Research Investigation

Sample C

A comparison of traditional and alternate narrative systems in film

As Thompson and Bordwell say, Perhaps narrative is a fundamental way that humans make sense of the world1. This can be applied to a movie as audiences go to see a narrative unfold and also according to them We make sense of a narrative, then, by identifying its events and linking them by cause and effect, time and space. This essay will analyse the differences between traditional and alternate narrative systems in film, with particular focus on Memento, concentrating on these aspects of narrative. Regarding the aspect of time in film, Nick Lacey says In conventional narrative, stories must always be chronologically constructed otherwise they would be judged to violate the rules of our universe; they would destroy the rules of logical casuality which define narrative2. In Memento, Christopher Nolan works on the assumption that the audience have expectations of how a narrative works through temporal order and frequency, then he challenges these expectations so much that perhaps this challenging becomes the main attraction for a niche audience and exemplifies an alternate narrative system. The importance of time for narrative can be emphasised by the view that Time can be so central as to be almost incorporated as a character itself, or it can be subverted, altering the story and its effect on the viewer3 This can be applied to Memento as time is the most enigmatic character in the movie, it alters our perceptions of the story, characters and our point of identification. However, in order for the movie not to be totally incomprehensible, there are scenes in the movie which are shot in black and white and reflect a sense of parallelism. They alter the effect on the viewer by becoming a gift to them, they are a flashsideways and therefore the nearest thing to present. They are constant which makes it easier for the audience to understand the movie as a whole. With regards to plot and story, Shlovsky distinguished them by using the terms fabula and syuzhet4. The plot (syuzhet) is described by Thwaites et Al as Like a signifier, it is what the [audience] perceives5 whereas he acknowledges the story as Like a signified, story is what the reader conceives or understands6. Therefore, the difference between the two is that the plot is what is explicitly presented to the audience through being visibly and audibly presented in the film before us7 through diegetic material and non diegetic material which can be applied to the music and Leonards voiceover in Memento. Whereas, the story is what the audience can interpret from the movie and build perceptions about the characters and the narrative as a
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Page 89- Thompson and Bordwell (Narrative as a formal system) Page 18 Narrative and Genre by Nick Lacey 3 Page 60 The Power of time Media Magazine Emma Louise Howard 4 Page 18 Narrative and Genre by Nick Lacey 5 Page 18 Narrative and Genre by Nick Lacey 6 Page 19 Narrative and Genre by Nick Lacey 7 Page 92- Thompson and Bordwell (Narrative as a formal system)

Research Investigation

Sample C

whole. According to Lacey, Hollywood executives often refer to this background information, which explains characters motivation as the back story8. This can be applied to Memento as the audience identify with Leonard and understand his motives for revenge, even though the murder of his wife or his attack is not explicitly presented in the plot. With further reference to the plot of a narrative, Thompson and Bordwell say We create the story in our minds on the basis of cues in the plot9. However, in Memento, the lack of chronology means cues in the plot are not in the right order, which Nolan has done to reinforce the alternate structure and present a challenge for the audience. As Thompson and Bordwell said when discussing temporal order We are quite accustomed to presenting events out of story order. This does not confuse us because we mentally rearrange the events into the order in which they would logically have to occur. This adds to the challenging appeal of the movie for an audience who perhaps do this naturally whilst watching the movie. With further regards to temporal order, Bordwell and Thompson said when talking about Pulp Fiction that By coming at the films conclusion, these portions receive an emphasis they would not have if they remained in their chronological story order 10. This can also be applied to Memento, as in the last scene, the audience are presented with an idea of Leonards true motives which would have failed to force an identification between the protagonist and the decoder if this was shown at the beginning of the movie. One way of looking at the conclusion is the idea that it acts as a huge character twist as we discover that Teddy, who had been portrayed throughout the movie as the villain, could actually be the hero. However, One primary aspect of narrative in film is narrative structure. In a conventional movie like The Proposal It exemplifies Todorovs theory of narrative structure, which states that a film begins with an equilibrium, conquers a disruption, to create a new, different equilibrium at the end of a movie11. In this movie, the equilibrium is that the two protagonists dislike each other but face a disruption of having to pretend to be en engaged couple in order to prevent the female protagonist, Margaret, from being deported and conquer this disruption by falling in love and therefore creating a new equilibrium where they are together. The proposal also fits the narrative system of Annette Kuhn, who summarised the characteristics of a conventional narrative as having Linearity of cause and effect within an overall trajectory of enigmaresolution, A high degree of narrative closure, A fictional world governed by spatial and temporal verisimilitude, centrality of the narrative agency of psychologically-rounded characters 12. However, as for Memento, this movie cannot be classified easily by theories of
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Page 16 Narrative and Genre by Nick Lacey Page 93- Thompson and Bordwell (Narrative as a formal system) 10 Page 97- Thompson and Bordwell (Narrative as a formal system) 11 The Media Students Book Page 45 12 Narrative and Genre Page 121

Research Investigation

Sample C

narratives such as Todorovs and Kuhns, there isnt a fictional world governed by spatial and temporal verisimilitude as the basic idea of time is challenged with the flashbacks and flash forwards never depicting the present. However, the narrative does have aspects of linearity. The audience know the resolution they are looking for and the narrative is mostly linear, albeit in the wrong way compared to conventional narratives. Also, there is cause and effect in the movie; however the audience learn the effect of Leonards actions before the cause of him committing them. For example, it could be argued that the conclusion of the movie uses an unconventional narrative structure to set up a conventional narrative closure; there is a resolution to the dominant enigma code of the movie which is why Teddy was killed at the beginning of the movie. According to Warren Buckland, Films do not need to represent the cause-and-effect logic of a film in chronological order13, which means that even if the idea of basic cause-and-effect logic is challenged in narrative, the audience can still understand the narrative. The most interesting characteristic of Kuhns theory when it comes to Memento is the idea of centrality of the narrative agency of psychologically-rounded characters. Although Leonard has brain damage and is not psychologically well, identification is created between the encoder and decoder for this likeable character, he appears to be humorous and simply searching for justice for his dead wife who he loved. This identification between encoder and decoder is emphasised by the fact narrative devices are used in the film such as flashbacks and flash forwards to create a complicated narrative structure which reflects the uncertainty of the protagonists psychological state. Also, as Lacey says Characters can only perceive diegetic material whereas the audience, obviously, can perceive everything a text has to offer, including non diegetic material.14 Regarding the non diegetic material in Memento, Leonards voiceover builds a connection between the protagonist; Leonard and the audience which is intensified by the sense of Leonards isolation as no one can hear it but the audience can. The identification is also reinforced by the editing as Leonard is in almost every shot and extreme close up and close up shots of him are used for the entirety of the movie. Another aspect of the narrative which forces a point of identification is the restricted narration. When discussing restricted narration in Taxi Driver, Buckland says The flow of narrative information is filtered through a single character,15 this can be applied to Memento, the audience completely connect with him and his side of the story because we only discover new clues when he does so we go on the journey with him. Additionally, in the final scene, the audience discover that Leonard kills Teddy because he has only created the puzzle in his mind of his wifes killer to satisfy his needs for a challenge in

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Teach yourself Film Studies (Warren Buckland) Page 49 Narrative and Genre Page 19 15 Teach yourself Film Studies (Warren Buckland) Page 37

Research Investigation

Sample C

life. The restricted narration prevents the identification made between Leonard and the audience from being completely shattered, we still sympathise with Leonard, even if we dont completely emphasise with him like we did at the start of the movie. However, perhaps the character types in the film switch for the audience in this final scene. Regarding Propps theory of character types16, Leonard, the protagonist is depicted as the obvious hero throughout the movie, whereas Teddy, the man who Leonard killed at the beginning, believing he is his wifes killer is conveyed as the villain. Also, it can be questioned whether the character Natalie is the princess, helper or villain. However, clear character types are not established in the movie, so it depends on how the audience have interpreted the plot to decide which character fits each type e.g. Teddy could be the helper and Leonard could be the villain. It also indicates that Nolan works on the assumption that the audience knows character types, then breaks them which adds to the appeal of a challenging narrative for audiences and contrasts the compliance to character types from the perspective of a conventional narrative. For example, in a movie such as Avatar, there is a clear hero, princess and helper which is not the case for Memento. In conclusion, there are many aspects of narrative which can determine a clear contrast between traditional and alternate narratives. Although conventional narratives are simpler to interpret and understand, alternate narratives can work on the assumption of the audience knowing the aspects of traditional narrative to create a challenging appeal for an audience. This is reinforced by the successful audience response for films with alternate narrative systems such as Inception and Memento.

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Narrative and Genre by Nick Lacey