The three-act structure is a common way for storytellers to organize their stories. It is often used in films to give a structured approach to storytelling. This essay compares and contrasts two films, the 1946 film “Notorious” and the 2012 movie “The Place Beyond the Pines”. In particular, the discussion will focus on how these two films have used the three act structure to tell their narrative. A conclusion on whether this structure affects whether the film is viewed as more realistic will also be provided.
It is arguable that the movie “Notorious” has a three act structure. One can clearly tell where act one, act two and act three start and end. The beginning of act one is the opening of the movie. This act introduces the characters and the world they live in. For instance, the viewer gets to know who Alicia is, her relationship with her father and also why the Americans are interested in her. Further, the political relationship between Germany and America is explored. The end of act one is when Devlin asks Alicia to spy on one of her father’s friend’s Sebastian. On the same note, the beginning of act two starts when Alicia reluctantly agrees to spy on Sebastian. It is debatable that the rise of the plot happens in act two, when Alicia and Devlin realize that the wine bottles in Sebastian’s cellar are packed with black ore. This also marks the end of the second act and the beginning of the third one. The third act involves Sebastian trying to kill Alicia by poisoning her, while also protecting himself from his Nazi crew members. It ends with the closing of the film, when Devlin and Alicia leave.
It is arguable that not all narrative problems were solved by act three. According to Barsam and Monahan (2016, 13) there are numerous ways in which narrative problems can be overlooked when making a film. In this case, the initial plan, of spying and arresting Sebastian was not solved. Instead, the film ends with Devlin and Alicia leaving Sebastian to the hands of the Nazis. It is prudent to note that there are various narrative lines operating in the movie simultaneously, making the storyline more interesting (Barsam & Monahan, 2016, 22). An example of the same is when Alicia and Devlin are investigating the black ore while Sebastian and his mother are plotting on poisoning Alicia.
As mentioned, the second film is “The Place Beyond the Pines”. One comparison that can be made between the first and second films mentioned is that they both adopt the three act structure. However, the adoption in this movie is more casual as the film contains linear stories. In the case of “The Place Beyond the Pines” the first act also begins at the start of the movie, where the characters are introduced to the viewers. The relationship between Luke and Romina is explored with the past also presented to the viewers. This act ends when Luke gets a job near Romina’s place so that he can be close to his son. This is also where the second act starts. Just like “Notorious”, the rise of the story occurs in the second act. According to Barsam and Monahan (2016, 52), this second act is often the longest as well, and this is proven in this film. The rise occurs when Luke is killed by Avery. One reason why this is identified as the rise of the story is the fact that it determines how the rest of the characters in the film develop.
Arguably, the story is told from Luke’s perspective. However, this permanently changes when Luke dies and the perspective shifts to that of his son, Jason. This is different from the movie “Notorious” where the perspective remains the same (Alicia’s) despite temporarily changing ever so often. Additionally, one can argue that there is a smooth cause and effect narrative movement in this film. For example, when Avery kills Luke, his guilt haunts him for years until he confesses that he shot the latter first. Further, when Jason realizes that A.J’s father killed his father, there is a falling out between the two friends.
In conclusion, one can argue that the two selected films have some similarities and differences. One similarity is that they both use the three act structure to tell their individual stories. Further, both use the second act to present the rise of their plot. One difference that the two films have is the use of two narrative lines simultaneously. This approach is used in the first film “Notorious” but not used in the second one, “The Place Beyond the Pines”. It is arguable that the narrative approach for the latter is more realistic than the former. This is due to the fact that the narrative of the “The Place Beyond the Pines” is more objective and shows the complicated choices all the characters had to make. Therefore, one can bold state that a less traditional narrative structure gives a feel of realism that other approaches do not provide.
Reference
Barsam, M. R. & Monahan, D. (2016). Looking at movies: An introduction to film (8 ed.). W.W. Norton