'An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge'

The film adaptation of Ambrose Bierce’s short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is as unusual as it is objective, and therefore is best analyzed through an equally objective critique, Russian Formalism. Particularly, the work contains a series of elements, such as character and setting, that alone appear bare but together create a fantastical experience. For starters, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” reveals a clear-cut protagonist, the man getting hanged. However, the antagonist is debateable. A dystopic viewer that abhors capital punishment may detest the military men that hang the protagonist, or grow angry at the society that convicted the man.While someone who paid careful attention to the note shown during the exposition
will blame the hanging man for disobeying the law.
On the subject of setting, the same note bears a date of “April 1862”. Any history novice will recognize this as a highly pivotal moment in American history, since it denotes the time during the Civil War. This significance is of course relative, considering there is no real corroboration that the scene takes place in America. However, it is likely considering the order is in english. Furthermore, the outdoorsy setting is accompanied by an eerie tune of natural noises and peculiar sounds that resonate faintly in the background while the story unravels. This musical element added to the setting permeates the man’s daring escape with suspense, and contributes to the fantastical resolution which reveals that the man never left his noose.