Every movie has a message. Every film that makes it to the big screen has one central idea it intends to communicate. It may have many themes but it will have only one message around which the entire movie revolves. The message of a movie is often subtle and may not be recognized on the first viewing. But with a little discernment, we can pick up on the movie’s message quickly and be able to articulate it accurately.
In every movie, the main character has a physical challenge that he must overcome. In confronting the physical obstacle he must first overcome a psychological obstacle. Only in overcoming the psychological challenge can our hero conquer his physical challenge. Think of how many sports movies (i.e. Remember the Titans, Miracle, and Glory Road) that show us a group of athletes needing to learn to play together as a team rather than as individuals (psychological challenge) in order to win the championship (physical challenge).
The psychological challenge presents our main character with a moral choice. In this sense, the message of a movie will always be about a choice that is right and a choice that is wrong. For example, in Glory Road and Remember the Titans racial prejudice serves as the psychological challenge for the basketball and football teams. In Miracle, holding on to past grudges and college loyalties serves as the psychological challenge for the U.S. hockey team.
The moral choice made by the protagonist in an attempt to overcome the psychological obstacle will change the protagonist in some manner, either for better or for worse. The nature of the hero’s moral choice and the resulting consequences is where we find the message of a movie. In each of the three sports movies mentioned thus far, each team was able to win the championship because they made the moral choice to set aside their differences. We like movies with happy endings. We like to see the underdogs win the big game. But how would have things been different in Remember the Titans if Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell did not lead the team in getting past their racial prejudices? If the movie is true to its message, they would not have won the state championship and we would not be watching a movie about remembering the Titans football team.
In his book, The Moral Premise, Stanley Williams writes that one way to identify the message of a movie is to discover the virtue (right moral choice) and the vice (wrong moral choice) presented in the movie and the resulting consequences. Williams points out that at the beginning of the movie the protagonist will choose the vice, and as a result, suffer defeat. Then, around the mid-point of the movie, the hero chooses to embrace the virtue, and as a result, starts to experience success. The main character will continue to experience success as long as he embraces the virtue. Again, think about the three sports movies mentioned. In each movie, the teams suffer defeat when they are divided, but once they begin to play as a unified team, they begin to win. The more they come together as a team, the more unstoppable they become.
Williams writes that the ‘moral premise’ of a movie can be articulated by stating that “Vice leads to undesirable consequences; but Virtue leads to desirable consequences.” So all we need to do is plug in the virtue, vice and resulting consequences presented from the particular movie we are viewing. In our sports movies discussed, we can articulate the message generally of each movie as follows: A divided team leads to defeat but a unified team leads to victory. Again, this is generically true for all three movies. However, each movie presents a slightly different angle on what divides a team. For example, in Glory Road and Remember the Titans we can say that a team divided by racial prejudice leads to defeat but a team united despite its racial make-up leads to victory. In Miracle, we can say that a team divided because of past grudges and college loyalties leads to defeat but a team united who has put the past behind them leads to victory.
So as you watch movies, identify the virtue and the vice presented and the resulting consequences. Pay attention to what behavior leads to bad consequences and what behavior leads to good consequences. Once you have identified these, plug the particulars into the statement: “Vice leads to undesirable consequences; but Virtue leads to desirable consequences” and now you have the message of the movie.
By the way, I plan on writing a future blog entry on the connection between the tagline of a movie and the message of a movie. But as a teaser, notice the tagline used for Remember the Titans: “Before they could win, they had to become one.”
In every movie, the main character has a physical challenge that he must overcome. In confronting the physical obstacle he must first overcome a psychological obstacle. Only in overcoming the psychological challenge can our hero conquer his physical challenge. Think of how many sports movies (i.e. Remember the Titans, Miracle, and Glory Road) that show us a group of athletes needing to learn to play together as a team rather than as individuals (psychological challenge) in order to win the championship (physical challenge).
The psychological challenge presents our main character with a moral choice. In this sense, the message of a movie will always be about a choice that is right and a choice that is wrong. For example, in Glory Road and Remember the Titans racial prejudice serves as the psychological challenge for the basketball and football teams. In Miracle, holding on to past grudges and college loyalties serves as the psychological challenge for the U.S. hockey team.
The moral choice made by the protagonist in an attempt to overcome the psychological obstacle will change the protagonist in some manner, either for better or for worse. The nature of the hero’s moral choice and the resulting consequences is where we find the message of a movie. In each of the three sports movies mentioned thus far, each team was able to win the championship because they made the moral choice to set aside their differences. We like movies with happy endings. We like to see the underdogs win the big game. But how would have things been different in Remember the Titans if Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell did not lead the team in getting past their racial prejudices? If the movie is true to its message, they would not have won the state championship and we would not be watching a movie about remembering the Titans football team.
In his book, The Moral Premise, Stanley Williams writes that one way to identify the message of a movie is to discover the virtue (right moral choice) and the vice (wrong moral choice) presented in the movie and the resulting consequences. Williams points out that at the beginning of the movie the protagonist will choose the vice, and as a result, suffer defeat. Then, around the mid-point of the movie, the hero chooses to embrace the virtue, and as a result, starts to experience success. The main character will continue to experience success as long as he embraces the virtue. Again, think about the three sports movies mentioned. In each movie, the teams suffer defeat when they are divided, but once they begin to play as a unified team, they begin to win. The more they come together as a team, the more unstoppable they become.
Williams writes that the ‘moral premise’ of a movie can be articulated by stating that “Vice leads to undesirable consequences; but Virtue leads to desirable consequences.” So all we need to do is plug in the virtue, vice and resulting consequences presented from the particular movie we are viewing. In our sports movies discussed, we can articulate the message generally of each movie as follows: A divided team leads to defeat but a unified team leads to victory. Again, this is generically true for all three movies. However, each movie presents a slightly different angle on what divides a team. For example, in Glory Road and Remember the Titans we can say that a team divided by racial prejudice leads to defeat but a team united despite its racial make-up leads to victory. In Miracle, we can say that a team divided because of past grudges and college loyalties leads to defeat but a team united who has put the past behind them leads to victory.
So as you watch movies, identify the virtue and the vice presented and the resulting consequences. Pay attention to what behavior leads to bad consequences and what behavior leads to good consequences. Once you have identified these, plug the particulars into the statement: “Vice leads to undesirable consequences; but Virtue leads to desirable consequences” and now you have the message of the movie.
By the way, I plan on writing a future blog entry on the connection between the tagline of a movie and the message of a movie. But as a teaser, notice the tagline used for Remember the Titans: “Before they could win, they had to become one.”
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4 comments:
This is a very helpful way to get at the message. I like it. Thanks for the clear description and explanation.
Ryan, first and foremost this is a really cool blog thanks for sending me the link. As I was reading through your post I was thinking, what about when the main character is a bad guy? That character may not ever make the right choice and thus never really change. Of course while I am writing this I can't think of a good example of this, but do you know what I'm saying?
Pax,
Thanks for your comment. Here are some additional thoughts. Sometimes the main character doesn't change. He remains the same and encourages another main character to change. For example, in Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufrene doesn't change. His goal is to keep his hope despite his circumstances which he does. And by him remaining the same, he inspires Red to move from fear to hope. Thus, the tagline: Fear holds you prisoner, hope sets you free. In the terms of the Moral Premise, fear leads to imprisonment, but hope sets you free. In Shawshank Redemption, the physical challenge was their imprisonment and the psychological challenge was their inner battle with fear and hope; meaning, fear leads to inner imprisonment as well.
With respect to the main character being a bad guy, the moral premise still holds true. Choosing the vice leads to his demise. While watching the movie, we know where things are headed if he doesn't change. So if the main character chooses the vice, it should lead to undesirable consequences. In Greek plays, stories that end well for the main character were comedies and stories that ended badly for the main character were tragedies. The same is true today. An example might be any gangster movie. We know that the mobster lifestyle leads to undesirable consequences (i.e. murdered or arrested) and so the question is whether our main character will reject that lifestyle or remain in it. Think of Henry Hill (Ray Loitta's character) in Goodfellas. The longer he stays in the lifestyle the worse things become for him.
So the moral premise remains true no matter what decision the main character makes as long as right choices lead to desirable consequences and wrong choices lead to undesirable consequences.
Ryan,
That makes sense. It kind of makes an even greater point to me of good choices producing good outcomes and vice versa, despite circumstances or temptations, when the main character continues down the wrong path to his demise.
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