The films I have chosen to base this report
on are ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ and ‘Catch Me If You Can’.
The Shawshank Redemption was made in 1994
and is suitable for those aged 15 years or over; Frank Darabont directed the
film and Niki Marvin was the producer. The film was not a box office success
initially, but word of mouth and TV screenings have led to the film being
considered one of the best ever made.
The film is about a banker, Andy Dufresne,
who is imprisoned in Shawshank jail for
a crime he did not commit and the film tells the story of his 28 years in
prison, the bond he develops with his fellow inmates and his eventual
escape. The characters represent a range
of prisoners, from elderly prisoners doing a life sentence (Brooks Hatlen)
through to younger petty criminals (young Tommy). However, the main supporting character, who
becomes Andy’s best friend, is called ‘Red’.
Red is played by Morgan Freeman.
Red is also the narrator, so the film is told from his point of
view. Freeman’s unique, mellifluous,
deep voice is an effective way of keeping the audience engaged and building an
emotional connection to Red’s character. In addition, the theme music is very
distinctive and gives a spooky but mysterious feeling towards the film, which
can keep the audience on their toes and aware of the puzzling effect the film
may have.
The Shawshank Redemption follows drama
conventions; this is because of the various conventions within the film that
help the audience to come to this conclusion. The film consists of a gripping
storyline that is expected in dramas; for example, a great deal of thought has been
put into the plot of The Shawshank Redemption to keep the audience guessing and
to make it more interesting. In addition, it is a crime drama and this
sub-genre applies because of the illegal activities involved and the concept of
the film is based around crime.
The Shawshank Redemption incorporates
elements of Barthes Enigma Code theory because there is a mystery surrounding
Andy Dufresne’s escape from Shawshank Prison.
This constitutes a major puzzle for viewers to solve towards the end of
the film. The story is mainly told in a
linear, episodic manner with a few flashbacks incorporated to demonstrate
Andy’s innocence.
The main themes are friendship and the
power of hope. The bonds of friendship
are unbreakable for Andy and Red and the ending shows that their bond continues
after both have left the prison. The
power of hope is what gives all of the inmates the will to live. Red is shown hoping that he will be granted
parole over many years and once he gives up on this, he is finally
released. In Andy’s letter, he writes
that “hope is a good thing”. This seems
to be what finally persuades Red to go and find his friend in Mexico.
‘Catch Me if You Can’ is a PG-13 film that
is set in various locations across the USA and Canada and was released more
recently than ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ in 2002. The film was directed and produced by Steven
Spielberg. For those that are gripped to a crime drama film, this would best be suitable.
The movie is a biography of Frank Abagnale
Jr who forged cheques and posed as a pilot, doctor and prosecutor all before the
age of 19. The film is also a crime
drama because Frank commits several criminal offences, while successfully cashing
over 4 million dollars’ worth of fake cheques. This concept has a gripping storyline
because of the way in which it portrays Frank Abagnale Jr’s life. The film is all the more engaging because it
is inspired by a true story.
The storyline illustrates Levi Strauss’
theory of binary opposites, as it revolves around Tom Hanks representing ‘good’
and Leonardo DiCaprio representing “evil”.
The movie features a battle between law and order versus
crime/fraud. One can also see Todorov’s
Equilibrium theory in action. The story
starts with ‘equilibrium’ as Frank Abagnale Jr is shown living a happy life
with his parents. ‘Disruption’ follows
when he becomes aware that his mother is having an affair and then his parents
divorce. ‘Realisation’ comes when he runs away from home to escape the
situation, finds ways to persuade banks to cash his cheques and eventually he
becomes a master cheque forger. After a
period of posing as a pilot and a doctor and cashing cheques worth millions of
dollars, Frank attempts to ‘restore order’ by settling down with his fiancée in
New Orleans and qualifying as a lawyer.
However, the FBI closes in and he is forced to go on the run again. Finally, after he is caught, jailed and then
released from prison to work with the FBI, ‘equilibrium’ is restored.
In ‘Catch me if You Can’ there is a
particular scene that occurs a few times within the film that involves young
Frank Abagnale Jr having a conversation with FBI officer, Carl Hanratty, over
the Christmas period; this is significant because on a day which is usually
spent with family such as Christmas Eve, Frank decides to call Carl which shows
that he is lonely as he has no one else to call which brings an emotional
response with the audience which is a feature of a drama film.
In conclusion, the Shawshank redemption
shows various elements that make the film such a sensitive and distinctive
screenplay and produces a brilliant crime drama. The film has the sense of
mystery and surprise throughout; which makes the typical prison life story
expand into different areas such as, friendship, survival and enterprise.
Catch me if you can be a film that turns
the 19 years of Frank Abagnale Jr’s life into an astonishing crime drama that covers
various real life situations including, troubled childhood, parents separating
and rehabilitation.
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