In this essay I’m going to talk about the film Fury (2014), Directed by David Ayer. I’m going to discuss a range of different narrative theories and how this has been constructed to appeal to the audience.
At the equilibrium of the movie Fury, the scene immediately opens on a long shot, which is eye-level for the audience. This suggests to the viewer that in terms of its clear genre of Warfare, that the conflict is on-going and victory is far away. As this is represented at the equilibrium, it suggests that conflict to this level is on-going and a normal part of the characters’ lives. The film at this early stage is shown from a point of falling action, as clearly, a long battle has taken place. As this is at the very beginning of the film, it suggests that the life of a soldier at this point in time was very hard and exhausting. This links to the audience theory of the film, as the meaning of the film from the audience’s point of view is to reflect upon the hardships of the Second World War. This immediately represents the film from a historical viewpoint, as to how 1945 Nazi Germany was at this time. Although the film is not from the sub-genre of Social realism, with the conflict and the battle scenes being fictional and not based on historical points in time, the film however could appeal to a similar target audience. As the film was produced to replicate battle events in the Second World War, people who appreciate social realism might find that this film is appropriate and entertaining to watch. The producers have done this to deliberately help the film appeal to both this specific audience, as well as the very dominant genre of Action. The genre of Action is very popular within today’s society, as most are produced with a high budget by huge conglomerates, such as Walt Disney Studios who produce Marvel Films. With this, the producers are looking to aim this media product towards a wide audience, by using the historical context and genre. In addition to this, the characters also have a major influence. As the main characters in the film are all male, in very masculine job roles, the film is set in a very patriarchal society, at a time where women did not serve in the army. This is emphasised through the use of the division between genders, as each of the main characters are very active throughout of the narrative. In contrast, Females in the film are shown very briefly and are very passive, saying and doing very little. This is shown during the middle of the film, when the German women are shown to be powerless, when compared to the male soldiers. They say very little and their movement is restricted. As a result, it is suggested that the women are weak and have little say in what happens in relation to the war. The producers have done this to reflect on the historical context and display on the inequality of women in relation to men at this time. With the film being male dominated in terms of its casting, the film is most likely to attract a mature and male-dominated reception. As Warfare is stereotypically a more masculine genre in relation to gender, it is a certainty with this film. The representation of the opening scene is very clear. As the camera moves into a smooth tracking shot, following the movement of a soldier on a horse, the devastating setting is revealed to the audience in a clear view. Stereotypical aspects of war are displayed with the tracking shot, with fire, smashed up trucks and desolate tanks stationed in a random formation amongst the land. This visual mise en scène links to the genre of Warfare and suggests that this film will focus on land battles. The state of the location and setting is given a very negative impression, which would appeal to this target audience as this a very stereotypical convention of Warfare. As a result, the audience is able to gain a wider contextual understanding as to the situation and role of the main soldiers, suggesting they are a tank crew. Todorov’s theory suggests that the state of the equilibrium has been disrupted by a specific action, there is recognition that it has been disrupted, this then tries to get fixed so that the equilibrium is resumed back to normal. The narrative structure of this film is very unique and does not follow Todorov’s narrative theory, as it is based entirely on the actions and missions of the main characters, who operate the tank. This makes the film seem very intrusive, as we are forced to follow the journey of this one tank and its crew, despite the heavy amount of other events that constantly surround them in a linear alignment. As this film is based on the Second World War, the disruption is ever-present throughout of the films entirety. Throughout of the film, the battles between the Allies and the Nazis are a clear attempt on the films resolution, however we as the audience do not witness upon the resolving of the war in the film. A new equilibrium is also absent, as although it is no longer possible to follow the intrusive nature of the tank crew, the war is still to continue. With the narrative theory of Propp, the film displays on a range of different character types. The main character, ‘Wardaddy’ is displayed as the Hero in the film, as from the audience’s point of view; he is in control of commanding his soldiers in the ultimate effort to win the war. The characters ‘Bible’, ‘Grady’ and ‘Gordo’ are represented as the Helpers, as they work as a functioning team under the command of the main Hero, Wardaddy. In the film, the most obvious character type is the Donor, which belongs to Norman. This is because he is recruited during the equilibrium of the film and offers the tank crew aid in defeating their enemy. Also linking to Norman, the Princess is the character of Emma who is shown during the resolution of the film. She is shown to be a character that Norman is instantly drawn towards. In addition, the idea of becoming victorious could also act as is the Princess. Although this is not a character, it is the main motivation of every character in the film, forming the entire narrative. An interesting character type in this movie is the role of the ‘Villain’, who is not represented through just one specific character. This is because most of the characters in the film are soldiers, therefore uphold the same position and have similar motives. As a result, in relation to Propps theory, the Allies in the film are represented as being the Heroes, as they each want to end the war and prevent the suffering that is inflicted my Nazi Germany. This could also represent the characters as Helpers as well, as they are all contributing in the form of soldiering. In contrast to this, the Nazi soldiers, although we do not get to know any of them, are all represented as the Villains. This is done throughout of the film, as their motive is to hinder the journey of the main protagonists (the tank crew), who we have got to know during the film. The use of this forces the audience to have no sympathy and to feel almost victorious when the Nazi forces are killed, reflecting on the intrusive, realist and restricted narrative of the film. This reflects on the time and gives us a contextual understanding of the film as a result.
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