1. Narrative Structure
Todorov’s Theory:
1. Begins with equilibrium, everything is balanced
2. Something disrupts that equilibrium,
3. Resolution reached with a new equilibrium
‘Titanic’ follows this:
• Equilibrium: Jack meets Rose by chance and they fall in love. They have a
relationship.
• Disruption/Disequilibrium: The Titanic hits an ice berg that slowly sinks. Jack and
Rose lose each other and they both get thrown into the sea when the boat splits.
• New Equilibrium: Jack and Rose find each other in the freezing water. When Rose
wakes up, Jack is dead beside her but his death demonstrates their closeness.
2. Todorov’s Theory in Our Film
• Equilibrium: Stacey is a deceitful woman,
which is normal.
• A potential disruption hinted at through clues
such as the gun. The disruption in the film is
that she kills her husband.
• New equilibrium: Near the end of the film she
seduces the person who suspects her so she’s
back to how she was at beginning.
3. Binary Opposites
Levi Strauss’ Theory
• His theory of Binary Opposition suggests that
all narratives progress due to conflict caused
by a series of opposing forces. Effectively, each
main force in a narrative has its equal and
opposite.
4. Strauss’ Theory in Our Film
• Good vs Bad. Our protagonist has evil
intentions to kill the businessman who is good
to her and shares his wealth with her.
• Strong vs Weak. Stacey can manipulate and
control those around her, e.g. her husband
and the police.
• Reality vs Appearance. Stacey is a beautiful
woman who seems pleasant to others but is
the very opposite of innocent in reality.
5. Barthes’ Enigma Code
This theory suggests that a film contains a
mystery to draw the audience in, particularly as
questions are posed.
In our film the following questions are raised:
– Why does Stacey have multiple identities?
– Why does Stacey appear to hide her detective
badge?
– Why has Stacey stalked Ryan?
