DOROTHY RETURNS HOME Dorothy re-enters the vortex of the falling house and ends up back in her bed in Kansas mumbling, “there’s no place like home.” Aunt Em places a cold compress on her head. Dorothy wakes up and sits up in the bed. Uncle Henry comes to her bedside. Professor Marvel comes to the open window. Dorothy tries to tell them about her adventure in Oz, but they all interpret it as a dream. Then Hunk, Hickory and Zeke come to her bedside. Toto jumps up to Dorothy.
Dorothy: “But anyway, Toto, we’re home, home. And this is my place. And you’re all here. And I’m not going to leave home ever, ever again, because I love you all, and, Auntie Em, THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.”
THE END In Logic, there is a method often used to prove the truth of a proposition called, “Reductio Ad Absurbdum.” It uses the assumption that for every proposition, either it is true or its negation is true. You assume the truth of the negation of the proposition that you want to prove, then demonstrate that the negation leads to a contradiction and, therefore cannot really be true. Since for every proposition, either it is true, or it’s negation is true, and we’ve just shown that the negation is false, we’ve proven the original proposition to be true.
The The Wizard of Oz can be interpreted to follow a similar process. To prove the premise:
THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME.
Assume the negation:
THERE IS A BETTER PLACE OVER THE RAINBOW. Demonstrate:
WORST PROBLEMS COULD EXIST OVER THE RAINBOW. Therefore:
THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME.
Dorothy’s dramatic objective is the security of a home where there are no problems. Being at home, surrounded by people who love you, normally provides one with a sense of safety.
But there is jeopardy in almost every scene of the story. Either Dorothy is in danger, or someone she loves, such as Toto or the Scarecrow. These are all life-and-death situations. It is this constant jeopardy that keeps the audience engrossed in the action.
Another motif in this story is the joy and happiness the characters share along the road of life. They have fun while on their quest. These are characters with whom the audience enjoys spending time. They are humorous and good-natured. They display loyalty to each other while pursuing their individual objectives. Dorothy especially displays the traits of decency, kindness, generosity, fairness, obliging when another is in need, and doing what is right.
It may ultimately be true that others cannot give you what you desire; they may only be able to help you obtain it. This may be the true message of the Wizard’s inability to give the characters what they want. Ultimately, each character has to accomplish his objective on his own and can’t expect another to give it to him.
Dorothy, Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow all suffer from the same basic problem: a lack of confidence in themselves and the understanding that they already possess those attributes that they seek. They just need the right situations or conflicts under which these qualities will become manifest. The power of belief-in-self will help you solve your problems and get you wherever you want to go, even home, if it is accompanied by intelligence, compassion, and courage. Belief-in-self is also that which those who wish to control and have power over you, must steal.
This is the value associated with the RUBY SLIPPERS: THE POWER OF BELIEF-IN-SELF. This is not “blind self-confidence,” but the belief that one has the ability to solve his problems and accomplish that which he sets out to do. And it is this that the Witch hopes to steal from Dorothy. Her objective is to gain control of the Ruby Slippers, which will give her the ultimate power, the power over others belief in themselves. It doesn’t matter whether you are in a “dream” or “reality.” The values that you utilize when dealing with others under extraordinary conditions are what’s important. There will always be new experiences, new environments, and new conditions of life. To be grounded in reality throughout these alterations means to live according to a set of principles of interpersonal behavior that will sustain life.
STORY STRUCTURES in MEGAHIT MOVIES
Chicago
Shrek
Shrek 2
Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2
Pirates of the Caribbean
Finding Nemo
Monsters, Inc.
Bruce Almighty
The Matrix Trilogy
The Passion of the Christ
Harry Potter andThe Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter andThe Prisoner of Azkaban
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy CHICAGO
Who is the protagonist of Chicago? Roxie. Roxie Hart. What is Roxie’s dream? To be a famous dancer. To live the life of Velma Kelly. To be a nightclub dancer and to be as famous as Velma Kelly. How many minutes into the movie do we see her dream? About 3 to 5 minutes into the movie we see the protagonist and her dream. Roxie is standing in the audience as she watches Velma perform on stage. Then we have a fantasy image of Roxie imagining that she was up there...that she is Velma.
This is the standard Hollywood structure for popular movies. The audience has to know the dream-motivation of the protagonist as soon as possible, inside the first five pages. Then, Roxie restates her dream when Fred Casey pulls her out of the club. They were in the club to meet someone who would help Roxie get on stage. That is her primary objective throughout the film: to become a famous popular night club performer, and through many twists and turns, that is what she finally achieves in the closing scene.
Who is the antagonist of the movie? Not Velma, nor the court? In some ways, Roxie is her own antagonist. She stands in her own way. But the real antagonist of this movie is the people of Chicago. That is why the movie is called Chicago. It is the people that Roxie must finally triumph over. Yes, the court is a representative of the people, but what Roxie wants is to become famous...to have the people love her...and for that she does anything. Velma is part of the problem in the first act; an obstacle that Roxie must overcome. But in the end, Velma becomes Roxie’s partner to help her triumph over the people of Chicago. Roxie wants to be popular.
Fame is what Roxie wants, and it is the fickleness of fame that Roxie has to deal with. She wins her court case by lying, but as soon as she is found innocent, and another woman murders some man on the street, Roxie is off the front page. She was hoping that the court victory would be a boost to her dancing career, but when she auditions in the next scene, she is rejected. She is just another woman who murdered a man.
Billy Flynn is a protagonist supporter. He helps Roxie defeat the people of Chicago in court. So while he is corrupt, he is not the antagonist. The best way to analyze this story and to construct any story is to start with a character that has a dream-goal then create as many obstacles as possible to achieving that goal. Some characters will help her, some will block her, and some will switch sides and back again, as they do in this movie. Then, see how your character changes when reacting to the oppositions to her goal. Roxie did go through lots of changes; lying and cheating all the way to the top. Yet, the final scene is of the two man killers (Roxie and Velma) celebrating their fame in a dance hall where the audience, the people of Chicago, applaud.
All that jazz.... This is truly classic structure simply set against a musical, in fact, the plot continues through the musical numbers. But Roxie has one goal and never loses sight of it. Within the first ten pages, you have to get the audience to care about the protagonist. They have to have empathy for the protagonist. How do they do this for Roxie? She’s being used by Fred. They have a scene in which Fred Casey admits that he was lying to her and just using her for sex. He did not value her dream or talents. This is also the inciting event of the movie; this is what changes her whole life, because in her moment of rage, she shoots him.
Yet it is this killing that in an ironic way helps her achieve her real goal: FAME. There is another scene which reinforces the empathy for Roxy. It is the musical number done by the six women on death row; the “He got what he deserved” musical sequence. Roxie is an outcast in prison; the women don�
�t accept her into their circle. The switch comes when she gets Billy Flynn to be her lawyer. All the women want Billy to be their lawyer. The values promoted in this movie are all very corrupt. Roxie does what she has to do to survive in a world that is corrupt.
Then, there is loyal Amos, the devoted husband, who becomes the patsy for all the other characters. Amos nearly destroys the audience’s empathy for Roxie. But it was the music and the dancing that kept us entertained by her…the Razzle Dazzle! Without music and dance, the audience would not have been entertained, and the movie would not have been that successful in the box-office. It would have been a dark Film Noir story with limited audience appeal.
Nothing comes easy for Roxie. Just when she thinks she has it made, another major obstacle is thrown in her path. Every victory is followed by a defeat. Just when Roxie thinks she has the complete attention of Billy, an heiress does a triple murder and takes him away. How does Roxie deal with that? She fakes being pregnant for the sympathy it will bring. She wins the hearts of the people of Chicago.
Billy Flynn’s fickle nature mirrors the public’s fickle nature. Billy is the perfect representative of the heart and soul of Chicago. He is as fickle as fame itself.
The story is filled with plot twists. Morton’s reversal is one. She even dyes her hair blonde and has it cut like Roxie’s. Morton changes because she believes Roxy has dropped her, but at the end we find out that the diary was part of Billy’s plan. Billy sent it to Morton to give to Velma so that Billy could use the diary to get both Velma and Roxy off. Then, the plot twist comes when Roxy wins her court case and she is blown off the front page of the newspapers. Achieving the subgoal does not get her what she thought it would. We also have the twist that she has to accept Velma’s help to become famous, even though they hate each other.
Many story twists, but the primary objective always stayed the same. Roxy wanted to be famous...adored by the people of Chicago...her face on the Front Page, no matter what she had to do to get there.
To get the motivation expressed early in the story you have to drop the back story. The back story should only be told if something in the character’s past causes problems for the character when they try to obtain their goal. Roxie doesn’t tell her own back story until way into act two when she is trying to put together her act. We never hear her real back story: just the past year or so. It is the sequence when she is dressed in silver and dances on the stage alone while telling the audience about her past. But we know all we need to know about Roxie’s character by the time she sets up her husband to take the fall. We don’t have to know all the facts about her past...just her present character. Roxy will say and do whatever has to be done to get what she wants. Billy Flynn doesn’t change that character, he just provides her with new material: new stories that will help her win her trial.
The first ten minutes of a good script should have four core scenes: introduce the Antagonist in 3 pages; introduce the Protagonist in 3 pages; show the protagonist’s dream-goal, and the inciting event. In act one and act two you take more time to develop the characters and story, but start the script with a bang. Chicago opens with Velma’s Dance scene, Roxie’s Dream scene, police coming in for Velma, further development of Roxie, then Roxie killing Fred Casey.
The character arc for Roxie is all downhill: from bad to worst, except that she finally accepts the friendship and offer of help from Velma. Once she does that, together they conquer the people of Chicago.
Chicago is All That Jazz! Razzle-dazzle and fancy foot work with the moral being, as Morton says, “Truth is the fastest way to the Death House.”
Chicago did not become a megahit movie because of the values that the movie promoted. This is not a family movie; not the type of film that parents will take their children to see. It lost a large segment of the market and repeat audience potential. But the producers probably knew that going into the project. It was a successful stage play that they chose to make into a feature film. $170 million dollar box-office gross is very good, but it is still $80 million short of the $250 million needed to become a megahit movie.
SHREK Unique Object: The Swamp (Shrek’s Home) Protagonist: Shrek
Antagonist: Lord Farquaard
Love Interest: Princess Fiona
Protagonist-Supporter: Donkey
“Once upon a time there was an enchanted princess who lived in the top of a castle tower, guarded by a fire-breathing dragon, waiting to be saved by her true love’s first kiss,” Shrek reads from a Fairy Tale book.
Shrek, the big green ogre, rips this page from the fairy tale book and uses it as toilet paper. This shows his contempt for fairy tales. Shrek leaves the outhouse and takes his morning mud bath. Shrek paints a sign: OGRE – BEWARE! Shrek eats his breakfast.
Villagers wander through the countryside. They light their torches and head for Shrek’s swamp. He hears them coming. They plan their attack, with Shrek standing behind them. When they notice him, he tells them what he is about to do to them. The Ogre roars. The villagers scream. “This is the part where you run away,” says Shrek. The villagers run for their lives. Shrek picks up a piece of paper; a poster on which is written “Wanted: Fairy Tale Creatures.”
In a camp in the forest, bounty hunters are bringing FairyTale creatures to the soldiers. A witch is captured. Pinocchio protests that he is really a boy, but his nose grows, proving him a liar. An old lady drags her donkey to the table and tells the soldier that it is a talking donkey. But the donkey refuses to talk. The donkey is hit on the head with a cannister that breaks and fairy dust falls over him. He begins to fly. He talks as he rises up into the air. When the fairy dust disperses, he falls to the ground. The soldiers try to grab him, but the donkey runs away into the forrest.
Donkey runs into Shrek. Soldiers follow and try to arrest them by the order of Lord Farquaard. Shrek scares off the soldiers. Donkey wants to be friends with Shrek. He follows him and sings to him. They climb over a hill and see a house in the swamp: Shrek’s home. Shrek likes his privacy. Shrek allows Donkey to stay for one night, but not inside, outside.
Shrek eats his dinner. He pulls wax out of his ear and uses it as a candle. Donkey watches from the window. Suddenly, three blind mice start walking on Shrek’s table. He tries to get rid of them. Dwarves place a coffin holding Snow White on the table. “Dead broad off the table,” yells Shrek. There is a wolf in Shrek’s bed. His swamp is filled with Fairy Tale creatures. Shrek yells at them to get out. They were forced to come to the swamp because Lord Farquaard evicted them from their lands. Shrek vows to go to Farquaard and get them their homes back so that he will be left alone in his swamp. Donkey goes with him.
This is the Inciting Event: Fairy Tale Creatures invade Shrek’s Swamp. His primary objective is now to safeguard his home and get back his privacy. To accomplish this, he must go to Lord Farquaard and persuade him to give the Fariy Tale creatures their homes back.
Lord Farquaard (the short) enters the torture chamber where the Gingerbread Man lies with his legs broken off. “Who is hiding the fairies?” demands Farquaard. “Do you know the muffin man?” sings the Gingerbread Man. A guard comes into the room carrying the magic mirror. Farquaard asks the mirror whether this is not the most perfect kingdom of them all. The mirror replies that it is not yet a kingdom, because he is not a King, since he is not married to a princess. But that can be easily fixed. The mirror gives him a choice of three bachelorettes: Cinderella, Snow White, and Princess Fiona. Farquaard chooses Princess Fiona. The mirror tries to tell him what happens to her after dark, but Farquaard orders the mirror to remain silent! He plans to hold a tournament to find a knight, who will bring him back his princess. Lord Farquaard’s primary objective is to become a King. To accomplish this, he must achieve the subgoal of marrying a princess. To marry a princess, he must find a knight who will free Princess Fiona from the dragon.
Donkey and Shrek approach DuLoc, the castle of Lord Farquaard. The streets are empty. It is too quiet. Donkey goes to an Information Booth
and opens the door. “It’s a Perfect Place” song plays. Trumpets sound. Shrek and Donkey head toward the town square where Farquaard is making a speech. He sees Shrek and orders the knights to kill him. The fight begins, and Shrek beats up all the knights. The crowd roars to celebrate Shrek’s victory. Farquaard names Shrek his champion. Shrek wants his swamp back. They make a deal. If Shrek brings him the princess, he gets the deed to the swamp.
Shrek and Donkey journey to the Enchanted Castle. They walk through a field of sunflowers. Shrek says that he is layered, like an onion. They argue. They climb up the side of a mountain that smells like brimstone. In front of them they see a black castle surrounded by a river of red lava below a wooden rope bridge that leads to the castle. Donkey is afraid. They walk across the bridge, and Shrek tricks Donkey into overcoming his fears. They enter the castle.
Shrek puts on a helmet with a face mask and searches for the princess while Donkey looks for the dragon. Donkey meets the eye of the dragon…the fire breathing dragon. He screams and runs away. The dragon corners Donkey, but Shrek grabs the dragon by the tail. The dragon tosses Shrek up into the air. He lands in the tower room of Princess Fiona. She pretends to be asleep. Fiona puckers her lips expecting to be kissed. Instead, Shrek shakes her to wake her. Shrek then drags her down the tower steps. She protests all along the way.
The Megahit Movies Page 32