The Game and how Narrative theory can be applied to the film The Game.

THE GAME

Nicholas Van Orton is a very wealthy man, he comes accross as extremely lonely, he even spends   his birthday alone.On his  birthday (it is infact age his father committed suicide) his brother Conrad,visits him and  gives Nicholas a card for his birthday which gives  him access  to an  unusual entertainment ,a game which is provided by something called Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). Giving up to curiosity, Nicholas visits CRS and all kinds of mysterious and bad things start to happen to him.The things appear to almost be impossible and it feels like Nicholas is in huge danger.Things go from bad to worse.Soon everything starts to fall apart ,the significant event is when  he finds a clown outside his home and cameras set up in his house,we realise the "Game" he signed up to is very mysterious.Strange things happen which he starts to believe cant be coincidence,he believes it must be part of "The Game" .For example ,Wine is spilled on him in a restaurant,he is trapped in an elevator. Then the chaos rises. He finds himself blackmailed, his bank accounts are emptied, he wonders around  like a homeless man, he is trapped inside a cab sinking in a bay, and his coffee gets spiked and  he is left for dead in Mexico.

The end of the film is my favourite,he gets so convinced that it is all corrupt .Nicholas goes crazy ,he  questions a company employee with a gun and thinks it cant be just a Game , he got the gun from his home(it turns out to be part of the Game and it is a fake gun but we think its real). An elevator swings open. Nicholas accidentally shoots his brother realising it is infact a harmless game, he assumes he killed him and the audience do too,he is so upset that he jumps off the roof .Nicholas has life flasbacks and both him and the audience think this is the end of him just like his father at the same age.He falls through a glass roof, and we find out that there is another twist. The entire game,yes  is infact just a game and it never went wrong,it all went to plan. Nicholas crashes into breakable glass and lands on a padded air bed .The gun was fake and so was the blood.There are many friends waiting to surprise Nicholas for his  birthday party. He is in complete shock as well as in utter disbelief, he finally understands that everything that happend before the party was staged and part of the Game.Conrad the brother appears and it is all explained.An amazing twist,and the enigma in the film is great-it makes the audience question everything!

From learning about the Narrative theory ,we can apply it to films.Narrative is the way in which a story is told in both fictional and non fictional media texts.

Vladimir Propp`s theory 

 Propp suggested that characters took on the role of narrative functions.Propp studied many fairytales and came up with a theory.

seven different character types: 

• The hero, usually male, is the agent who restores the narrative equilibrium (where everything is normal)
and they seek something. There is a  victim hero, who is the centre of the villain's attentions, and then there is also normally a  seeker hero who aids others who are the victims of the hero.
• The villain who usually creates disruption in the narrative and also creates obstacles(need not to be human)
• The donor helps the hero by giving them something, it may be an object, information or
even guidance, which helps in solving the enigma of the narrative.
• The helper gives support to the hero and helps him to solve the enigma.
• The princess is normally a victim and need protection from the villain.Usually the character most threatened by the villain and has to be saved, at the climax, by the hero.(Normally a woman but it doesnt have to be,it could be money or even a lesson)
• The dispatcher sends the hero on his or her task .
• The false hero (falsely assuming role of the hero) appears to be good but at the end its revelaed he is bad.

Characters can fulfil more than one sphere character type, for example; a princess
may also be a helper. 

Applying Propp`s theory to The Game 1997

• In  "the Game" (1997) the hero was Nicholas Van Orton-the protagonist.He is the person who has signed up to The Game and he has to go through many different and thrilling obstacles to solve and complete the enigma.
• The villain in this film is not just one person but the audience and Nicholas begin to hate the organisation CRS .There is no clear villain but we know that many people are involved with CRS and that their must be a leader.
• The donar in the film isnt that clear because without the brother ,Conrad there would be no film as he gives him the card which leads him to sign up to CRS.The things that help Nicholas figure out the enigma is many things which is set up purposely as it is all infact a game.People could argue that it is the set of keys which helps him to speed up the Game and complete it or the gun which he shoots his brother with helps to finish the Game off.
• Christine has more than one job and is very important in the film,she is the helper,dispatcher and the princess.Firstly she is the helper because throughout the film she is helping Nicholas to solve the Game,without her it would have been impossible to solve the Game,she directed Nicholas. The dispatcher isnt that clear as the whole game is a set up,many different people do things in order for Nicholas to complete the  Game but i would say that Christine helped hugely in taking on the role of the dispatcher,you could also argue that Feingold was the dispatcher as he was the main reason Nicholas went to the building where he held christine hostage and jumped off the roof etc. Christine is also the princess as at the end of the film , when the equilibrium has been restored finally,he goes with her to the airport and it seems to be a date.

Todorov`s Theory

Todorov’s Theory Todorov stated that every plot consists of 5 stages:

• A state of equilibrium (everything as it should be)
•  Significant event (A disruption of normality  by an event)
• Disequilibrium ( A recognition that the disorder has occurred )
•  Climax (An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption , highest point of tension )
•  A return or restoration of a new equilibrium

Applying Todorovs theory to The Game

Equilibrium : in The Game:When Nick`s life is dull and boring,he is lonely but he`s getting on just fine even though he doesnt seem entirely happy.

Significant event:When he gets given the card to CRS 

Disequilibrium: After Nick signs up to the game things still seen relatively normal ,until he finds a clown in his house and this is when he realises he has signed up to something he isnt quite happy about and weird things start to happen to him.

Climax:When Nick  finally on the roof holds christine hostage and by mistake he thinks he shoots his brother and cant live with himself so he attempts suicide but it turns out it was all a game in a game and it was all set up.

New equilibrium:Where Nick realises it was all a game and that his brother is not dead etc.

Barthes Theory

Barthes suggested that narrative works with five different codes which activate the reader to make sense of it.(He also used the terms denotation and connontation to analyse images).

• Action-a narrative device by which a resolution is produced through action,something the audience can see/knows  e.g. a shoot-out.
• Enigma-  this is a significant event in a thriller narrative NOT just a murder ...a narrative device that teases the audience by presenting a puzzle / mystery or  a riddle to be solved. It works to delay the story`s ending, adding interest.
• Symbolic-represents (connotes/connotation)
• Semic-denotation (indicates something)
• Cultural-a narrative device which the audience can recognise as being part of a culture e.g. slumbdog millionaire the film is set in india and its about the slums.

Applying Barthes Theory to The Game

• In the film The Game there was a lot of mystery yet also a lot of Action codes,for example the car chase.
• The whole film revolves around enigma codes , it is all about solving what The Game is and completing it and the whole film we are curious about   who is running CRS  why and we find out everything  at the end  along with an amazing twist which is completely unexpected.
•  Their are many things in the film which are symbolic for example, CRS  the sign is seen a lot throughout the film and it is symbolic to the company who run The Game.It connotes mystery as we dont fully understand the game till the end.
• The Semic code is used throughout The Game,it connotes wealth for example by using a Mansion as Nicks house and the fact he has people working for him.
• The cultural code does not seem to be a big part of The Game.

 

Levi-Strauss Theory-Binary opposites 

He studied the myths of tribal cultures.Examined how stories unconsciously reflect the values ,myths and beliefs of a culture.These are usually expressed in the form of binary opposites.His research has been adapted by media theorusts to reveal underlying themes and symbolic oppositions in media texts.

Binary oppositions:A conflict/contrast  between two qualities or terms.

 

Binary Opposites in The Game

There are lots of binary opposites used in the Game for instance,the fact that Nicholas the protagonist was boring and lonely at the begining and money orientated. He joins the game which is fun and exciting. He is very wealthy and it makes him look much more wealthy when he is surrounded by people who arent as wealthy, for instance , the Maid working for him or the taxi driver who  doesnt seem as wealthy just by clothes and accent the viewer assumes this and he makes the taxi crash into the water.