Viewing: Objective, to view a variety of films and to identify the narrative structure. Try to sketch out a diagram of the film’s structure.
Hollywood Classic The Black Narcissus 1947
This classic tale of jealousy, passion and repressed lust set in a remote Himalayan Convent was easy to watch and I found the three act narrative easy to identify. Using the diagram structure outlined in the course notes I have described the narrative structure below and tried to use coloured lines to show the different threads:
Having reflected on this diagram, I think it more complex than it needs to be.
Modern Film Gran Torino 2009
The narrative structure of this modern film, set in Michigan tells the story of a resentful US army veteran and his immigrant neighbours. It is about redemption and sacrifice. The three act narrative is still present, the threads which build up the tension culminating in the final crisis and climax are well defined. I have tried to make this diagram clearer by not attempting to link the threads
I have arranged the threads by character and each one should be read across the table to identify their interactions with the narrative and the other characters through the Acts.
Conclusion: This has been a very time consuming exercise but I have learned to identify both simple and complex narrative structures. I did also watch the film Inception which has a complex layered structure and a very tricky premise which may or may not be resolved, depending on the interpretation you place on the opening sequence. Although I think I grasped the story, it was so complex I did not have the time to work out to display the structure in a meaningful way.
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