Claude Levi-Strauss, a French anthropologist said that meaning, including narrative depends on binary opposites, he explores these in terms of underlying typical themes rather than events. Conflict helps to drive the narrative. I did some theory research and i now fully understand Levi's theory, below are a few openings which i applied his theory to. We hope to show this theory in our opening sequence.
An example of this is the film Seven. Here, one of the oppositions is between the optimistic love of humanity as seen in the Brad Pitt character and the pessimistic hatred of humanity which is felt by the killer. The two oppositions are resolved in the ending where the Morgan Freeman character who has always been unfriendly and pessimistic, realises that he can mix his distaste for the people around him in the dreadful world of the film with a wish to continue in his work of trying to save them.
An example of this is the film Seven. Here, one of the oppositions is between the optimistic love of humanity as seen in the Brad Pitt character and the pessimistic hatred of humanity which is felt by the killer. The two oppositions are resolved in the ending where the Morgan Freeman character who has always been unfriendly and pessimistic, realises that he can mix his distaste for the people around him in the dreadful world of the film with a wish to continue in his work of trying to save them. The binary oppositions don’t just play themselves out in the narrative of a film, they are normally a big part of the iconography of the film – you can see them up on the screen, symbolised by mise-en-scene, and the whole look of the film. So, in Fatal Attraction, the opposite worlds of the family and the single woman are clearly shown in the different houses that we see the characters in. If you consider one of the oppositions between Dan and Alex in this film you can see how this works: Dan, as a man is presented as being rational while Alex is emotional, a typical representation of the different genders in film which is demonstrated by her listening to opera music in her flat, and wild Brazilian music when she goes out. Dan really should realise that even the film’s soundtrack is warning him which side of the binary opposition between men and women she is on.
Strauss applied to the Western
Homesteader vs. Native American
Christian vs. Pagan
Weak(need cowboy hero) vs. Strong
Garden vs. Wilderness
Wilderness vs. Outside Society
Civilised vs. Barbaric
Strauss applied to the Western
Homesteader vs. Native American
Christian vs. Pagan
Weak(need cowboy hero) vs. Strong
Garden vs. Wilderness
Wilderness vs. Outside Society
Civilised vs. Barbaric
