Films each have a different technique of introducing certain goals of its protagonist. This can be seen in forms of secondary characters or specific plot details revolved around a certain goal. Films like A Man Escaped or Saturday Night Fever reveal the main character’s goal early in the exposition, where films like Light Sleeper or The Passenger build up tension, eliciting audience confusion until a goal is introduced later on in the film. Directors and screenwriters each have different techniques on how they reveal these characters goals, and throughout this blog post, I will be discussing how films like A Man Escaped, Light Sleeper, The Passenger, and Saturday Night Fever use multiple techniques to reveal certain goals about their characters.
All of the films mentioned in this blog post revolve around one-protagonist, possibly because it’s easier for the audience to identify a singular goal and relate that to their own lives. Interestingly, film critic David Bordwell states "Determing which character(s) can function as protagonist(s) depends on the goals, the obstacles to the goals, and the relationship between the goal-striving character and other characters and story lines." In Light Sleeper, the singular protagonist is John LeTour. Not much is revealed about the others around him nor himself and the audience can only develop information based on the character narration and client interactions.
Film critic Roger Ebert notes that "He is not running way, or toward. He is simply in motion." His character desires to keep going, to keep moving forward and seeing what the world has to offer him. A key similarity between Light Sleeper and The Passenger is how a love interest is used to convey the protagonist's emotions surrounding a certain idea or lifestyle. Secondary characters often play an important role in these films because they aid the protagonist who is in search of reaching their goal.
This scene showcases the protagonist upset that his father does not respect what he does in his free time. Tony’s hair represents the love and care he puts in to his hobby of dance, but his father only seems to care about his brother and his goal of becoming a religious figure. In this case, a picture of a sibling is used in order to communicate that the character aspires to be on the same level as his brother. Through this scene, the audience determines that Travolta‘s character wants to prove that dancing is something he is passionate about and craves respect from his family. Exploring the goals of a protagonist in film is necessary because it helps outline a certain plot synopsis. By introducing the main characters goal’s early in the film, it is easier for the audience to understand what is going on. Each director and screenwriter purposefully introduce goals in different ways to elicit a wanted response from their viewers. Even though all these films are of different genres and introduce the character’s primary goal in different ways, it is interesting to examine the similarities and how each of theses techniques aid in communicating the overall message of the film.
1 Comment
RuttyT
5/19/2018 12:20:12 pm
I would have never thought to compare how the goals are unveiled between those 4 movies
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Author(savannah hink) |