News1 min ago
film categories
I remember reading years ago in Empire magazine that there are actually only seven subjects/ plots/ story lines, and that all films, plays, tv programmes, books are all just variants on one of the seven themes.
Does anyone remember what the seven are?
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.There was a book written about it, but I think there are many more than just 7 and it depends who you ask:
1 - [wo]man vs. nature
2 - [wo]man vs. man
3 - [wo]man vs. the environment
4 - [wo]man vs. machines/technology
5 - [wo]man vs. the supernatural
6 - [wo]man vs. self
7 - [wo]man vs. god/religion
I would have thought more along the lines of tragedy, comedy, love etc etc but as I say, there are lots.
According to Christopher Brooker, the seven plots are:
1. Overcoming the monster -- defeating some force which threatens... e.g. most Hollywood movies; Star Wars, James Bond.
2. The Quest -- typically a group setoff in search of something and (usually) find it. e.g. Watership Down, Pilgrim's Progress.
3. Journey and Return -- the hero journeys away from home to somewhere different and finally comes back having experienced something and maybe changed for the better. e.g. Wizard of Oz, Gullivers Travels.
4. Comedy - not neccesarily a funny plot. Some kind of
misunderstanding or ignorance is created that keeps parties apart which is resolved towards the end bringing them back together. e.g. Bridget Jones Diary, War and Peace.
5. Tragedy - Someone is tempted in some way, vanity, greed etc and becomes increasingly desperate or trapped by their actions until at a climax they usually die. e.g. Devils' Advocate, Hamlet.
6. Rebirth - hero is captured or oppressed and seems to be in a state of living death until it seems all is lost when miraculously they are freed. e.g. Snow White.
7. Rags to Riches - self explanatory really. e.g. Cinderella
Hey Bud,
I asked this same question on imdb.com a few years ago, I remembered that one theme was entitled 'A person enters a foreign place and changes something' (Rocky Horror / Shawshank Redemption etc) I too remember that there were less than ten
This is the list I was given
Quest
Adventure
Pursuit
Rescue
Escape
Revenge
The Riddle
Rivalry
Underdog
Temptation
Metamorphosis
Transformation
Maturation
Love
Forbidden Love
Sacrifice
Discovery
Wretched Excess
Ascension
Descension
So yeah as 'Octavius' stated, it seems to just depend on who you ask
R x
This is presumably the source of Octavius' answer:
http://tonygoodson.typepad.com/tonygoodson/2005/06/seven_types_of_.html
In fact, I was searching for "Types of joke".