Collaboration: Film Lecture 2 - Archetypes

   Adding onto the previous lecture, today we are looking at archetypes via the Hero's Journey.

  Archetypes are a mixture of psychoanalysis, philosophy and structural linguistics.  This lead to development of some of  main archetypes below:

  - The Hero: The hero is the protagonist, they restore balance whilst growing throughout their journey. 

 - The Herald: A spoken call to the adventure (physical or abstract)

 - The Mentor: Helps brings guidance to the hero on their journey.

 - The Threshold  Guardian: These test the hero.

 - The Shape Shiftier:  Hides intentions and loyalties.

 - The Shadow: A embody of darkest fears and phobias. May not always be "evil" and can be a part of the hero.

 - The Trickster: Makes mischief, a clown character and can throw the hero into bad situations.

 - Allies: The support network, can be a sidekick/ partner etc. Helps the hero though transitions.

 - The Father:  Represents  authority and power, they are often judgement and serious.  (male)

 - The Mother: Caring, nurturing, and helpful. (Female)

 - The Child: Innocent views/ childlike. Has potential for growth. Normally seen as pure and innocent.

 - The Maiden: The embodiment of purity and sexuality. Can transition and grow. 

 There are also different variations of Archetypes, where several types are combined.

                           Anti-hero = Shadow + Shapeshifter + Hero (Batman).

So, after watching The Princess Bride, we have been assigned to watch a different film and look for these Archetypes ourselves. I decided to watch Die Hard. 

Die Hard (1988, 20th Century Fox)

Synopsis: NYPD cop John MaClaine is caught up in a terrorist attack when visiting his estranged wife at the Nakatomi Plaza Christmas party in Los Angeles. 

The Hero - John McClaine is the films hero. Completely unaware of the events that is about happen, he is called to action to save not only himself, but those in the Nakatomi Plaza. He also has a goal to fix his broken down relationship with his estranged wife, Holly.  

The Herald - This one is a bit tricky. You can argue the herald is a more of a figurative call, this being the robbers rounding people up and firing guns. These actions alerts John (is hidden away from the commotion in the bathroom), makes his way up to the building construction upstairs and proceeds to oppose the terrorists.

The Threshold Guardian - Following the Herald's call, John is tested by facing the first of Hans cronies. He is John's main test before he can continue moving though the building to save the captured innocents.

The Shadow - Hans Gruber is the obvious choice, but the shadow category is also his numerous subordinates. Hans is not the only threat, all those that follow him are just as dangerous and grows a developing disdain against McClaine as he slowly removes them one by one.

The Shapeshifter - Harry Ellis seems harmless at first, wanting to impress John by gloating (although he is caught snorting coke). He is self important, egotistic and driven by his own needs. Later in the film, he tries to trick McClaine into giving himself up so to gain his own freedom. This ultimately backfires and he is killed for not delivering.

Allies - The first of John McClane's Allies is the out and about police officer, Al Powell. On first arriving to the Takatomi building, he buys into the façade that nothing was wrong. That was until he got the uncanny surprise of a body landing on his car and bullets being fired, leading him to he calls for backup. On receiving McClaine's  radio call, he is always there to listen, advice, and act as a emotional and motivational support. At the end of the film, he shows growth by removing a threat (Karl) from hurting McClaine.

The Father - Joseph Takagi has a overall fatherly persona. He isn't just the boss, he is a role model to his employees. Holly is his second in command, in which she shows a lot of respect for him as a person and a business man. When being questioned about the code by Hans, he is stubborn in not giving them the information they need, ending in his death.

The Mother and Maiden - Holly has a dual role in this feature. Not only is she the reason John came to the Nakatomi Plaza so to try and fix his marriage, she is also the mother to his children.

The Child - Our child appears quite early on. The Limo driver, Argyle, is quite innocent and jovial in his attitude. Though out the first half of the film, he is completely obvious to what is happening around him. However, he plays an important role of stopping the villains get-away towards the end.