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.