A critical analysis of how Vladimir Propp’s The Morphology of the Folk Talecan be applied to mainstream Hollywood cinema.

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JP Adamson

A critical analysis of how Vladimir Propp’s The Morphology of the Folk Tale

can be applied to mainstream Hollywood cinema.

Vladimir Propp was a Russian literary theorist and critic whom analysed 100 Russian folk tales during the 1920’s.  His book, The Morphology of the Folk Tale, was published in 1928 in the light of his findings.  During his studies he found that there is a standard set of classifications that can be applied to the characters within traditional fantasy stories, and that these classifications accurately depicted (and in fact predicted) the characters’ role within the narrative.  I suggest that his theories are still valid today, but that they are not necessarily as applicable to contemporary cinema as they are to a traditional fairytale.  Various film theorists have contributed to the study of narrative structure, often supplementing and confirming Propp’s original framework.  In this essay I will identify Propp’s findings, investigate how they work within the context of narrative theory, identify those theorists that have contributed to the narrative theory of film, and apply Propp’s framework to two mainstream Hollywood films; Jaws and The Princess Bride.

In The Morphology of the Folk Tale Propp identifies eight character roles and thirty-one narrative functions that, he believed, were present in every classical fairy tale narrative.  The eight character roles he identified were; The Hero, The Villain, The Donor, The Dispatcher, The False Hero, The Helper, The Princess, and Her Father.  It is clear that a character can often be easily branded with one (or more) of these labels, and so they help us to identify similarities in narrative between seemingly un-associated films, i.e. films from different genres.  The narrative functions are in fact slightly more flexible, and are chronologically grouped under six categories that bear direct relation to the narrative flow; Preparation, Complication, Transference, Struggle, Return, and Recognition.  It is not necessary for all of the narrative functions within a group to be fulfilled, but it is generally apparent that at least one will be, thereby allowing the narrative to progress.  Tristan Todorov, a Bulgarian literary theorist, argued that all narratives were based on conflict, and that an Equilibrium – Disruption – Restored Equilibrium structure was invariably present within them.  Claude Levi-Strauss argued that narratives unconsciously reflected the myths, values and beliefs of the culture in which they were produced.  To illustrate this he constructed sets of binary oppositions that showed where the conflict lay within the narrative.  Whilst it is clear that all of these statements are true and can be applied effectively to many films, there are some productions that subvert these frameworks and intentionally seek to deviate from this conventional form of narrative structure.  For the purposes of this essay it is unnecessary to discuss the whys and wherefores of such deviation, suffice to say that much alternative or Art house cinema has arisen from individual attempts to create new and unconventional narrative structures.  I intend to focus on mainstream Hollywood cinema, by analysing the above films within the context of their production and target audience, and then proceeding to identify any reason why these films may not fit Propp’s proposed ‘classic’ fantasy narrative structure.

It is important that both Todorov and Levi-Strauss’ theories can be directly linked to those of Vladimir Propp.  It is clear that Propp’s character roles and their subsequent narrative function are a direct result of the disruption of equilibrium, for example, a princess cannot be saved by a dashing hero without at first being abducted (by the villain) and so disrupting the balance of the society.  It is also clear that fairy tales themselves are indeed a perfect benchmark of the subliminally held myths values and beliefs of the culture that they have developed within.  In the light of these facts it is apparent that to subject a film to such analysis it is important to determine exactly what the factors of the film’s production are, in terms of institution, ideology etc.  It is also important to unmask the film as either conforming to Propp’s ‘classic’ narrative or not, e.g. ‘Does the shark signify the dragon?’ or ‘Do the Brains, Brawn and Sword-fighting characteristics of three protagonists amount to that of one, the Hero?’  There is also one final factor to consider, although its significance is highly debatable – the stage in which the prospective film can be placed within the genre cycle.  I will attempt to address all of these factors within the two films that I will be analysing, and so ascertain exactly how close they are to Propp’s model of ‘classic’ fairy tale narrative.

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The Princess Bride was made for around $16 million in 1986.  The film is itself styled as a ‘spirited, comic tale of true love and high adventure’, and is based on the principles of containing everything that a good fairy story should, namely; Fencing, Fighting, Torture, Revenge, Giants, Monsters, Chases, Escapes, True Love, Miracles.  It immediately presents itself as an interesting sample for analysis then, due to its portrayal of a ‘classic’ fairytale narrative, and its production context within mainstream Hollywood cinema.  The film can be classified as part of the ‘Adventure’ genre, evocative as it is of the swashbuckling ...

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There is some fine detailed analysis that grapples with a fairly well chosen range of theory here, and the essay's structure is quite good, inasmuch as the argument proceeds in a logical way that is easy to comprehend and leaves out nothing glaring. The choice of a critical analysis rather than a straight application of Propp's theories is ambitious and the author makes a real attempt to fulfill this promise, with a small degree of success. Unfortunately, the argument itself is undermined by a literalistic approach to the theorists categories that often leads the author into error, and the essay as a whole is weakened by the lack of proper reference or bibliography. If this were a 2nd year essay, it would achieve a 2.1, or 3 stars.