Narrative Structure Todorov’s Theory:1. Begins with equilibrium, everything is balanced2. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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?