Applying Roland Barthes' theory to the opening of Don't Look Now (1973)

(up to 7.20)

Roland Barthes, a structualist thinker has written an essay on a French novel called S/Z. In this he identified several codes, or a set of rules, which he believed linked together in the production of all kinds of stories. He proposed that all stories use the same five codes and all all genre signifiers can be grouped under these five points to create a narrative. The five codes which he proposed are:

1) The Action Code: depicts the events which take place in the narrative ie who/where/when. Action codes are placed in chronological order.
2) The Semantic Code: refers to character or characterisation. The actions in the narrative are made clear by the character's take on the events.
3) The Enigma Code: involves the setting up of a mystery, its development and its resolution.
4) The Referential Code: explains or informs e.g. mise-en-scene is a referential code.
5) The Symbolic Code: the reading of the implied meanings of signs, which transform them into symbolic representations e.g. a character can symbolise weakness.

Applying the five codes to the opening of Don't Look Now

The Action Code
- It is not made clear to the audience what relevance the first image of the opening scene (the wooden window shutters) has to the rest of the film as after this shot, we see a young girl in a red raincoat playing in a garden/ field. By showing the shot of the window shutter the audience will know that it is of great importance in the narrative and that it will appear later in the film.
- The first character we see is the young girl in the red raincoat. This shows the audience that she plays a pivotal role in the film.
- Next we are introduced to a young boy and what seems to be a couple. We as the audience assume that they are linked to the young girl in some way and will also play major roles in the rest of the film.
- The fact that we are shown in extreme detail the shots of the churches on the slides, which the man is viewing, suggests to us that they are key elements to the narrative of the film.
- As we do not see the woman's face straight away leads us to believe that she is a rather mysterious and private person.
- The shot under the magnifying glass where the camera zooms in on a red cloaked figure hints to us that they could end up playing a part of great significance in the play. This, coupled with the fact that there is tense music tells us that this character in red is possibly a bad one.
- The young girl drowning tells the audience that the equilibrium of this family's ordinary everyday life has been disrupted. They will be left wondering what happens in the rest of the film now that this tragedy has befallen them.

The Semantic Code
- The first character we see is a young girl wearing a red raincoat. The fact that she is the first one introduced to the audience suggests that she plays a pivotal role in the rest of the film. This is confirmed when the audience sees her drowning and dying, as they are then left wondering what will happen to the rest of the characters in the aftermath of the young girl's death.
- The second character we see is the young boy riding on a bicycle. The fact that they make no verbal exchange suggests that they are not very close, but by putting them both in the same surroundings implies that the boy and the girl are linked in some way.
- Both the young boy and girl are seen playing as one would normally expect to see young children do. There is nothing strange or mysterious about them that could possibly hint at anything to come later in the film.
- We are finally introduced to a man and a woman (most possibly a couple) sitting in a living room. The fact that we do not immediately see the woman's face suggests to the audience that she is mysterious, private and possibly has something to hide. We do however, see the man's face. He seems to come across as a very ordinary man in an ordinary surroundings. The man, looking through a slide show looks extremly confused as his brow is furrowed. This suggests to the audience that there is something which is not right in the scene.
- Once we see the woman's face, she too seems like a very ordinary person. There is nothing in either of their characters which could betray any element in the plot which is to come.
- The couple are affectionate and civil to each other, connoting that they are in a happy relationship which nothing going wrong in their lives.
- The man's agony and the woman's reaction to the girl's death implies that the rest of the film will be about their dealing of the aftermath of her death.

The Enigma Code
- The colour red seems to run through all of the opening sequence. The young girl (who eventually dies) wears a red raincoat. The boy, riding his (red) bicycle, cycles over some glass, breaking it as the water in the river is disrupted by the girl's ball. The ink on the slide which the man is observing under the microscope runs from the red cloaked figure in the shot. This underlying theme of red in unusual circumstances (girl in the red cloak drowning/ boy on red bicycle breaking glass/ red ink running on slide) suggests to the audience that this theme will be recurring through the rest of the play. Also, the red colour is similar to blood, connoting murder and death.
- The young girl playing precariously by the river shows the audience that something bad will happen to her.
- The man tipping over his glass shows that the ordinary situation he is in is not so ordinary after all.
- The camera zooming in on the red cloaked figure in the slide suggests this mysterious person will appear later in the film, possibly bringing danger with them too.

The Referential Code
- The scene we are observing is of a young girl and boy playing in a garden/ field during the day in an ordinary fashion whilst the shots of the couple inside the house also show a normal day for them with the usual clutter of a house and a comfortable, lived in look. There is little in the mise-en-scene which could inform us of the mystery behind the plot.
- However, the young girl disturbing the water with her ball, the boy breaking the glass and the man tipping his glass over shows disturbances in what seems to be an ordinary day. This suggests that something will happen that will disrupt this equilibrium and throw the rest of the film out of balance.
- When the young girl is pulled out of the water, the man and the girl being covered in mud show the ordinary life becoming disrupted, this in turn sets up the tone for the rest of the film.

The Symbolic Code
- The young girl in red and the red cloaked figure in the slide are symbolic of danger and death. This is because the young girl dressed in red drowns at the end of this opening scene and ink of the red cloaked figure in the slide running looks alarmingly like blood.
- The boy breaking the glass at the same time the girl disturbs the water with her ball are sumbolic of the calm of everyday life have been broken (the equilibrium being disrupted).

Applying Levi-Strauss to the opening of "Pale Rider" and "Die Hard I"

Claude Levi-Strauss was a French anthropologist who believed storytelling is used as a means of coping with the basic challenges and irresolvable problems. Levi-Strauss said that the elements of a story (or a narrative) has two main characteristics: that it is made up of units that are put together according to certain rules and that these form a relationship with each other, based on binary pairs which provide the foundation of the structure.
Levi-Strauss' theory of binary opposites can be applied to many aspects of a film narrative for example the hero and the villain, fear and happiness, the rich and the poor etc. Below I have applied the theory of binary opposites to the openings of Pale Rider (Eastwood 1985) and Die Hard I (McTierman 1988).

Pale Rider (Eastwood 1985)
- forest/ desert/ mountains
- silence/ noise
- nature/ civilisation
- domesticated animals/ wild nature
- peaceful village/ warlike horses and riders
- civilised/ uncivilised
- frantic riders/ slow moving villagers
- music/ no music
- moving shots/ still shots
- shadow/ light
- dangerous horses and riders/ safe environment of village
- rivers/ plains
- victims/ attackers living/ dead destruction/ organisation
- nature/ guns
- helpless villagers/ riders with power
- fire/ water, plains, rivers
- disturbed/ undisturbed surroundings
- nature (paganism)/ christianity
- thunder, rain/ good weather
- country folk/ town folk
- being accepted/ being victimised

Die Hard I (McTierman 1988)
- nature/ machinery
- ground level/ in air, in flight
- suspenseful music/ normal, everyday situation
- caucasian people/ asian, Japanese people
- woman walking forwards/ man walking backwards
- office party/ home life
- absent father/ present mother
- single man/ married man
- wife with husband's surname/ wife with maiden name
- HA/ LA
- empty elevator/ crowded party
- rap music/ classical music
- Holly's husband/ Holly's suitor
- confrontation with husband/ speech to troops
- party/ motorways, vans, cars. Heavy industrial work
- tense music/ man humming
- enclosed space/ wide open space
- man/ machine
- American/ German
- photos/ real people

Proppian Analysis of Aladdin

Vladimir Propp was a Russian formalist scholar who studied Russian folk tales to classify their similar narrative elements.
In these Russian folk tales, Propp identified only eight main character types which he believed to be present in all stories, of which are;

1) The villain- who struggles against the hero
2) The donor- who prepares the hero or gives them a magical object

3) The (magical) helper- who helps the hero on their quest

4) The princess- the object of the quest the hero is on/ the reward

5) Her father- who rewards the hero

6) The dispatcher- who sets the hero on their way to completing the quest they are on

7) The hero- the person that undertakes the quest set to them

8) The false hero- who takes credit for the hero's actions and/ or tries to marry the princess (the false hero can sometimes also be seen as the villain)

Although Propp focused only on Russian folk tales, his character types can be applied to characters in modern day films, most easily to fairy stories. Below, I have applied Propp's theory to the story, Aladdin as an example.

SYNOPSIS OF ALADDIN

Jafar, Grand Vizier to the Sultan of Agrabah, is attempting to access the Cave of Wonders for a magical oil lamp containing a genie. He and his talking parrot, Iago, learn that only the metaphorical "Diamond in the Rough" can enter the cave.

Meanwhile, Jasmine, the Sultan's daughter is frustrated, living a suppresive lifestyle and escapes the palace and goes to the marketplace. There, she meets the street urchin, Aladdin and his pet monkey, Abu. However, Jafar has Aladdin arrested after finding out that he is the "Diamond in the Rough".

Jafar (disguised) releases Aladdin from prison and leads him to the cave of wonders, where he is instructed to touch nothing but the lamp when he enters the cave. Once in the cave, Aladdin meets a magic carpet which leads him to the lamp. Once there, Abu attempts to steal a ruby which causes the cave to collapse upon itself. Aladdin (holding the lamp) and Abu, with the help of the magic carpet survive the cave in though do not manage to escape and are thus trapped in the cave.

Trapped in the cave, Aladdin rubs the lamp, releasing a genie which grants him three wishes. Aladdin manages to free himself from the cave with the genie's help, though without using up any of his three wishes.

For his first wish Aladdin wishes to become a prince in order to marry Jasmine.

When Aladdin enters the Sultan's palace as "Prince Ali", he is rejected by Jasmine, who considers him idiotic. However, Aladdin later takes Jasmine out on a ride on his magic carpet, where she then realises that he was the street urchin she had encountered in the market.

After returning Jasmine back to the palace, Aladdin is captured by Jafar and is thrown into the ocean. Aladdin then asks Genie to save him with his second wish. Once back at the palace, Aladdin informs the Sultan of Jafar's plans to overthrow him. The Sultan, impressed by Aladdin's bravery names him as his successor to the throne.

Realising Aladdin's true identity, Jafar escapes from the Sultan's bodyguards. Iago, Jafar's parrot steals the lamp and takes it to Jafar, who uses his first wish to become the Sultan. With his second wish, he is turned into a powerful sorceror, and using those powers, sends Aladdin off to a remote, distant place.

Using the magic carpet, Aladdin returns to Agrabah. Whilst attempting to steal the lamp back from Jafar, the Vizier notices and attacks him, boasting that he is the most powerful being on earth. Aladdin replies that Jafar is in fact wrong, as the Genie is the one being more powerful than him. Hearing this, Jafar uses his last wish to become a genie, but forgets that genies are not free entities and is sucked into his new black lamp, dragging Iago with him. Genie flicks the lamp into the Cave of Wonders.

Aladdin uses his last wish to grant Genie's freedom, much to Genie's surprise and happiness. Finally, as Jasmine loves Aladdin, the Sultan changes the law so they can marry.

CHARACTER TYPES IN ALADDIN ACCORDING TO PROPP

1) The villain- Jafar

2) The donor- Jafar (takes Aladdin to the Cave of Wonders)

3) The (magical) helper- Genie

4) The princess- Jasmine

5) Her father- the Sultan

6) The dispatcher- the Genie (granting wishes) and Jafar (taking Aladdin to the Cave of Wonders)

7) The hero- Aladdin

8) The false hero- Jafar

As you can see the character types in Aladdin often repeat themselves, for instance, Jafar taking on several character roles (the villain, the donor, the dispatcher and the false hero). Thus, from this we can glean that though it may be relatively easy to apple Propp's theories to some modern day fairy stories, they are not as clear cut as we may have thought them to be. Today's stories are much more complex than those Propp analysed, so we may say that his theories are not very relevant in today's society. However, though those theories may seem outdated, an understanding of them helps us appreciate films and their narratives as a whole before looking at them in more depth.

Applying Todorov's theory of equilibrium

CHOCOLAT- up to 4 minutes 40 seconds



The Bulgarian theorist Tzvetan Todorov had, after extensive analysis of folk tales and fairy stories, discovered that they followed a similar pattern in their structure. What he discovered is now known as the Classic narrative pattern and can be applied to the films of our current society.
The Classic Narrative Pattern starts with equilibrium, then disruption, then resolution, the restored order and finally a new equilibrium.

- Equilibrium at the start of the scene is the small town pictured with its ordinary looking townspeople going into church

- It is not made clear who the agents (antagonist and protagonist) are but we assume that the protagonist, the hero of the story is the man with the moustache who greets the townspeople at the entrance of the church and that the antagonist (the opposing agent) are the mysterious people cloaked in red who advance towards the town at the same time a strong wind blows through.

- The disruption in the film is when a strong wind blows through the town and manages to release the church doors from its latch.

- The resolution is when the man with the moustache closes the church doors against the wind. Order is then restored and a new equilibrium established.

- Though equilibrium is established we get a sense that the cloaked figures will cause disequilibirum later on in the film.

- The antagonist and protagonist are not made explicitly clear and the audience could have been left wondering whether or not the man with the moustache is good and the cloaked figures bad.

DYM Homework Feedback

Well done, Winnie. This is a confident first piece, demonstrating very good technical and themetic analyses.

A comparison of two opening sequences: LEGALLY BLONDE AND SE7EN

NARRATIVE EXPECTATIONS
LEGALLY BLONDE
> The film starts observing the back of a blonde woman brushing her hair in slow motion. All other aspects of her which are shown (cosmetics etc) are also in slow motion, forcing us to also slow down and take it in.
> The camera also follows (in slow motion) a girl riding her bicycle, in which she carries a letter addressed to "Elle". As the letter is passed around, the camera shot slows down, suggesting to us that "Elle" was the blonde woman at the start of the film and that she is the main character.
> The music is lively and bubbly with lyrics and the pace is fast and punchy, suggesting a fun, easy going romantic comedy
> The titles are pink, sparkly and in a girly font, suggesting the film and main character are also very girly
> All aspects of American sorority and life are shown to us (campus, lively/ bubbly young women) and we also assume that the film will feature heavily on these bubbly and lively young women.
> Lots of designer's names are shown e.g. Prada, Tiffany's, connoting that this will be a girly film.
> We expect a typical high school/ college type film (e.g. Mean Girls).
> End of the opening sequence sees Elle metion her boyfriend. He will play a pivotal role in the film.

SE7EN
> Film starts off observing one man going about his daily routine. There is no music and the shots are all rather plain and dark, suggesting a more serious type of film
> Camera still follows man, telling us that he will play the pivotal role in the film
> Sometimes, Freeman (the main character) is in focus, whilst things in the background are out of focus. This tells us that Freeman is a sturdy, reliable character who is very much in control of his surroudings.
> Freeman and Pitt at are odds with each other- this suggests to the audience that they will be at odds with each other throughout the entirety of the film
> The titles begin after the clip of Freeman conducting his everyday life. The titles and music are slightly twisted and menacing, observing an unseen person cutting out clips and arranging things. This suggests that the film is also slightly twisted because of the unseen person.
> The titles coming after the clip of Freeman conducting his everyday life suggest to us that his life was normal and boring before the unseen person went into his life.

Comparison:
> Legally Blonde starting off with upbeat, bright and sparkly things suggests to us that the rest of the film will also be upbeat and fun, ultimately leading to a happy ending. Se7en starts off dark and with the titles starting after Freeman conducts his everyday business suggests that this will be a complex film (obviously a thriller) that may not neccessarily have a happy ending.

SHOT TYPES
LEGALLY BLONDE
> ECU of girl brushing her hair: we want to focus on her, this suggests this girl is the main character
> Moving shot following girl on bicycle- she holds some importance if we are following her
> ELS of campus and house: sense of place and so that we are aware of our surroundings
> MS of girls around campus: so that we can see their expressions
> Moving HA following letter going up the stairs to Elle. Suggests that she is the most important one in the film

SE7EN
> LS/ MS of Freeman: so that we can easily observe his everyday life. It is not over the shoulder etc so that we get the sense of place as an observer
> ECU of Freeman putting on the tie: we get a connection with him
> HA/ pan of dead body: as if we are viewing the scene from Freeman's point of view
> LA/ moving shot following Freeman and Pitt: they dominate as we have to look up to them. They are important/ powerful people
> LS of Freeman in an empty bedroom: suggests he is lonely
> Steady zoom into Freeman: slow/ relaxed as he prepares for sleep
> ECU (slightly out of focus) of pages being turned: we are not meant to see the whole story
> Things out of focus: mysterious/ strange (thriller)

Comparison
> The shot types in Legally Blonde are there to show us where we belong and what type of film it will turn out to be. The shot types in Se7en are similar to the ones in Legally Blonde, both in type and technique e.g. HA following letter going up the stairs to suggest Elle is the main character and a LA to show us that Freeman and Pitt play important, domineering roles in the film.

CHARACTER TYPES
LEGALLY BLONDE
> Colour scheme of pink/ sparkles suggests that this is a girly film with a girly main character
> Shots of brand and designers suggest that Elle is possibly superficial and shallow
> Her room displays her "perfect" lifestyle, with designer brands and things such as president of her sorority and "Homecoming Queen" sash

SE7EN
> Morgan Freeman is single (always portrayed in empty rooms). He is a detective (?) who seems to be strong willed and smart. He is a no-nonsense type of guy, living and dressing in a rather plain fashion.
> Brad Pitt is at odds with Freeman, but also seems smart.

Comparison:
> Both Reese Witherspoon and Morgan Freeman seem to play rather one- dimensional characters (Witherspoon portrayed as a shallow girly girl and Freeman as a single man who leads a rather boring life). However, we assume that Witherspoon's character will later be uncovered as rather deep and meaningful as a twist to the light hearted rom-com whilst we assume Freeman will turn out to be a more complex character, with him nearly always cast in shadow, suggesting he has things to hide.