Propps theory and my own

Vladimir Propp (1895) analyzed a whole series of Russian folk talks in the 1920s and decided that the same events kept being repeated in each of the stories. Propp also decided that a narrative needed to have:

• the villain, who struggles with the hero.
• the donor, who prepares and/or provides hero with magical agent.
• the helper, who assists, rescues, solves and/or transfigures the hero.
• the Princess, a sought-for person (and/or her father), who exists as a goal and often recognizes and marries hero and/or punishes villain.
• the dispatcher, who sends the hero off.
• the hero, who departs on a search (seeker-hero), reacts to the donor and weds at end.
• the false hero (or antihero or usurper), who claims to be the hero, often seeking and reacting like a real hero (ie by trying to marry the princess).
  

Propp’s theory of narrative seems to be based in a male orientated environment (due to his theory actually reflecting early folk tales) and as such critics often dismiss the theory with regard to film. However, it may still be applied because the function (rather than the gender) of characters is the basis of the theory. E.g. the hero could be a woman; the reward could be a man. Critics argue that Propp’s strict order of characters and events is restrictive. We should rather apply the functions and events randomly as we meet new narratives. E.g. the hero may kill the villain earlier than Propp expects. Changing the traditional format will change the whole way the text is received.
http://www.mediaknowall.com/Propp.html
http://www.adamranson.plus.com/Propp.htm

Some of the case studies I have chosen to study do contain examples of Propps theory, although not all of them in one film. Bridget Jones works with Propps theory, as she is portrayed as rather a conventional princess who is still waiting for her prince to come and rescue her, and she doesn’t really know what to do until he does, whereas Hugh Grant is the false hero and Colin Firth is Bridget’s true love. Her friends help her out during the time she is trying to find love, so they could be considered as the ‘helpers’. A lot of films today seem to contain two of Propps key ingredients; a hero and a villain. There is always a good and a bad person, in any kind of film; horror, sci-fi, drama, action ect. I think that Propps theory is just as strong as it was back then, and perhaps could be argued that it applies even more so nowadays than it did, even though it was intended for folk tales and male characters. Swap the dispatcher for a hospital, the donor for a shop assistant and the helper for a friend and you have a modern day film with the typical characters that exist in this superficial world.

My chosen case studies from 2000's and my own textual analysis of them

How the roles of men and women have changed 20 years later in the 2000’s:

Bridget Jones (2001):

I chose Bridget Jones as another case study film, as it completely and fully represents a modern day woman, who is in a crisis and is looking for love. I believe this film was a major hit as so many women can identify with this character as it’s so stereotypical of women.
I think it’s interesting that at a first glance the character might be deemed as a bit weak and a wreck. However, the fact that it was produced and written by women makes her character undoubtedly a heroin for other women, as well as the fact that Rene has completely taken charge of the lead role. Rene is completely in charge of the screen, as well as the voice over, which relies on her thoughts alone. She shows us women that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that there is someone out there for everyone (In her case, there are two).

The 40 year old virgin (2005):

This is a deliberate contrast and comparison with Bridget Jones, as it singles out all of the single men out there and stereotypes the nerds and geeks. (Big time!) This film, like Jones, is a story of a man who starts off trying to lose his virginity and then ends up falling in love. Some men who have been in similar situations will sympathize with him and understand the feelings and emotions the situation creates, as does Bridget Jones for women. This proves that a man and a woman can play similar roles and still be as successful as each other in achieving the audiences they want to.

Charlie’s Angels (2000):

This film is a typical modern day example of three lead women as protagonists for a change, much like Ripley from Aliens back in the 1980’s, only with a lot more up-to-date equipment. Men are used in this film only as their ‘helpers’, and killed and beaten by these women. Their aim is to join forces which make ‘girl power’ a key topic here. It shows us that they are just as good as men at handling weapons and solving crimes. Interestingly, one of the villains is a man, and the girls prove stronger by capturing him and overpowering him.

Agent Cody Banks (2003):

This has a similar idea to it much like Charlie’s Angels except the lead character is a boy, who is given secret missions to complete as he is selected as an agent. He has to deal with a lot of the same equipment as the girls in Charlie’s angels, although, their ages differ which somehow reflect on their performances. The girls in Charlie’s Angels are a lot more confident in what they are using and of what their missions are, whereas the boy in Agent Cody Banks is only a teenager and is fascinated by the equipment and has to be taught how to use it. The portrayal is different which makes it an interesting contrast that between both these films, the women seem stronger as the protagonists. This film is much like Storm Breaker, which is also about a young boy as an agent.

My own textual analysis on my case studies from the 80's

The Terminator (1984) is, along with an Officer And A Gentleman, an example of an 80’s film where the lead role is predominately a man. It’s about a man showing off his powers and role as an ‘action’ hero, who is indeed a machine, and sent to track down this woman, who is due to give birth to a son who is a threat against the ‘machines’. This, like an Officer and a Gentleman, has both a man and a woman who are on the screens, although the man is a lead figure in both stories, and get opportunities to show off their skills, whereas the women are just like ‘spare parts’ there to help bring the story along and act as a ‘side kick’ to these men.
Aliens however, has a woman as the lead role, and is a continuation from the 1979 film Alien. This was probably the first major leading woman role, in a sci-fi horror/action, which was a huge contrast to the Terminator, which is based on a similar role of hero and survivor. A woman is able to outlive all of the males and females in each Alien film, and fight for a life, which was one of the first major changes in the roles of women on screen, as usually it would be a male taking the lead.
The film Beaches, is a totally different genre to The Terminator or Alien, and creates such a different type of emotion, due to the different situations dealt with the two leading women. It proves, like Alien, that you don’t need to have a male predominant in films to make it a huge success with its audiences, which is probably now why men and women roles are more or less equal now. It contrasts slightly with an officer and a gentleman, as although there are two women characters in both films, which seem close as friends, we experience the friendship closer in Beaches as they are the lead and focus of the whole story, whereas in an Officer and a Gentleman the two women are overshadowed by an overwhelming male majority.