Narrative Theory Peer Assessment

 

Explain how to concept of narrative can be applied to a specific media product? (Film)

Drive (2012)

In the film ‘Drive’ the concepts of narrative can be used. Todorov’s concept of the 5 narrative stages links to Drive, as at the start, the Equilibrium of the Driver’s normal life is present, as the film is introduced initially with a car chase, which is what Ryan works as by night. This is the ‘normal’ for Ryan, so is considered the equilibrium. The disruption in the film arrives when he meets the Woman who lives next door. This is where he finds out that he cares much for the mother and Son that live next door to him, and this takes priority in his normal day to day life. The Realisation point of the film is where Ryan finds out that the Family’s father has returned, and he needs Ryan’s help to rob a bank and pay off the debt he owns to a mobster, and he realizes that the family’s life and future may be in danger. The stage of repair in the film is not normal, as the money is stolen but the Woman’s husband dies, which means that they are no longer a target, but Ryan becomes too much of a target, so he is dangerous around the family. The restoration part of the film is where Ryan threatens and locates the man who has put the family in danger and kills him at the very end. <> This also links to Strauss’ view on narrative, as the binary opposition is between chaotic good and chaotic bad, as Ryan is not fully ‘good’ as he is a criminal in the real world, but he plays his part only to protect the people that he cares about and goes against the ‘bad’ people in the film. <> Rick Altman’s genre theory also links to this film, as the semantic elements are intact throughout this film, with criminals and cars in the chase scenes and the crime is throughout the film. However, the syntactic side to the film has a minor twist, as the main story of the robbery is brought after introducing an interest int protecting this family, and a minor love interest for the mother. The visceral pleasures of the film come from the ending scenes, where the combat is shown and the antagonist is defeated, after Ryan’s hard work. Th emotional pleasures come from the family, and how Ryan cares for the family and the entire film circulates around the protection of the family he cares for. The intellectual pleasures of the film come from finding out who is behind the bad and finding out who Ryan’s target is.

 

6/8

you need paragraphs.