The Megahit Movies
Page 28
Morpheus explains the history of the war between Humans and the Machines to Neo while they are standing in the Desert of the Real.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Barbossa tells Liz about the curse of the Aztec Gold while showing her that she is now in a “Ghost Story.”
Harry Potter-The Sorcerer’s Stone
The Centaur explains the crimes of Voldemort after he saves Harry in the forest.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The story of the forging of the Ring is told in the opening sequence of the movie.
THEMES CREATING UNIVERSAL APPEAL
Mythic Structures
Megahit Movie Themes MYTHIC STRUCTURES “Don’t be afraid to create variations on the myth, but don’t start with the myth itself. Let the myth grow naturally from your story. Developing myths are part of the rewriting process. If you begin with the myth, you will find that your writing becomes rigid, uncreative and predictable. Working with the myth in the rewriting process will deepen your script, giving it a new life as you find the story within the story.”
—Linda Seger, Making A Good Script Great
Linda Seger is correct in that if you use Joseph Campbell’s archetype approach as a method of story construction, “your writing becomes rigid, uncreative and predictable.” It may be useful after you have designed your story and plot and have written the first draft of the screenplay to read books about mythic structures. They may stimulate your creative imagination and help to enrich your story by adding universal features to your characters or to your scene situations. But if you try to design a story using these methods, the story will no longer be “organic” in the sense of flowing naturally from the needs, desires, and objectives of your characters. You will also lose focus and not concentrate on the important emotional reactions of your characters and the audience to actions in the movie. For if your intention is to develop a popular movie, as opposed to a “universal” movie, giving the audience an emotionally satisfying experience is much more important than having your story follow the mythic structures promoted by Joseph Campbell in Hero of a Thousand Faces.
Below are the titles of books that promote the mythic structure approach to story analysis and story development.
Bonnet, James. Stealing from the Gods: A Dynamic New Story Model for Writers and Filmmakers. Michael Wiese Productions
Campbell, Joseph. Hero of a Thousand Faces. Princeton University
Campbell, Joseph and Moyers, Bill. The Power of Myth.Anchor
Seger, Linda. “Creating the Myth” in Making a Good Script Great. Samuel French Trade
Vogler, Chris. The Writers Journey: Mythic Structures for Writers. Michael Wiese Productions
MEGAHIT MOVIE THEMES “Theme is the universal statement the movie makes about the human condition. It is the screenwriter’s underlying prescription for how one should live one’s life in order to be more evolved, more fulfilled, more individuated, more moral person. It’s the filmmaker’s way of saying, ‘This is how to be a better human being.’”
— Michael Hauge, Writing Screenplays That Sell
Themes are statements about the values characters choose when confronting obstacles and conflicts while in pursuit of their objectives. Western culture believes that individuals freely pursuing their vision of happiness is the supreme political value. We believe that people have free will, and their lives are not pre-determined. We believe their success depends upon the choices they make and the actions they take. Our popular stories reflect these beliefs. Tom O’Brien, in The Screening of America, states:
...most movies, even the bad ones, have some social content. Films, in general, are not only fun, but a vital part of the educational and psychological adjustment of many Americans to reality. They give us models to imitate and images to love; sometimes they even give us standards by which we unconsciously measure our real life relations.
Characters in popular movies are the role models with whom we try to identify and want to emulate. They have goals and objectives. Often, the objects they desire are unique and are also desired by others. This generates conflict. The obvious case is that in which two men desire the same woman. For dramatic purposes, one of the characters is the protagonist, and the other is the antagonist. The protagonist will possess the values and attributes that the dramatist believes desirable while the antagonist will perform acts that are socially reprehensible. The craft of the dramatist enables him to manipulate the audience emotionally so that they will have empathy for the protagonist and enmity for the antagonist.
Audience empathy for the protagonist, critical for making the movie popular, is greatest in stories where the protagonist attempts to achieve his dreams by overcoming innumerable obstacles. The greatest emotional involvement is created when obstacles are generated by other characters that should be supporting the protagonist (lovers, spouses, parents, siblings, and friends). The Wizard of Oz exhibits these features. Dorothy attempts to save the life of her dog, Toto. Her aunt and uncle are unwilling to help her. They even give Toto to the villain, Elmira Gulch, in order to save their farm. Dorothy dreams of a place “over the rainbow,” where no problems exist. When caught up in a tornado, Dorothy is “transported” to the magical land of Oz. Once she discovers that she also has serious problems here, her objective then becomes to return home to Kansas. The Munchkins tell her that the Wizard of Oz will help her, and she embarks on a journey to the Emerald City.
On this journey, she makes friends with a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and a Cowardly Lion. Each has his own objective, and each decides to journey with Dorothy to Oz. But this journey is not free from dangers, for a Wicked Witch wants the magical ruby slippers attached to Dorothy’s feet. When they reach the Emerald City, the Wizard demands they obtain the broomstick of the Witch before he will help them. Overcoming many obstacles and dangers, they finally get the broomstick. Upon returning to the Wizard, they discover that he really doesn’t have the power to give them what they want. All that he can do is give them the public acknowledgment that they do possess the intelligence, compassion, and courage that they desire. Dorothy is able to “return” home to Kansas once she realizes and accepts that she always had the power to do so. The film ends with a very simple message: there is no place like home.
The fundamental themes and objectives found in The Wizard of Oz also occur in most of the popular films analyzed in this book. The desire to return home is the primary objective not only for Dorothy, but also for the Extra-Terrestrial in E.T.
In the other films, the primary objective is not to return home, but to protect the home from destruction. This is evident in Star Wars where Luke destroys the Death Star in order to save the rebel home base. His own home and the planet, Alderan, were destroyed earlier in the story. Preservation of freedom from the Empire is the theme continued in Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Freedom from the tyranny of the Trade Federation is a variation on this theme developed in The Phantom Menace. In Independence Day, all the primary characters want to save the world from destruction by the Aliens. This is also the primary objective of J and K in MIB. Batman wants to save Gotham City from the insane Joker who wants to poison the community and Kevin, in Home Alone, wants to protect his home from the burglars. In Jaws, police Captain Martin Brody wants to save the community of Amity from the great white shark. While in Jurassic Park, the primary objective is not to save the world, but to save the grandchildren of Dr. Hammond and the remnants of the human species left in Jurassic Park from destruction by the dinosaurs.
The Grinch plays on a variation on these standard themes. While isolated from the Whos in his cave on Mt. Crumpit, the Grinch nurtures the rage he feels from the humiliations he experienced from the Whos as a child. But ultimately he does rejoice and celebrate his reunion with the community, once all the grievances have been remedied, and all conflicts been resolved. At the end, the Grinch is once again home, and Whoville is once again safe from his attacks of vengeance.
The theme of The Sixth Se
nse revolves around a small boy’s efforts to feel safe with himself and his ability to see dead people. It is this special skill that terrorizes him. Once he realizes that the dead people do not mean to harm him, but instead need his special skills to help them solve their problems (and finally, like the dead man Dr. Malcolm Crowe, rest in peace), he feels safe with himself, or “at home with himself.” In Forrest Gump, another protagonist must come to accept that he is different and be at home with himself. Forrest does this by being completely focused on the moment, and concentrating totally on whatever he is doing in the present. This then transforms his “difference” from that of an underperformer on the IQ tests to a person who excels in whatever activity he embarks on, be it football, ping pong or shrimp fishing. Forrest, in the beginning and end of the movie, is forever at home with himself. Finally, there is Titanic, the greatest box office grossing film to date. The theme of this film, of course, is that true love is eternal, and if found in life, will even continue after death. Perhaps this is the greatest sense of security, and of “being at home” that anyone could ever achieve.
The movie E.T. demonstrates that box-office success does not depend on the casting of superstars. The actors who performed in this film were not famous before it was released into the theaters, nor have any of them starred in megahit movies since then. There are no exotic locations or expensive sets in this film. The action takes place in an ordinary suburban community, in a conventional family home, with some scenes in a school classroom and others in a forest. There is no explicit sex or gratuitous nudity. The special effects are limited to a spaceship that appears briefly in the opening and closing scenes. It does contain one amazing alien, although it is not the physical appearance of the alien that wins the audience’s heart, as much as his childlike behavior. This is fundamentally a simple story about innocence, friendship, learning to communicate with different beings, and helping a friend to get back home. Targeted to children throughout the world, it contains two very simple messages: call home and be good.
Friendship is another common theme that is found in many of these films. In The Wizard of Oz and E.T., friends place themselves in great jeopardy in order to help the protagonist return home. In films such as the Star Wars trilogy and Independence Day, friends help each other protect the home from destruction, even if it means that they might be killed in the process. Batman is different. Batman is a loner who is willing to place himself in jeopardy to save the community from destruction, though he does depend on his butler and friend, Alfred. Loyalty to friends is a common attribute possessed by the protagonists.
The wanton destruction of human life is a common attribute for most villains. Besides destroying their enemies, they also will destroy their most loyal supporters when it suits them. This is clearly exhibited by the Joker in Batman, who kills his cohort Bob, who had saved his life many times throughout the film.
The antagonist desires power and control over the lives of the other characters and will break all accepted codes of human conduct in order to achieve this. Terror is their standard mode of operation. The one bit of behavior that is guaranteed to turn the audience against the antagonist is his mocking laughter as he gloats over his helpless victim. The antagonist’s lack of mercy and his joy at anticipating the destruction of another human being causes the audience to hate him. This is a standard moment in most popular films: the Wicked Witch laughing at Dorothy’s cries of help to her Aunt Em, the two burglars laugh as they are about to harm Kevin, Belloc laughing after he has instructed the natives to kill Jones, and the Joker as he watches Batman and Vicki hanging over the edge of the cathedral in fear for their lives.
In many of these films, supernatural powers come to the aid of the protagonist during their moments of desperation. Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, saves Dorothy by creating a snowstorm when Dorothy succumbs to the drugs in the poppy field. The voice of the deceased ObiWan Kenobi instructs Luke to place his faith in “the force” as Luke attacks the Death Star. E.T.’s telekinetic powers save Elliott and his friends by lifting their bicycles over the police barricade. In MIB, the friendly aliens have provided K with a Neuralyzer that erases the memories of seeing aliens from the minds of human beings. Therefore, beings with supernatural powers play an essential positive role in many of the most popular films ever made.
Themes exhibited in some of the megahit movies are listed below:
Titanic
True love means being willing to sacrifice your life for the person you love, as Jack does for Rose.
Star Wars , Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi
Freedom from tyranny necessitates fighting for control of the absolute power of the universe.
Phantom Menace
Freedom from tyranny necessitates fighting for control of your home. E.T.
Friendship sometimes means helping the person you love to achieve his desires, even if it means separation.
Batman
Preservation of the community from crime necessitates fighting the source of evil.
Home Alone
A person must use all his intelligence and resources in order to protect his home from destruction.
Jurassic Park
To obtain family security, one must preserve the lives of the young and protect them from destruction.
Jaws
Preservation of the community from terror necessitates fighting and destroying the source of evil.
Forrest Gump
To obtain happiness in life one must “go with the flow,” be flexible, but also be completely absorbed in the moment.
Independence Day
Preservation of the community from terror necessitates fighting and destroying the source of evil.
Men in Black
Preservation of the world from destruction necessitates fighting and destroying the source of evil. Sixth Sense
To obtain freedom from terror, one must confront and understand that which terrorizes them.
The Grinch
To become part of a community sometimes means having to apologize and change your behavior.
The Wizard of Oz
Freedom from fear is found in the power of self-confidence used to confront life’s problems.
Shrek
To achieve happiness, one must share one’s home with others. Spider-Man
With great power comes great responsibility. Preservation of the community from crime necessitates fighting and destroying the source of evil.
Bruce Almighty
Happiness can be obtained by rejecting selfishness and making sacrifices. Finding Nemo
To obtain family security, one must preserve the lives of the young and protect them from destruction. To make a child happy, you must give them confidence in their abilities.
Monsters, Inc.
Friendship means helping the person you love to achieve her desires, even if it means separation.
Pirates of the Caribbean
A person can both be a pirate and a good man. Matrix Trilogy
Preservation of the community from destruction necessitates fighting and destroying the source of evil, even if this requires self-sacrifice.
Harry Potter-The Sorcerer’s Stone
Sometimes, one needs to break all the rules to save the world. Lord of the Rings
Preservation of the community from terror necessitates fighting and destroying the source of evil.
The Passion of the Christ
Preservation of the community from evil necessitates self-sacrifice. In conclusion, for many protagonists, the primary motivation is to have the emotional security of a safe home. Being at home with people who love you provides a character with a sense of safety and well-being. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy learns that she has always had the power to be in this place, she just had to believe that she possessed the ability to solve her problems. She learns that with the help of intelligence, compassion, courage, and friends she can overcome any problem. This is the secret, and the meaning, of the ruby slippers.
In Acts of Meaning, the cognitive psychologist, Jerome Bruner, states: When and if we pass beyond the unspoken despair in which we are now living, when we feel we are again able to control the race to destruction, a new breed of development theory is likely to arise. It will be motivated by the question of how to create a new generation that can prevent the world from dissolving into chaos and destroying itself. I think that its central technical concern will be to create in the young an appreciation of the fact that many worlds are possible, that meaning and reality are created and not discovered, that negotiation is the act of constructing new meanings by which individuals can regulate their relations with each other. It will not, I think, be an image of human development that locates all of the sources of change inside the individual, the solo child...man is not an island of itself, but part of the culture that he inherits and then recreates, the power to recreate reality, to reinvent culture, we will come to recognize, is where a theory of development must begin its discussion of mind.
What will see us through is the writing of poems and novels that help perpetually to recreate the world, and the writing of criticism and interpretation that celebrate the varied ways in which beings search for meaning and for its incarnation in reality, or better, in such rich realities as we can create.
SCENE-BY-SCENE ANALYSIS OF A POPULAR MOVIE
THE WIZARD OF OZ
THE WIZARD OF OZ
OPENING SCENE: COUNTRY ROAD DOROTHY runs down a country road that is surrounded by desolate fields. There are wire fences on either side of the road. With her runs her dog, TOTO. Dorothy looks back to see if she is being followed. She speaks to TOTO:
DOROTHY
She isn’t coming yet, Toto. Did she hurt you? She tried to, didn’t she! We’ll tell Auntie Em.
[Empathy is immediately created for the young girl by showing her terrorized by someone who is pursuing her and has tried to hurt her dog. The audience’s curiosity is aroused by this situation. They are curious to know who is pursuing the girl and why is she being chased? What does the pursuer look like? This is a standard method used to force the audience to pay attention to the story.]