he has worked for.
Resolution: The card counting group work together to trick Rosa and take the money back that he stole. This appears to be the happy ending, but Williams (the casino manager) forces them to give up the money at gun point. Ben rejoins his friends, and uses the story of his life in Vegas counting cards to impress the Harvard administrator and to get him a scholarship.Ben joins the card counting group and begins to travel to Vegas on the weekends, where he quickly becomes addicted to the rush of winning. Rosa, their leader, steals all the money that Ben has made to get into Harvard Medical School, and Ben has lost everything that he has worked for.At the beginning of the film, we see Ben, the protagonist, applying for a place at Harvard Medical School. There is nothing particularly special about his life, apart from his above average intelligence.
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