Crocodile Dundee Script Breakdown

Dir- Peter Faiman

Year – 1986

Running Time – 94 minutes

Screen writing Genre – Fool Triumphant (Fool out of water)

The Film

Crocodile Dundee made a major impact upon release. It may seem hard to believe but it is one of the highest grossing films of all time. The film was made for around $9 million and went on to gross over $328 million. It was also nominated for an Oscar in the best screenplay category and Hogan picked up a golden globe for best actor. Adding to the onscreen chemistry is the fact that Paul Hogan and His co-Star Linda Kozlowski actually married in real life.

What’s in a name?

This is another straightforward one. It clearly refers to the main character with the “Crocodile” and poster image adding the humorous touch. The film must be considered from a slightly different point of view as it is a star vehicle for Hogan and thus would have been designed around his comic ability.

What makes it great?

Like many a stars vehicle the film hangs on the leads performance. Luckily for us Hogan does a great job of carrying the film. The structure is a little wayward in places but it hangs together on the strength of the script and humour. I feel the nomination for best screenplay is well warranted and the film remains timeless due to its good nature.

However, for me the screenplay is missing something at the start. It also has a twisting structure where the emphasis moves from Mick to Sue and back with regards to who is driving the narrative. The film mirrors itself at the midpoint as well.

Crocodile Dundee as a “Fool out of water” Movie

The “Fool out of Water” or fish out of water genre is the perfect description for Crocodile Dundee. It refers to films where someone is taken out of their natural environment and dropped into another. Another example would be Legally Blond.

The “Fool out of water” genre does break a number of conventions on occasion as the tension comes from seeing our hero being himself or herself in a new surrounding. As such we sometimes don’t get the name change and assuming of a new identity we often get in other fool triumphant genres.

Time Line

Opening Image – The New York skyline.

Theme Stated – Right from the start we know our theme is survival. It’s properly introduced when Sue says “And I will see where he was attacked and how he survived.”

Set-Up – Sue follows up on the crocodile man story and we meet Mick and his ‘mate’.

Catalyst –you can argue two catalysts. Right at the start we have Sue looking at the crocodile man story that stops her coming home when she should. Once in Australia it is the idea that she can’t survive in the outback that sets the real journey into motion.

Debate – Mick and Sue discuss if a city girl could survive the outback?

Break into Two – We break a little early but it is clear once we are in the outback and the boat has left we have crossed over into the special world of act 2. A little later we have a new dawn and the adventure can begin.

B Story – When Mick saves Sue from the crocodile the B story and love story starts.

Fun and Games – Mick and Sue adventure in the outback and we get to meet some aborigines, see our characters eat some bush food and Mick considers going to the city.

Midpoint – Mick enters New York and our fish is now out of water. Mick will go on to show the New Yorkers as savages through his friendliness.

Bad Guys Close In – Mick has to adapt, plus Sue’s boyfriend is on the scene and trying to make Mick look like am idiot. There is also a marriage proposal on the horizon.

All is Lost – Richard proposes and Mick is humiliated.

Dark Night of the Soul – Mick walks the streets, drinks and gets beaten up. He is saved by his ‘mate’ and recovers. He decides to see the rest of the country and find more friends.

Break into Three –

Mick leaves the hotel to go to the train station and travel America.

Finale – Sue starts the ‘Chase to the airport scene’ and races to the train station which culminates in the iconic scene where Mick is literally held up by the people of the city as he walks over them.

Final image – Sue and Mick together, surrounded by New Yorkers who are now much friendlier having been changed by their meeting with Mick.

In what ways, if any, is Black masculinity portrayed as powerful and powerless in African American cinema?

Through the history of cinema we are given constant representations of black men who have their masculinity compromised (mainly white characters). However, certain films do show the black man as, if not more, powerful than their white counterparts. One example of this is the film Shaft (Gordon parks (1971) USA) and it is this film that I will look at in order to see if, even in this powerful character, black masculinity is compromised.
   
The character of John Shaft represents a different type of character being portrayed by a black actor. Shaft appears to be an aggressive, highly sexually, highly influential character. Not only this but he isn’t constrained by anybody. He can go anywhere and into any space. But the main point is that his white superiors appear powerless to stop Shaft doing whatever he feels like. This contrasts strongly with the characters that Sidney Poitier used to play. Although Poitier did break through to the Hollywood film industry, Ed Guerrero points out, most people saw that Hollywood neutralised Poitiers sexuality and in doing so his masculinity.
   
Shafts character is in contrast with how black people and especially the black man had been portrayed in film before, Donald Bogle sets out five signifiers of the black subject in American film. That being toms, the good Negro enslaved and obedient, and the signifier that Poitier was considered to be a prime example of. Coons, lazy good for nothings, and the mulatto, the tragic mixed race figure. Mammies, large women devoted to the white family and bucks, sexually potent big black men who are feared by plantation owners. John Shaft breaks through all of these confined roles laid down in American cinema history. Where as these perceived roles serve to neutralise the black male and take away his masculinity by either showing characters as sexually powerless or controlled by the white man, the character of Shaft is shown as just the opposite. Showing that even though he is sexually powerful and threatening to those around him, he is not controlled and thus his masculinity is not compromised by any other character within the narrative.
   
We see right from the very start of the film that Shaft is completely unshaken by and in control of his surroundings - this is shown to us where he walks across the road and is almost hit by a taxi. Shaft responds aggressively to the driver and then he continues on his way. Again in the opening scene a man tries to sell Shaft a watch. Shaft shows the man his badge and he runs away, showing us that he could have arrested the man but choose not to, he has all the power and any decisions he makes are because he wants to make them, not because he is following orders from anybody else. This sets up the character as a powerful presence that stands out from anything else on screen, it's impossible for the character to have his masculinity diminished because he always appears bigger, brighter or just far more in control than anybody else. Instead, it is the characters around him that appear to be weak and have their sexuality neutralised.
   
Another example of Shafts power within the film is clearly shown by the fact that he knows all the information about what is happening. In one scene a white policeman is pleading with Shaft to tell him what is happening. The way this is done suggests to us that the entire mainly white police force is completely lost without Shaft. As nobody else seems to be able to find out the information that Shaft can, this boost his masculinity as he can have the knowledge required to enter any space. It also reduces the masculinity of the white policeman, as they cannot.

    Furthermore the representation of women in the film further adds to the idea that Shaft has a powerful masculine presence. The women serve just for him to reinforce his own masculinity, and not compromising it in any way. Where as in other films and notable in the film noir genre women act as femme-fatal characters or characters that serve to neutralise their male counterparts, hear they are clearly their to love Shaft and be made love to be Shaft. Not once does Shaft show any real feeling, other than sexual towards the women he beds. Without him showing any feelings for the woman his masculinity is never brought into question.

Another point which acts to emphasise the character of Shaft as a sexually powerful black male, is the fact that the characters around him are set up as completely unisexual constructs. The men in the text that surround Shaft tend to be middle aged, white policemen who are losing their hair and highly strung. So there is no possibility of Shafts masculinity, and sexual power being challenged by one of these characters. Even when Shaft is attacked by somebody he always comes out on top no matter how outnumbered or against the odds it may seem. For example, when he is ambushed by a gang of people he still manages to fight them all off and come out on top.
   
To conclude I would say that while it is clear that within the history of American film black masculinity is constantly undermined and rendered powerless by white characters - Shaft clearly breaks away from this. Nowhere in the film to we see Shafts masculinity compromised. He assumes almost super hero qualities as he tackles anything that comes his way, he becomes a construction of everything that is sexually powerful and masculine. To emphasise this every other character in the film is there seemingly to add weight to this idea, either in the guise of a submissive woman for Shaft to sleep with, a middle aged cop who acts as no threat to Shaft or a villain for him to beat up.

Bibliography

Hooks, Bell 1992 Black looks: Race and Representation South Bay Press UK

Guerrero, Ed 1993 Framing Blackness: The African-American Image in Film, Temple University Press USA

Bogle, Donald 1994 Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks: an Interpretative History of Blacks in American Films USA

Casino Royale Script Breakdown

Dir- Martin Campbell
Year – 2006
Running Time – 144 mins
Screen writing Genre – Super Hero (People’s Super Hero)

The Film

Casino Royale marked the re-launch of the James Bond franchise and made a massive impact in the process. Very cleverly the film takes many aspects from the Super Hero block busters that were flavour of the month at the same time. The critics adored the film and Daniel Craig became the first Bond in history to be receive a best actor nomination at the Baftas.

What’s in a name?

Casino Royale is a quite straightforward name. Belonging to a well established franchise means we already know who the film is about and now we have an idea where it is set as well. The simple name also tells us that we are in for a more low key and serious film than other Bond movies.

What makes it great?

So many things stand out in Casino Royale. The music is exceptional, the action sequences are amazing and the script is incredible. The film is also paced well and the fact the writers manage to hold your attention through a card game is very clever. However, the biggest highlight is the performance of Daniel Craig which brings a gravity and credibility to Bond that has been missing for a very long time. It’s hard to think how the franchise could have been re-launched any better.

Casino Royale as a Super Hero of the People Movie

Super Hero movies deal with the burden of power and being so much more than the everyday man. They also deal with the trouble super heroes have with us lowly normal people. James Bond is a now mystic figure who can get out of any situation and deal with anything due to his brilliance at just about everything. This more than qualifies him as a super hero.

Super Hero of the People films deal with characters that rise from the ranks of the ordinary man due to their great skill. This covers James Bond and other films such as Robin Hood and Gladiator. Casino Royale charts James’ journey to full super hero the same as many other origin movies. By the end of the film he will have full control over his ‘powers’.


Time Line

 Opening Image – A shady organisation in Prague set in black and white. This is our introduction to a new, more brutal, Bond who shoots first and asks questions later. This is followed by a shady organisation in Uganda and our introduction to Mr White.

Theme Stated – As we have seen in the opening scene our new bond is a man who keeps tight control on his emotions and is a cool calm customer, he is also arrogant. This will continue throughout the movie and our theme is based around questions of emotional detachment. Our theme is simply- what do you need to be a true hero and a man? Bond will develop as the story goes on and by the end will emerge as more than the simple number 007. At the minute he lacks the emotion to be anything more than a super robot.

Set-Up – We get to know Bond and the fact he means business, is emotionally detached and cold. During this part of the film we also meet the main bad guys and get to see Bond in action.

Catalyst – Bond finds the bombers phone and uses it to track his next contact. (18)

Debate – Bond and M talk in her apartment about his conduct.

Break into Two – Bond is in the Bahamas to follow his lead. (25)

Fun and Games – Bond is following clues, playing cards in the Bahamas and seducing women. It all culminates in a chase to the airport scene to catch the bad guy.

B Story – Bond meets Vesper and the ‘love’ story starts. (55)

Midpoint – The card game begins.

Bad Guys Close In – The good guys may be closing on La Chiffre but so are the even badder guys from Uganda. The bad guys are also onto James and he is poisoned

All is Lost – This leads to our ‘whiff of death’ moment when he dies and is revived by Vesper. Bond then loses the card game after being outsmarted by La Chiffre

Dark Night of the Soul – Having lost the card game James loses his cool and is about to act rashly and try and take La Chiffre by force. Felix stops him and gives him a way to recover. Bond returns wiser, less arrogant and realising he is not invincible.

Break into Three – Vesper is taken and Bond chases after her. He wakes up in the boat after the car overturns and we are now in act 3.

Finale – Bond recovers from his injuries and decides it’s not worth it. He softens and wants to leave the service. All is going well until Vespers betrayal is revealed.  He then follows her to the tragic end.

Final image – James has now become our fully formed Super Hero, not soft and weak or hard and uncaring but a mixture of the two.  We end with the line “the names James Bond”. Our hero is now more than a simple three digit number.