Thursday, 17 September 2015

Breakdown Film Homework

The film 'Breakdown' carries the genres of action, thriller and at some points could be seen western. Within the films content there are various conventions which point towards these certain genres, the conventions which point towards the film carrying the genre of western is the setting of the film, this is because the film is set very remote landscape which looks to be in the middle of America, also in the opening scenes there is a golden tinge covering the entire landscape this could indicate the fact that money is involved in the film, this also indicates towards the genre of western as usually within this genre there disputes over money. 
Using Todorov's Equilibrium Theory, we see that the equilibrium (peace) of the film is in the beginning when the couple are shown travelling across country through America without a care in the world, the second of Todorov's Theory we see in the film is the disruption theory when the peace is disrupted by an event within the film.  We see this theory appear in 'Breakdown' when earl begins to mess with the mechanics of the car. The third part of "Todorov's Theory" is the recognition phase, this is when the main characters realize that the state of equilibrium has been disrupted. In the film "Breakdown" the couple realize that the equilibrium has been broken when their car breaks down in the middle of no where for an unexplained reason and the man's wife is kidnapped. The fourth part of Todorov's Theory is the reparation phase, this is when the characters attempt to repair the disruption of the equilibrium. In the film 'Breakdown' the couple attempt to repair the disruption as the man sets out to find his wife whatever it takes. The fifth part of Todorov's Theory is the restoration phase, this is when the disruption is resolved and the equilibrium becomes more stable that at the beginning of the film. In the film 'Breakdown' the disruption is solved when the man finds his wife and the couple are reunited, this creates a more stable equilibrium than there was at the beginning of the film.
We also looked at McKee's classic five part narrative theory and applied this to the film 'Breakdown'. The first of McKee's narrative theory is the inciting incident, this is when something happens which sets things going, in the film 'Breakdown' this is shown when the couple have a argument with another man at a gas station. The second of McKee's narrative theory is progressive complications, this is when the story deepens, this  is shown in the film 'Breakdown' when the couples car breaks down in the middle of no where for an unexplained reason. The third of McKee's  narrative theory is the crisis, which is when things get worse and come to head, this is shown in the film 'Breakdown' when a truck driver pulls over to help the couple, takes the mans wife the a diner but kidnaps her instead. The fourth of McKee's narrative theory is the climax, this is when the opposing forces come head to head, this is shown in the film 'Breakdown' when the man goes to find his wife but instead ends up being kidnapped also by the same people who took his wife. The fifth and final of McKee's  narrative theory is the resolution, this is when the main issue is resolved but may be different to the beginning of the film, this is shown in  the film ' Breakdown'  when the man finds his wife and the people who kidnapped her are killed.
An enigma is the nd mysteries that are placed in certain points of the narrative to keep the audience interested or guessing throughout the film, the main enigma within the film 'Breakdown' is the competition that the man's wife finds on a doughnut packet '90,000 doughnuts or $90,000'. This s an enigma because she repeats the line a number of times when she firsts sees it making the audience question why she does this, this is later revealed in the film when she tells her captives that her husband has $90,000 in his bank to help her husband to find her. 
I found the film very predictable as it followed the same structure as most drama and action films; something goes wrong, someone is kidnapped, someone dies and then everything becomes alright again in the end, this structure is found in many films and can be easily anticipated and predicted.

5 comments:

  1. A delightful piece of work Rowan with excellent detail and thorough knowledge of narrative and generic technique. Well done.

    WWW- Excellent detail and understanding of narrative theory- you have applied both Todorov and McKee with skill and with good detail. You have also shown good understanding of enigmas and how they are used in this film.

    EBI- your discussion of genre had also featured drama and thriller rather than western (despite the desert setting, it's not actually a western)

    Show me- Reply to this post and explain how the generic features of drama and thriller are demonstrated in the film.

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    Replies
    1. The film 'Breakdown' also contains the genres of thriller and drama. Within the film the genre of drama is presented through certain signifiers such as the main male characters wife being kidnapped and held to ransom. The film also contains signifiers to represent thriller, such as the car chase near the end of the film, the use of explosions throughout the film and the use of props such as guns used throughout the entire film.

      Delete
    2. The film 'Breakdown' also contains the genres of thriller and drama. Within the film the genre of drama is presented through certain signifiers such as the main male characters wife being kidnapped and held to ransom. The film also contains signifiers to represent thriller, such as the car chase near the end of the film, the use of explosions throughout the film and the use of props such as guns used throughout the entire film.

      Delete
  2. Thank you Rowan, you have now shown the extended level of knowledge I asked for. It's important to consider films as showing features from a range of films.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you Rowan, you have now shown the extended level of knowledge I asked for. It's important to consider films as showing features from a range of films.

    ReplyDelete