Narrative, Genre & Representation In James Bond Skyfall

Skyfall

In this clip of Skyfall there are repeated genre conventions that help identify that the film is a spy/action film. We can tell this by the mise en scene used, e.g. the clothing that Daniel Craig is wearing such as the black suit and the dark glasses indicates that he is a spy and gives a sense of mystery. The genre conventions used repeatedly throughout these type of films also help the audience to identify the genre and may gain gratification from this. Strauss's binary opposition can be easily identified in this clip as there is a rivalry between the hero (James Bond) and the villain (Raoul Silva). We can tell that James Bond is the hero because he tries to save the Princess (Severine) and that Raoul Silva is the villain because of the actions that he carries out. There are 3 of the 7 characters that Propp identified in narrative. The dialogue used also helps us establish who the hero and the villain is. The music that is continually used  through the 007 films is repeated in the clip to help the audience recognise and label him as the hero. The low camera angles that are used in this clip also help the audience to identify that Daniel Craig is the hero as the camera is looking up onto him, therefore giving him power and authority. Iconography is symbolised throughout this clip by the use of the guns, as they give repeated expectations of the type of genre. Todorov's theory could also be applied to this clip as there is an equilibrium (when James Bond and Silva are talking), the clip then moves to the disruption( Severine getting shot) which is the non equilibrium then the equilibrium is restored when James Bond becomes the hero and tries to shoot Silva. We know that the storyline of the clip will be linked to the narrative of action films because the repeated expectations that we see on screen help the audience identify certain features that they know they will see throughout watching the film.The narrative of this clip may be why certain people would be watching, e.g. for entertainment, escapism etc. This clip may also create enigma codes to the audience as to why and how certain events are happening to then be answered later on in the film which may also be why the audience may gain an interest in the film as they keep watching to find out what happens later on. James Bond is also being represented as the alpha male which is often a common stereotype of 'hero's' in films as they are expected to be brave and strong.