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Multiple messages?
- Thread starter dvdguy
- Start date
Yes, it's common I think to find multiple messages/layers in a film-I can watch Hitchcock for example and get two or three messages out of his films (for me, the underrated lifeboat has at least 3 good stories/messages/layers going on for example).
Good films have them, and often you find them when you watch them over again-heck a common example, Jurassic Park (which I watched again recently) I picked three distinct stories/messages:
1-Probably the obvious one of man messing around with nature.
2-The archeologists, faced with the idea that they, as Prof Grant so well put it, would "Have to evolve too" when faced with the idea their digging days were numbered.
3-The Lawyer represented the greed and corporate side of things-and how money can be the root of all evil.
4-The kids had their own message about believing in themselves and showing that they could contribute and have the "strength" to manage in said situation.
That film is just off the top of my head.
Good films have them, and often you find them when you watch them over again-heck a common example, Jurassic Park (which I watched again recently) I picked three distinct stories/messages:
1-Probably the obvious one of man messing around with nature.
2-The archeologists, faced with the idea that they, as Prof Grant so well put it, would "Have to evolve too" when faced with the idea their digging days were numbered.
3-The Lawyer represented the greed and corporate side of things-and how money can be the root of all evil.
4-The kids had their own message about believing in themselves and showing that they could contribute and have the "strength" to manage in said situation.
That film is just off the top of my head.
Tinalera also points out that theme is carried by character behavior, and therefore many characters can carry many themes.
But, I'd say that in general you have one central theme, otherwise you run the risk of weakening the story's spine. I'd say the central theme is Tinalera's #1, which is the Frankenstein mythos of science gone wrong. The various characters support that theme, each by having their own take or reaction to it, each seeing it -- like the blind man and the elephant -- from a different perspective. So while they seem like additional themes, I'd say that they are basically sub-themes of the main theme as filtered through each person's viewpoint.
But, I'd say that in general you have one central theme, otherwise you run the risk of weakening the story's spine. I'd say the central theme is Tinalera's #1, which is the Frankenstein mythos of science gone wrong. The various characters support that theme, each by having their own take or reaction to it, each seeing it -- like the blind man and the elephant -- from a different perspective. So while they seem like additional themes, I'd say that they are basically sub-themes of the main theme as filtered through each person's viewpoint.
I think Lord of the Rings is packed with themes. Good triumphing evil, the struggle of one man, (well hobbit), friendship, passion, never giving up, being human and making mistakes, etc etc. You could over analyze LOTR to the smallest little bits, it's so full of meaning.
You're describing scenes, not themes.
I'd say that the single theme of the series is something along the lines of "Only true friendship is strong enough to defeat ultimate evil."
Everything in the films ties into this idea. A fellowship is formed to deliver the ring to Mordor. Every antagonistic situation in the story threatens to break the fellowship, or the friendship between Frodo and Sam. You have betrayal, doubt, separation, possession by the ring's evil, and the seduction of the ring's power, all of which are attempts to tear the group apart.
A similar theme is explored from a totally different angle in "Ran." The aging king shows his sons that a single arrow is easily broken, but a sheaf of arrows can't be snapped. And indeed, failing to act in united fashion destroys their family.
Good point themes/sub-themes going on in a story. I hadn't thought of it in that respect, but it makes sense.
I do agree that a story needs one "Main" theme, followed up by subthemes- and that difference is good to mention.
With movies I think its harder to write multiple themes without "weaking the spine of the story". They are condensed novels written to be viewed. A traditional novel could have multiple themes because there is just more to write and therefore more to deduce. There was a big debate in a literary theory class I took in college. It dealt with the use of themes and symbols in literature. the conclusion was "sometimes a tree is just a tree". Basically, and this goes for movies as well, writers don't always write with a theme in mind or specific symbols fo rthat matter, some do, but definitely not all. The truth is you can find a theme for yourself in almost anything but did the writer make it that way? Not neccessarily. I would say just write your story, if the theme is there, it'll be noticed. They always are.