Thriller Narratives

Theories

 

I am researching whether Toderov’s , Propp and levi-Strauss’s theories fit with the thriller genre. I will be talking about how each theory either fits or doesn’t fit with the specific film that I have chosen which is ‘Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes.’ I’m researching this so that I am able to apply what I learn into my own opening to my thriller movie.

TodeRov –

In Toderov’s theory he explains that each film will follow the same narrative in which there will be a initial equilibrium such as the person or apes in this case are living a normal life. They then have a disequilibrium in which the apes peaceful home in which they live in away from all of the humans is interrupted. A human finds the apes and therefore the apes now have a problem because the humans have found where they are. The next thing that should happen in Toderov’s theory is that there should be a taking action to stop that disequilibrium and repair the situation. In this movie the apes take action by going after the humans and capturing some, whilst going to civilization to attack the rest. Although this is the apes taking action they are also overcoming the disequilibrium but making a new disequilibrium. Then finally there should be a new equilibrium which ends up happier. In this case

Propp –

Propp says that we can see particular character types. For example in each film there should be a protagonist and antagonist. They should also have a princess. In this case in the film that I am looking at you can clearly see the ‘Princess’ as she is the only female in the group in the group that find the apes. In Propp’s theory in the end of the film the protagonist should get the princess and they should live a happy life. He also says that in a film you have the sidekick. This is in every movie because the protagonist always needs someone to have their back. This movie is the same as the protagonist has his trusty sidekick who helps him to the end.  Then you have the less important characters that aren’t shown as much but whether or not the audience notice they are there. These characters include ‘The Donor’ who helps guide the protagonist through their journey. This is an essential character to a story as they are the way that the protagonist is able to progress through their adventure. This character is applicable in my film that I have picked as in the movie a scientist is used to help show the protagonist what to do.

Levi Strauss –

In this film this theory can be applied because there is a fine line between love and hate. In the movie the apes love each other and love their lives that they are living. When the humans appear they hate them for intruding in their land. As the audience we are able to understand the hate because we are able to understand that it is the opposite of love. If it wasn’t different then the apes would have acted completely different to the humans the first time that they saw them. This shows the binary oppositions between love and hate. This is essential for this movie as we need to see the opposition between good and evil throughout to understand what is happening during the film. This is essential to a film so that they story is able to unfold.

Conclusion –

In conclusion I feel that Toderov’s theory is the most relatable to the film that I have chosen because I am able to clearly identify the equilibrium etc. This is due to the fact that every film follows this basis therefore it is the easiest one to pick out. I would have to follow this basic structure in my opening so that I am able to follow the structure that is set in stone. By following this structure I am able to make sure that my audience know what will happen next.