Todorov's theory

Evaluation of Opening Sequence

Tzvetan Todorov, a Bulgarian theorist, believed that a similar structural pattern was followed in fairy stories. This theory links in to mainstream films and TV dramas today. The Narrative Pattern was- An Equilibrium > Disruption > Resolution > Restored Order > New Equilibrium. The Opening Sequence above of James Bond Quantum of Solace follows this theory.

• The equilibrium in this opening sequence is with an agent (James Bond), who is seen as a protagonist within the film as he is the character that the viewer wants to succeed. The villain is the man chasing after Bond and who is going all out to try and kill his enemy.
• The disruption in all of this is the car chase between the two characters as the villain tries to kill James violently in this chase. There is constant conflict shown between the two of them as they shoot at each other trying to force each other to crash. This disruption hints that there will be lots of obstacles on the way and people will try and stop him from succeeding.
• At the beginning of the clip, there is a moving establishing shot of the island to show the setting and to take the audience through the surroundings. At 0.56 and 0.59, there is an ECU of the actor Daniel Craig and there is a big shadow casted over his face to show the mysteriousness of this character. This use of minimal lighting is very good at representing the characteristics of the character. Also, with this shot, we can see the determination that he has through his eyes which is very effective.
• The whole clip is very fast-paced and at 1.41, there is a wide shot of all three cars which packs in all of the action so the audience gets front row seats of this action as it is all placed in front of them. At 4.07, there is a high angle shot of the villain tied up in the trunk of James' car. The effect this has is by showing the difference in power with the protagonist standing over the villain and the camera looking down on him makes him seem vulnerable and weak in comparison to the very strong, calm and collected Bond.
• The use of having the main character in a smart and crisp suit carries on the tradition of the other James Bond films and adds to his whole persona. Also, the cars act as the props in the clip as they provide action and are very expensive with the classic aston martin which shows high budget and class.
• The Resolution is when the person who the audience wants to succeed (James Bond) shoots down the other car making it fall off a cliff killing the villain and manages to get the other villain tied up. However, the hero always seems to get out alive and unharmed.
• From this opening sequence, it is obvious that there will be a lot of disruption throughout the film as the main character seems to have made many enemies and also because it is an action film.
• All of the James Bond films follow Todorov's theory as they have the agent and villain(s) that fight it out and show hatred towards each other. Often there is a girl involved and they go through a journey throughout the film consisting of chases and fights to try and complete the main mission.
• However, the new equilibrium is not always one of complete happiness as he is betrayed by his love interest Vesper but he does in every film manage to come out of it alive, but the equilibrium will be restored as we can guarantee that he will survive the obstacles thrown at him and will go on to fight again.

In conclusion, James Bond does follow the theory of Tzevetan Todarov as it starts with a equilibrium, has disruption along the way but ends with a new equilibrium. The narrative of this film following this sequence is:

Agent (Bond) and Villain > Conflict (Chases and fights) > Defeats his enemy > Changes as a person (becomes less trusting)