Todorov's Theory.

Todorov's theory.

Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to be able to be applied to any film. He believe that all films followed the same narrative pattern…
The equilibrium- When there is all serenity and everyone is equal.
disequilibrium-When conflict rises between two people or two groups- thee becomes a problem.
acknowledgement- They realise there is a problem
solving-They try solving it
and then again equilibrium-goes back to equality .


Maleficent...
Clip 1-  opening.
Straight from the beginning of this clip it suggests that there is equilibrium because it is all calm and peaceful, living happily together- on their separate sides- the fairy tale side and the "human side". This screen shot was at 0:05 because even the miss en scene here shows the equilibrium atmosphere that is being portrayed at the opening of this film. In terms of Togorov's theory, this is the correct way and the way most films start. Even the tone of the narrator continues the serenity portrayed within this film.


 At 0:41, the sound effects of the diegetic sound of the water is a key example of equilibrium because when the sound of water is heard, it is normally linked with serenity and calmness.

At 0:52, a child is shown- the most common thing to be included when showing equilibrium. Also as you can see in this screen shot there is an almost hazy view- blurry- around the child, suggesting the world around her is very hazy and goes how it goes.



Again at 1:41, Equilibrium is maintained by the music of Non-diegetic sound because it is very fast yet isn't tense- it flows with Maleficent as her flies around.

 At 2:06 of this clip, fairies around flying around above the water leaving behind a golden trail of "fairy dust". The reason this makes the equality feeling clear is because gold is a very happy as it is the same colour of the sun.




As this clip is the opening, it is a good example of Todorov's theory because it proves how its equilibrium to begin with.

Clip 3- Maleficent loses her wings.
Near the beginning of this clip- 1:06, it suggests there to be equilibrium. However the lighting contrasts the atmosphere made by the narrator. The lighting suggests something bad is going to happen, it's just Maleficent doesn't know it yet. Suggesting a disruption about to occur.



At 3:05, it shows what the disruption is, the man has taken away her wings. Which is obviously going to cause her lots of pain alongside the feeling of betrayal from that man because clear she trusted him, yet by the looks of this clip, he must have given her something to make her sleep, going even more against her trust.





Clip 4- True loves kiss

At the beginning of this clip, There is a disruption, the boy kissed aurora but the cursed wasn't lifted. This is a disruption because it was meant to wake her from her slumber. The screen shot on the side of this is at 0:59, just after he kissed her with no response. For the fairies shown in this screen grab, this is a very big problem because Aurora still hasn't been woken, she is a princess so she needs to be woken as soon as possible. Yet they have found the wrong boy.

This was taken at 2:38- a really touching scene of Maleficent when it shows the pain that she is going through and the upset she has that she made that curse. Her kissing her forehead shows she is beginning to accept that Aurora won't be waking up due to her own disruption because true loves kissed hasn't yet occurred, she has recognised the disruption and wakes to cure it yet she can't.

Yet at 3:02, Aurora actually wakes up as a result of Maleficent's kiss. A start of the break of the disruption. As if she has managed to repair some of the disruption accidently. There for suggesting, after this there may be a restoring of equilibrium.

Clip 5- End scene

As this is the final scene of Maleficent, it shows golden fairy dust much like the opening suggesting a full circle and a restoring of equilibrium as it has gone back to happy and hazy like before. With bright colours fulling the screen, like shown in the screen shot taken at 12 seconds. The second screen shot on the right was at 1:55, showing all serenity.