Charlie's Angels: Scalastical Narrative
Webster 5
TO WHAT EXTENT DOES POSTCLASSICAL NARRATIVE DIFFER FROM CLASSICAL NARRATIVE? COMPARE AND CONTRAST ONE CLASSICAL FILM AND ONE POST-CLASSICAL FILM.
It is undeniable that the types of films being released and audience expectations have changed hugely over the years. Between the 1920s and 1960s, the Hollywood studio system dominated all aspects of film production. Consequently, they needed to create films that were appealing and accessible to the masses in order to maximise profits (Gomery, 1999: 247-252). These classical Hollywood films had similar traits such as: characters with clear goals and personalities, a tight chain of cause and effect, dual plotlines, appointments and deadlines, a clear opening, a strong closure, invisible …show more content…
narration and style and narrative clarity. However, when the studio system declined in the 1960s these storytelling methods were altered. Warren Buckland describes post-classical Hollywood films as being:
'not structured in terms of a psychologically motivated cause-effect logic, but in terms of loosely linked, self sustaining action sequences often built around spectacular stunts, stars and special effects. Complex character traits and character development....have been replaced by one-dimensional stereotypes, and plot-lines are now devised almost solely to link one action sequence to the next. Narrative complexity is sacrificed on the altar of spectacle. Narration is geared solely to the effective presentation of expensive effects ' (1998: 167).
Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle has been seen by many critics as a prime example of this. Nevertheless, I believe that all films, no matter what year they were made, utilise the characteristics of the classical Hollywood narrative in some way as without them there would be no story. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting _Psycho_ (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) and _Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle_ (McG, 2003) by investigating the extent to which they conform to the conventions of the classical Hollywood narrative.
Firstly, multi-dimensional characters with clear goals and physical and psychological traits are a key aspect of the classical Hollywood narrative. This is clearly evident in _Psycho_ in the characters of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and Marion Crane (Janet Leigh). Norman is an extremely complex, multi-layered character with clear traits. He seems shy and socially awkward and his plain clothing suggests that he is a recluse. His awkward interactions with Marion also suggest that he is not used to communicating with women. His goals change throughout the film: first he wishes to persuade Marion to have dinner with him and after Marion 's murder his goal is to prevent the police from discovering what Mother has done. Before we find out about his personality disorder we feel sympathy towards Norman as he seems to be extremely sheltered and dominated by his mother. Marion Crane is also a multi-dimensional character with clear goals and personality traits. She is extremely well-groomed which suggests that she takes pride in her appearance. We first see her having a romantic rendezvous with her boyfriend therefore we assume she is in love. She then steals $40,000 pounds from her boss. Her goal in the film is then to run away and not be discovered by the police. The characters in _Psycho_ have clear motivations which impact upon their actions and these actions have consequences. This adds to the tight cause-effect chain in the film. On the other hand, the heroines in _Charlie 's Angels_ have been described as 'empty ' with their roles being described as consisting of nothing more than 'wear[ing] very little ' and 'shaking their backside ' (Pierce, 2003). The Angels, who are Natalie Cook (Cameron Diaz), Dylan Sanders (Drew Barrymore) and Alex Munday (Lucy Liu) have little substance and the audience is given hardly any information regarding their back-story. In this way the storyline 'advances through spectacle ' (Smith, 1998: 13) rather than character development. None of the Angels have personal goals and they simply follow the mission given to them by their boss, Charlie. In this case, the mission is to retrieve some stolen rings which reveal the individuals on the witness protection programme. The only character that is given some emotional complexity is Dylan who we find out was forced to change her identity after she sent her ex-boyfriend to prison. However, it is true that the three heroines are given distinct psychological and physical traits. Natalie is adventurous and free-spirited, Dylan is fearless and rebellious and Alex is logical and loves science. Their clothes reflect these characteristics, e.g. Alex always wears practical clothing that fits the situation.
Another important characteristic of the classical narrative is invisible narration and style.
This is not the case in _Charlie 's Angels_ as the far-fetched stunts and special effects take us out of the action. The audience becomes desensitised to the computer generated images as 'all is construction and fabulation......nothing natural remains ' (Dixon, 2002: 359). Furthermore, _Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle_ relies on a non-diegetic soundtrack whereas Psycho relies on diegetic sound. The only time _Psycho_ is dominated by non-diegetic music is when Marion is murdered in the shower. However, the music seems to become a part of the film as 'it is a force of aggression as frightening as the flashing knife ' (Sullivan, 2006: 244). In addition, the quick cuts and 'tour de force of montage editing ' (Durgnat, 2002, 117) is ecstatic and quite overwhelming for the audience but not excessive. In contrast, the loud, bombastic soundtrack of _Charlie 's Angels_ makes the film less naturalistic so it resembles a 'bad music video ' (Smithey, 2009). However, I would disagree and believe that without the music the fight scenes would be much less exciting. In many scenes, the erratic music actually fits well with the 'jerky and disjointed ' (Knox, 2013) …show more content…
editing.
A tight chain of cause and effect is also a vital characteristic of the classical Hollywood narrative. Without this, the film would not make sense and the plot would be disjointed and incoherent. In _Psycho_, 'the film only presents information that is relevant to its cause-effect logic ' (Buckland, 1998: 34). For example, at the beginning of the film Marion is seen talking to her boyfriend about their inability to get married because they do not have enough money. Immediately after, Marion is asked to look after $40,000. In contrast, _Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle_ repeatedly introduces characters and subplots that have no relevance to the main story, giving the impression that 'the makers can 't remember what happened five seconds ago ' (Pierce, 2003). For example, the Thin Man (Crispin Glover) serves no real purpose in the plot and Seamus O 'Grady (Justin Theroux) simply acts as an obstacle in the hunt for the H.A.L.O rings.
I would say that both _Psycho_ and _Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle_ have strong closures with no ambiguities or cliff-hangers. In _Charlie 's Angels_, the heroines fulfil their mission of retrieving the stolen H.A.L.O rings and the villain is defeated. Similarly, in _Psycho_ the mystery of Marion 's murder is solved and Norman 's split personality disorder is revealed. A sequel is not needed as both films have clear endings with all loose ends tied up. However, this characteristic is not exclusive to the classical Hollywood narrative as 'Virtually all Hollywood films achieve closure in all plotlines and subplots. The open, ambiguous endings which characterise art films...... are typically avoided ' (Thompson, 1999: 12).
In conclusion, it is undeniable that classical and post-classical narratives have some similarities. All films, no matter what genre they are or when they were made must have certain characteristics such as a coherent plot, well-defined characters and a strong closure. However, these characteristics can vary depending on the quality of the film. The main difference between _Psycho_ and _Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle_ is the prevalence of visual effects and CGI. However, Hitchcock was unable to use too many special effects because technology was not as advanced as it is now. Furthermore, audience expectations have changed over the years and consequently if a postclassical film tried to imitate a classical film then it may not be so well-received by cinema goers. _Psycho_ and _Charlie 's Angels_ are two completely different genres of film targeted at a specific audience. _Psycho_ is a horror/thriller whereas _Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle_ is a Hollywood blockbuster simply meant for escapism. Despite this, it is clear that the characteristics of the classical Hollywood narrative are enduring and will provide the foundation for every film to come because they have been 'passed down the generations of filmmakers as a result of the simple fact that most practitioners gain their basic skills by watching a great number of movies ' (Thompson, 1999: 44).
Word Count - 1401 words
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Buckland, W (1998) _Film Studies._ London: Hodder Headline.
Buckland, W (1998) "A Close Encounter with Raiders of the Lost Ark: Notes on Narrative Aspects of the New Hollywood Blockbuster"_._ In S. Neale and M. Smith, (ed.) _Contemporary Hollywood Cinema._ London: Routledge.
Dixon, W.W (2002) "Twenty-five reasons why it 's all over" In J. Lewis (ed.) _The end of_
_cinema as we know it: American film in the nineties._ London: Pluto Press.
Durgnat, R (2002) _A_ _Long Hard Look at 'Psycho '._ London: Cromwell Press.
Gomery, D (1998) "Hollywood as Industry" In J_._ Hill and P.C.
Gibson, (ed.) _The Oxford Guide to Film Studies._ New York: Oxford University Press.
Knox, S., 2013. Eye candy for the blind: re-introducing Lyotard 's Acinema into discourses on excess, motion, and spectacle in contemporary Hollywood. _New Review of Film and Television Studies,_ [online] Available at: <http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17400309.2013.803906#.UscA1tJdWSp> [Accessed 9th December 2013]
Pierce, Nev, 2003. Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle Review. BBC, [online] 3rd July. Available at: < http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/06/27/charlies_angels_full_throttle_2003_review.shtml> [Accessed 30th December 2013]
Smith, in _Contemporary Hollywood Cinema_, ed. by Steve Neale and Murray Smith (London: Routledge, 1998)
Smithey, Cole, 2009. Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle Review. Cole Smithey Reviews, [online] 5th January. Available at: < http://www.colesmithey.com/capsules/2009/01/charlies-angels-full-throttle.html> [Accessed 2nd January 2014]
Sullivan, J (2006) _Hitchcock 's Music_, New Haven & London: Yale University Press (Ch.20, Psycho: the music of terror).
Thompson, K (1999) _Storytelling in the New Hollywood: understanding classical narrative technique._ Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press.
TO WHAT EXTENT DOES POSTCLASSICAL NARRATIVE DIFFER FROM CLASSICAL NARRATIVE? COMPARE AND CONTRAST ONE CLASSICAL FILM AND ONE POST-CLASSICAL FILM.
It is undeniable that the types of films being released and audience expectations have changed hugely over the years. Between the 1920s and 1960s, the Hollywood studio system dominated all aspects of film production. Consequently, they needed to create films that were appealing and accessible to the masses in order to maximise profits (Gomery, 1999: 247-252). These classical Hollywood films had similar traits such as: characters with clear goals and personalities, a tight chain of cause and effect, dual plotlines, appointments and deadlines, a clear opening, a strong closure, invisible …show more content…
narration and style and narrative clarity. However, when the studio system declined in the 1960s these storytelling methods were altered. Warren Buckland describes post-classical Hollywood films as being:
'not structured in terms of a psychologically motivated cause-effect logic, but in terms of loosely linked, self sustaining action sequences often built around spectacular stunts, stars and special effects. Complex character traits and character development....have been replaced by one-dimensional stereotypes, and plot-lines are now devised almost solely to link one action sequence to the next. Narrative complexity is sacrificed on the altar of spectacle. Narration is geared solely to the effective presentation of expensive effects ' (1998: 167).
Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle has been seen by many critics as a prime example of this. Nevertheless, I believe that all films, no matter what year they were made, utilise the characteristics of the classical Hollywood narrative in some way as without them there would be no story. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting _Psycho_ (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) and _Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle_ (McG, 2003) by investigating the extent to which they conform to the conventions of the classical Hollywood narrative.
Firstly, multi-dimensional characters with clear goals and physical and psychological traits are a key aspect of the classical Hollywood narrative. This is clearly evident in _Psycho_ in the characters of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and Marion Crane (Janet Leigh). Norman is an extremely complex, multi-layered character with clear traits. He seems shy and socially awkward and his plain clothing suggests that he is a recluse. His awkward interactions with Marion also suggest that he is not used to communicating with women. His goals change throughout the film: first he wishes to persuade Marion to have dinner with him and after Marion 's murder his goal is to prevent the police from discovering what Mother has done. Before we find out about his personality disorder we feel sympathy towards Norman as he seems to be extremely sheltered and dominated by his mother. Marion Crane is also a multi-dimensional character with clear goals and personality traits. She is extremely well-groomed which suggests that she takes pride in her appearance. We first see her having a romantic rendezvous with her boyfriend therefore we assume she is in love. She then steals $40,000 pounds from her boss. Her goal in the film is then to run away and not be discovered by the police. The characters in _Psycho_ have clear motivations which impact upon their actions and these actions have consequences. This adds to the tight cause-effect chain in the film. On the other hand, the heroines in _Charlie 's Angels_ have been described as 'empty ' with their roles being described as consisting of nothing more than 'wear[ing] very little ' and 'shaking their backside ' (Pierce, 2003). The Angels, who are Natalie Cook (Cameron Diaz), Dylan Sanders (Drew Barrymore) and Alex Munday (Lucy Liu) have little substance and the audience is given hardly any information regarding their back-story. In this way the storyline 'advances through spectacle ' (Smith, 1998: 13) rather than character development. None of the Angels have personal goals and they simply follow the mission given to them by their boss, Charlie. In this case, the mission is to retrieve some stolen rings which reveal the individuals on the witness protection programme. The only character that is given some emotional complexity is Dylan who we find out was forced to change her identity after she sent her ex-boyfriend to prison. However, it is true that the three heroines are given distinct psychological and physical traits. Natalie is adventurous and free-spirited, Dylan is fearless and rebellious and Alex is logical and loves science. Their clothes reflect these characteristics, e.g. Alex always wears practical clothing that fits the situation.
Another important characteristic of the classical narrative is invisible narration and style.
This is not the case in _Charlie 's Angels_ as the far-fetched stunts and special effects take us out of the action. The audience becomes desensitised to the computer generated images as 'all is construction and fabulation......nothing natural remains ' (Dixon, 2002: 359). Furthermore, _Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle_ relies on a non-diegetic soundtrack whereas Psycho relies on diegetic sound. The only time _Psycho_ is dominated by non-diegetic music is when Marion is murdered in the shower. However, the music seems to become a part of the film as 'it is a force of aggression as frightening as the flashing knife ' (Sullivan, 2006: 244). In addition, the quick cuts and 'tour de force of montage editing ' (Durgnat, 2002, 117) is ecstatic and quite overwhelming for the audience but not excessive. In contrast, the loud, bombastic soundtrack of _Charlie 's Angels_ makes the film less naturalistic so it resembles a 'bad music video ' (Smithey, 2009). However, I would disagree and believe that without the music the fight scenes would be much less exciting. In many scenes, the erratic music actually fits well with the 'jerky and disjointed ' (Knox, 2013) …show more content…
editing.
A tight chain of cause and effect is also a vital characteristic of the classical Hollywood narrative. Without this, the film would not make sense and the plot would be disjointed and incoherent. In _Psycho_, 'the film only presents information that is relevant to its cause-effect logic ' (Buckland, 1998: 34). For example, at the beginning of the film Marion is seen talking to her boyfriend about their inability to get married because they do not have enough money. Immediately after, Marion is asked to look after $40,000. In contrast, _Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle_ repeatedly introduces characters and subplots that have no relevance to the main story, giving the impression that 'the makers can 't remember what happened five seconds ago ' (Pierce, 2003). For example, the Thin Man (Crispin Glover) serves no real purpose in the plot and Seamus O 'Grady (Justin Theroux) simply acts as an obstacle in the hunt for the H.A.L.O rings.
I would say that both _Psycho_ and _Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle_ have strong closures with no ambiguities or cliff-hangers. In _Charlie 's Angels_, the heroines fulfil their mission of retrieving the stolen H.A.L.O rings and the villain is defeated. Similarly, in _Psycho_ the mystery of Marion 's murder is solved and Norman 's split personality disorder is revealed. A sequel is not needed as both films have clear endings with all loose ends tied up. However, this characteristic is not exclusive to the classical Hollywood narrative as 'Virtually all Hollywood films achieve closure in all plotlines and subplots. The open, ambiguous endings which characterise art films...... are typically avoided ' (Thompson, 1999: 12).
In conclusion, it is undeniable that classical and post-classical narratives have some similarities. All films, no matter what genre they are or when they were made must have certain characteristics such as a coherent plot, well-defined characters and a strong closure. However, these characteristics can vary depending on the quality of the film. The main difference between _Psycho_ and _Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle_ is the prevalence of visual effects and CGI. However, Hitchcock was unable to use too many special effects because technology was not as advanced as it is now. Furthermore, audience expectations have changed over the years and consequently if a postclassical film tried to imitate a classical film then it may not be so well-received by cinema goers. _Psycho_ and _Charlie 's Angels_ are two completely different genres of film targeted at a specific audience. _Psycho_ is a horror/thriller whereas _Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle_ is a Hollywood blockbuster simply meant for escapism. Despite this, it is clear that the characteristics of the classical Hollywood narrative are enduring and will provide the foundation for every film to come because they have been 'passed down the generations of filmmakers as a result of the simple fact that most practitioners gain their basic skills by watching a great number of movies ' (Thompson, 1999: 44).
Word Count - 1401 words
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Buckland, W (1998) _Film Studies._ London: Hodder Headline.
Buckland, W (1998) "A Close Encounter with Raiders of the Lost Ark: Notes on Narrative Aspects of the New Hollywood Blockbuster"_._ In S. Neale and M. Smith, (ed.) _Contemporary Hollywood Cinema._ London: Routledge.
Dixon, W.W (2002) "Twenty-five reasons why it 's all over" In J. Lewis (ed.) _The end of_
_cinema as we know it: American film in the nineties._ London: Pluto Press.
Durgnat, R (2002) _A_ _Long Hard Look at 'Psycho '._ London: Cromwell Press.
Gomery, D (1998) "Hollywood as Industry" In J_._ Hill and P.C.
Gibson, (ed.) _The Oxford Guide to Film Studies._ New York: Oxford University Press.
Knox, S., 2013. Eye candy for the blind: re-introducing Lyotard 's Acinema into discourses on excess, motion, and spectacle in contemporary Hollywood. _New Review of Film and Television Studies,_ [online] Available at: <http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17400309.2013.803906#.UscA1tJdWSp> [Accessed 9th December 2013]
Pierce, Nev, 2003. Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle Review. BBC, [online] 3rd July. Available at: < http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/06/27/charlies_angels_full_throttle_2003_review.shtml> [Accessed 30th December 2013]
Smith, in _Contemporary Hollywood Cinema_, ed. by Steve Neale and Murray Smith (London: Routledge, 1998)
Smithey, Cole, 2009. Charlie 's Angels: Full Throttle Review. Cole Smithey Reviews, [online] 5th January. Available at: < http://www.colesmithey.com/capsules/2009/01/charlies-angels-full-throttle.html> [Accessed 2nd January 2014]
Sullivan, J (2006) _Hitchcock 's Music_, New Haven & London: Yale University Press (Ch.20, Psycho: the music of terror).
Thompson, K (1999) _Storytelling in the New Hollywood: understanding classical narrative technique._ Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press.