Propp's Narrative Theory - the Matrix

Vladimir Propp was able to create a theory for almost all fictional stories by deconstructing and analysing Russian fairytales and folktales. His theory was that all stories had up to 31 functions, which would happen at some time in the story, and in the order stated. He concluded that each story and fairytale would have only 7 main characters:

1) Villain - challenges or opposes the hero
2) Donor - gives the Hero a magical object and prepares him
3) Helper - helps the Hero during the quest
4) Princess and her Father - marries the Hero, often sought for during the story, rewards the Hero
5) Dispatcher - sends the Hero off into the journey, often makes the 'lack' known
6) Hero - reacts to the donor, marries the Princess
7) False hero/Usurper - takes credit for Hero's actions, tries marrying Princess

Propp's theory in The Matrix

Characters

Villian - The Agents
Donor - Morpheus
Helper - Trinity
Princess - Trinity
Dispatcher - Morpheus
Hero - Neo (Thomas Anderson)
False Hero/Usurper - Cypher

Functions

2) Interdiction - Neo is warned by Trinity that he is being watched.
3) Violation of Interdiction - he doesn't get into the scaffolding, and the Agents get to him.
6) Trickery - Neo is questioned by Agent Smith, and asked to help capture Morpheus by making him look like a dangerous terrorist and mkaing them look like they are his friends.
9) Mediation - Neo introduced to Morpheus, and given choice of the real world or to stay in the matrix.
10) Beginning counter-action - He choses to enter the real world and join Morpheus, which changes his situation and the story.
12) First function of the Donor - Morpheus tests Neo with the fung fu program.
13) Hero's reaction - Neo tries to fight Morpheus and fails.
14) Receipt of Magical Agent - Neo is given the knowledge by Morpheus that the rules of the Matrix can be broken.
15) Guidance - Neo goes to see the Oracle in the Matrix.
16) Struggle - He goes to rescue Morpheus, beats the Agents initailly and then fights Agent Smith.
17) Branding - Neo is shot and close to death.
18) Victory - Agents defeated as Neo gets up and fights Agent Smith and defeats him.
19) Liquidation - Morpheus freed.
21) Pursuit - Neo fights the 3 agents after he is chases from subway.
22) Rescue - Neo is rescued just in time before the EMP is given off.
27) Recognition - Neo is recognized as the One.
28) Exposure - Cypher killed by Tank.
29) Transfiguration - Neo is given a whole new look at the end, he flies off right at the end showing he is the One.

Critic of Propp's Theory

There are problems with Propp's theory, many flaws which mean that it cannot be taken as a theory with which all story abide. Of the 31 points, not all of them appear in one story and many are skipped. Some are even put in different places to how he suggested the order would be, such as Cypher being revealed much earlier on in the film and not at the end as it suggests. Another function that never happens in the film is Neo marrying the princess, in this case Trinity, and taking any throne. This never happens, and there are actually occasions in many films where this doesn't happen at the end of the film. This is mainly because of the age of the theory, and that it fitted old folktales well but doesn't fit modern ones as they are very different to usual stories, to entertain and shock modern audiences more from old clichés. The characters also aren't all in the film, and they overlap so that there are only 5 main characters in the film taking the 7 different roles. However, this theory is quite good as many of the functions do fit the film even though some are repeated and some are in the wrong places; it is good for a theory so old to be proved correct to an extent in modern films.

Todorov's Theory

Applying Todorov's Theorum to the opening sequence of the Shawshank Redemption.
1/ - Protagonist and antagonist.
The protagonist in the film is Tim Robbins, as he is the one who is shown throughout the start of the film, the one who is on trial and the life on which the film revolves around, with him going to prison for life. The antagonist is not clear at the start, as in a way it is the affair between his wife and the golfer. But it becomes clear soon into the introduction that the antagonist in the film for Tim Robbins is going to be jail, and managing to survive.
2/ - Describe the Equilibrium. How is it represented? What kind of camera shots can you identify? Describe the mise-en-scene.
The equilibrium is one thing not set at the start of the film, but is rather just assumed as it goes straight into the disequilibrium, and the cause of it. The equilibrium is therefore not meant to be as important or significant, suggesting that it is just as any other equil. would be, that there is nothing special about this one.
It starts off with an establishing shot of the outside of the mansion and then slowly moves towards the car and then into a MCU on the side of the character to get a look at the main character, and the blank but painfull expression on his face. It then cuts away to a close up of the gun being taken out of the glove compartment and opened on his lap. However, he doesn't start filling the gun yet, and leaves that to suspense as he picks up his bottle and starts drinking it instead, in an MCU of the front of the character. The scene then cuts to another close but this time of him in a court, wearing his clothes a lot more smartly and his hair done a lot more neatly. It then switches between CU of the main character and a LMS of the laywer questioning him. It then reverts back to the shot in the car, with the situation getting more serious as the bullets are put into the gun slowly, one my one. This all happens with the background conversation of the courtroom continuing, and the main character continues speaking. This shows that the shots are both flashbacks of the past, and he is just recalling the incident as he tells the judge about it. The LMS of the laywer then turns to a CU of the lawyer as his case becomes even stronger, and Tim Robbins fate is sealed. Once the courtroom scene is over, the scene then moves on to the main place in the film, the place where most of the film actually does take place which is the prison. It starts off in the inside, so you do not know of where it is or what it looks like, but have just a hunch as Morgan Freeman walks in wearing traditional prisoner clothes. Here again the MS to CU movement is used to hone in on the main characters and concentrate on them alone. A third type of shot used is the establishing shot for the prison, to show how large it was compared to the people in it which was shown by following the van in and then going up and showing the entire front of the prison before going over it and swiveling around the men on the ground going towards the entrance. this establishing shot is an extreme long shot that goes over the whole area and shows the many buildings, covering a large area and ending up as a vast establishing shot.
The mise-en-scene of the opening starts off dark and gloomy, to signify the night. the lighting is minimal, with none of them being bright and mst of them coming from the house in the distance. This added to the sad, almost expression-less face of Tim Robbins in the car creates a sort of sinister shot, with his senses being weakened. The courtroom scene is however the opposite in the way that it is day with a lot of light, the walls are white and though the face of Tim Robbins still seems sad, it seems slightly more alive with thought and seems to understands its surroundings more than what see see in the car. The dull colours of the clothing and the prsion itself show how it to be a dull place, where colour or true happiness is rarely seen. There are no bright colours or bright lights at all so far, all the lighting is pretty much natural and what is not is minimal with little effect, which creates a dark and realistic experience in the film and not one out of fairytales.
3/ - Disruption/Disequilibrium?
The disequilibrium is not subtly hinted or set up to happen in the film, it jumps straight into the disruption of him going to jail for a life sentence. The rest of the story is to do with this disequilibrium, and how he manages to cope with the change.
4/ - Hero's journey?
The hero's journey in the film is hinted from the start as to being able to get through his life at the prison. The court scene where he is pleading that he did not actually do something could make the audience think that he may spend his time there trying to prove that he was innocent the whole time, or try to get out of the prison by one way or another. Morgan Freeman's journey is one from someone already inside the prison, who looks like he could be the one person that could help Robbins in whatever he wants to prove or do. The fact that Morgan Freeman is rejected early parole after being there for 20 years gives a hint that it could take Robbins even longer to get out unless he does something fast.
5/ - What is the new equilibrium?
The equilibrium is restored by Robbins actually escaping from the prison and getting back his life that he had been deprived of for 20 years. The new equilibrium is one similar to the start but one where he is actually happy with his life, and one after the things he has learnt from his long experience in the Shawshank Prison.