Cliches & Stereotypes (Hollywood Style)

[curmudgeon]

In response to past posts about stereotypes and clichés, I got out my 1999
paperback copy of Roger Ebert's book Ebert's Bigger Little Movie Glossary.
Which is a self proclaimed Greatly Expanded and Much Improved Compendium of
Movie Clichés, Stereotypes, Obligatory Scenes, Hackneyed Formulas, Shopworn
Conventions and Outdated Archetypes.

For example the so called Orwell that Ends Wells Rule.
The inability of Hollywood to look into the future and see anything except
cataclysmic wars, mass nuclear destruction, oppressive automations, and
ruthless police states.

*curmudgeon*
"The best read illiterate in the country"

[Barry Margolin]

In article <QcydnZgIRo9LQCnV...@bresnan.com>,
"curmudgeon" <britica...@bresnan.net> wrote:

They occasionally do (e.g. Star Trek), but I think it's usually much
easier to find fodder for drama in doom-and-gloom than sunny-skies.

As an analogy, most romance movies follow the typical "boy meets girl,
boy loses girl, boy gets girl back" formula (or often the third part is
"boy gets other girl he should have been with in the first place").
There wouldn't be dramatic tension if you didn't have the "boy loses
girl" segment. You need bad things to happen so that the reversal is
satisfying.

--
Barry Margolin, bar...@alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
*** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group ***