film analysis

2. • THE CLASSICAL HOLLYWOOD NARRATIVE WAS AN IDEA THOUGHT OF BY TODOROV.
• THIS IS WHERE AN EQUILIBRIUM IS SET UP AT THE START BUT SOMETHING HAPPENS TO DISRUPT
THIS EQUILIBRIUM. THIS THEN CAUSES A DISEQUILIBRIUM, WHICH HAS TO BE RESOLVED IN
ORDER TO END WITH A NEW EQUILIBRIUM.
CLASSICAL HOLLYWOOD NARRATIVE

3. DOES 'THE CRAZIES' FOLLOW THE CLASSICAL
HOLLYWOOD NARRATIVE? WHY OR WHY NOT?
• NO.
• THE MOVIE BEGINS WITH THE DISRUPTION THAT WOULD USUALLY OCCUR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOVIE
ACCORDING TO THE CHN. THE DISRUPTION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE IS SHOWN TO US IN A 30
SECOND FLASH FORWARD, AND AFTER THIS THE FILM GOES BACK TO 2 DAYS EARLIER. IF THE FILM WAS TO
START AT THIS POINT THEN IT WOULD FOLLOW THE CHN, AS IT WOULD BE BEGINNING WITH AN
EQUILIBRIUM. HOWEVER, THE END OF THE FILM SHOWS US A NEW EQUILIBRIUM IN SOME PERSPECTIVES,
WHEN DAVID AND JUDY MANAGE TO ESCAPE FROM OGDEN MARSH AND ARE ON THEIR WAY TO CEDAR RAPIDS.
THIS WOULD BE CONSIDERED AS A NEW EQUILIBRIUM. AS THE MOVIE ENDS A TV BROADCAST IS SHOWN IN
CEDAR RAPIDS BUT IS DISRUPTED BY ONE OF THE ‘CRAZIES’ CAUSING MORE DISRUPTION AND SHOWING THAT
THERE IS IN FACT NO NEW EQUILIBRIUM BECAUSE THIS IS NOT CONSIDERED ‘NORMAL’ AND THE PLOT OF THE
MOVIE IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAPPEN IN EVERY TOWN THAT INHABITS AND OF THE CRAZIES.

4. CLASSICAL HOLLYWOOD NARRATIVE
THE DISRUPTION SHOWN AT THE START OF THE
FILM DOES NOT FOLLOW THE CLASSICAL
HOLLYWOOD NARRATIVE. AS IT SHOWS OGDEN
MARSH COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND DESERTED
ALTHOUGH THE FILMS LEADS US TO
BELIEVE THERE IS A NEW
EQUILIBRIUM AT THE END, THIS
SCENE WHICH IS SHOWN AFTER
THE CREDITS TELLS US THAT
THERE IS INFACT NOT A HAPPY
ENDING.

5. PROPP'S CHARACTER TYPES
• PROPP EXAMINED 100S OF FOLK TALES AND IDENTIFIED 8 DIFFERENT CHARACTER ROLES.
• THE HERO – OUR MAIN PROTAGONIST AND VICTOR
• THE VILLAINS – THE ‘BADDIE’ (ANTAGONIST)
• THE DONOR – WHO PROVIDES AN OBJECT WITH SOME MAGIC PROPERTY
• THE HELPER – WHO AIDS THE HERO
• THE PRINCESS (THE SOUGHT FOR PERSON) – ‘REWARD’ FOR THE HERO AND OBJECT OF THE VILLAIN’S SCHEMES
• HER FATHER – WHO REWARDS THE HERO
• THE DISPATCHER – WHO SENDS THE HERO ON HIS WAY
• THE FALSE HERO – THE DOUBLE AGENT WHO HINDERS THE HERO RATHER THAN HELPING HIM.
• MOST OF THESE CHARACTER ROLES CAN BE APPLIED TO ALL KINDS OF NARRATIVE.

6. HOW MANY OF PROPP'S CHARACTER
TYPES CAN BE IDENTIFIED IN THE FILM?
•HERO; DAVID IS THE SHERIFF OF THE TOWN AND IS SHOWN AS THE HERO FROM THE
VERY BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE. DUE TO HIM BEING THE SHERIFF THE AUDIENCE CAN
IMMEDIATELY ASSUME THAT HE IS GOING TO BE THE HERO BECAUSE THEY ARE THE
CONNOTATIONS WHICH HIS JOB HOLDS. HIS FIRST HEROIC ACT IS SHOOTING ONE OF THE
LOCALS (RORY) FOR DISTURBING A BASEBALL GAME BY THREATENING PEOPLE WITH A
GUN. THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FILM HE CONTINUES TO SAVE PEOPLE AND IS
VICTORIOUS IN THE END BY SURVIVING AND MAKING IT TO CEDAR RAPIDS.

7. •HELPER; RUSSELL IS SHOWN AS A HELPER FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE FILM. HE IS
THE DEPUTY SHERIFF, WHICH IMMEDIATELY POINTS OUT TO THE AUDIENCE THAT IT IS
HIS JOB TO HELP DAVID. HE IS THE ONE WHO POINTS OUT RORY APPROACHING THE
BASEBALL GAME TO DAVID. HE HELPS DAVID THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FILM, GOING
BACK WITH HIM TO SAVE JUDY AND WHILST THEY ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE OGDEN
MARSH.
HOW MANY OF PROPP'S CHARACTER
TYPES CAN BE IDENTIFIED IN THE FILM?

8. •HELPER; JUDY, WHO IS DAVID’S WIFE, IS ALSO A HELPER THORUGHOUT THE FILM. AT
THE BEGINNING OF THE FILM WE FOUND OUT THAT SHE IS THE TOWNS DOCTOR,
SHOWING THE AUDIENCE THAT SHE IS USED TO HELPING PEOPLE AS THAT IS HER JOB.
SHE HELPS WITH THE ESCAPE FROM OGDEN MARSH, AND IS VERY AWARE OF
EVERYTHING HAPPENING AROUND THEM. SHE SURVIVES UNTIL THE END OF THE FILM,
WHICH COULD MAKE HER BE SEEN AS A HERO AS SHE LASTS LONGER THAN RUSSELL.
HOW MANY OF PROPP'S CHARACTER
TYPES CAN BE IDENTIFIED IN THE FILM?

9. • VILLAIN; ONE OF THE VILLAINS IN THE MOVIE IS THE GOVERNMENT AS THEY ARE THE ONES THAT
CREATED ‘TRIXIE‘, THE BIO-WEAPON WHICH CAUSES ALL OF THE CRAZIES, THEY ARE ALSO SHOWN TRYING TO
HELP THE CIVILIANS OF OGDEN MARSH BUT THEY END UP KILLING THEM ALL, EVEN THOSE WHO AREN’T
INFECTED. AT THE END OF THE FILM AS DAVID AND JUDY ARE HEADING THE CEDAR RAPIDS A VIEW FROM A
MILITARY SATELLITE HIGHLIGHTS THE COUPLE, THEN THE CITY, AND THE WORDS "INITIATE CONTAINMENT
PROTOCOL" APPEAR, SIGNIFYING A NEW CONTAINMENT ATTEMPT.
• THE CRAZIES ARE ALSO THE VILLAINS AS THEY ARE ATTEMPTING TO KILL EVERYBODY AND ANYBODY WHO
COMES IN THEIR PATH DUE TO THE VIRUS THEY HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE BIO-WEAPON THAT THE
GOVERNMENT CREATED.
HOW MANY OF PROPP'S CHARACTER
TYPES CAN BE IDENTIFIED IN THE FILM?

10. •FALSE HERO; THE MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT ARE VERY MUCH THE FALSE HERO IN
THE MOVIE, THIS IS BECAUSE ALTHOUGH THEY SEEM TO BE HELPING THE PEOPLE OF
OGDEN MARSH, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO HAVEN’T BEEN CONTAMINATED BY THIS VIRUS.
THEY END UP MURDERING ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ANYWAY, IN AN ATTEMPT TO CONTAIN
THE VIRUS AND STOP IT SPREADING TO ANY OTHER TOWNS. THEY SEEM TO BE HELPING
BUT THEY AREN’T.
HOW MANY OF PROPP'S CHARACTER
TYPES CAN BE IDENTIFIED IN THE FILM?

11. •PRINCESS; ALTHOUGH SHE ISN’T SOUGHT FOR IN THE FILM, JUDY COULD BE SEEN AS
THE PRINCESS BECAUSE SHE IS CONSTANTLY LOOKED AFTER BY DAVID, IN THE SENSE
THAT HE WANTS TO LOOK AFTER HER BECAUSE HE LOVES HER. SHE IS ALSO RESCUED BY
DAVID WHEN SHE IS IN QUARANTINE, WHICH PUTS HER IN THE POSITION OF BEING A
DAMSEL IN DISTRESS.
HOW MANY OF PROPP'S CHARACTER
TYPES CAN BE IDENTIFIED IN THE FILM?

12. •DONOR; LATER ON IN THE MOVIE RUSSELL IS SHOWN TO BE THE DONOR AS HE
REALISES HE HAS BEEN INFECTED, AND HE RISKS HIS LIFE SO THAT DAVID AND JUDY
CAN ESCAPE AND MAKE IT TO CEDAR RAPIDS. HE HELPS THEM IN THEIR QUEST AND
ENDS UP DYING SO THAT THEY CAN SURVIVE.
HOW MANY OF PROPP'S CHARACTER
TYPES CAN BE IDENTIFIED IN THE FILM?

13. • LEVI-STRAUSS LOOKED AT NARRATIVE STRUCTURE IN TERMS OF BINARY OPPOSITES.
• BINARY OPPOSITES ARE SETS OF OPPOSITE VALUES WHICH REVEAL THE STRUCTURE OF
A MEDIA TEXT. THEY ARE ALL ABOUT LOOKING AT THE DEEPER ARRANGEMENT OF
THEMES WITHIN A PLOT.
BINARY OPPOSITIONS

14. LIST FIVE EXAMPLES OF BINARY OPPOSITIONS
IN THE FILM AND EXPLAIN THEM BRIEFLY.• HERO/VILLAIN – THIS IS THE MOST COMMON BINARY OPPOSITE. IN THIS CASE IT IS DAVID WHO IS THE HERO AND THE
CRAZIES/GOVERNMENT WHO ARE THE VILLAINS.
• KNOWN/UNKNOWN – IT IS UNKNOWN WHY PEOPLE IN OGDEN MARSH ARE ACTING IN AN UNRESPONSIVE WAY, BUT AS THE
MOVIE GOES ON THE AUDIENCE AND CIVILIANS KNOW THAT THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG.,
• POWER/WEAKNESS – COULD BE APPLIED TO DAVID, JUDY, RUSSELL AND BECCA. THIS IS BECAUSE IT IS OBVIOUS TO THE
AUDIENCE THAT DAVID HAS THE MOST POWER DUE TO HIS STATUS AS SHERIFF AND BECCA IS THE WEAKER LINK AS SHE IS THE FIRST
TO DIE AND SEEKS PROTECTION FROM THE OTHER CHARACTERS. BOTH JUDY AND RUSSELL ARE POWERFUL BUT ONCE INFECTED
RUSSELL BECOMES INFECTED HE BECOMES WEAK AND LESS POWERFUL. THIS CAN ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THE
CRAZIES. THE GOVERNMENT HAVE INSTRUMENTAL POWER WHILE THE CRAZIES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKER IN THIS ASPECT.
• SAFETY/DANGER – IN THE FILM WHAT IS SAFE AND WHAT IS DANGEROUS IS VERY DIFFERENT. JUDY AND DAVID THINK THEIR
HOUSE IS A SAFE PLACE AT THE START OF THE FILM BUT WHEN THEY RETURN AFTER THE EVACUATION THEIR HOME IF UNSAFE AS IT
HAS BEEN TAKEN OVER BY SOME OF THE CRAZIES. RUSSELL ALSO APPEARS TO BE A SAFE CHARACTER AT THE START BUT ONCE
INFECTED BECOMES A DANGER TO THE OTHER CHARACTERS.
• HUMAN/NON-HUMAN – THE HUMANS ARE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN/ ARE YET TO BE AFFECTED BY THE VIRUS AND THOSE
WHO ARE INFECTED ARE THE NON-HUMANS AS WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ACTUALLY ARE.

15. BINARY OPPOSITIONS
IT IS UNKNOWN AS TO WHY RORY
IS ACTING IN THIS STRANGE WAY
AT THE START OF THE FILM, AND
BECAUSE OF THIS DAVID SHOOTS
HIM.
THIS IMAGE SHOWS US THE
POWER/WEAKNESS BINARY OPPOSITE.
FROM THIS SHOT YOU CAN SEE THAT
DAVID STANDS AT THE FRONT,
CONNOTING THAT HE IS THE MOST
POWERFUL. WHILST BECCA IS TUCKED
AWAY AT THE BACK, BEING PROTECTED
BY THE OTHER 3 CHARACTERS.
IN THIS PICTURE WE CAN
SEE THE GOVERNMENT
EXERTING THEIR POWER
OVER THE CIVILIANS OF
OGDEN MARSH.

16. IDENTIFY THREE 'DURATIONS' AND GIVE AN
ESTIMATE OF THE TIME EACH DURATION
COVERS.
• SCREEN DURATION; THE AMOUNT OF TIME WHICH THE MOVIE RUNS FOR. IN THIS CASE ‘THE CRAZIES’
(EXCLUDING ANY CREDITS) RUNS FOR 92 MINUTES.
• PLOT DURATION; THE AMOUNT OF TIME WHICH THE MOVIE PLOT RUNS OVER. WE KNOW THE MOVIE
DEFINITELY RUNS OVER MORE THAN 3 DAYS AS THEY ARE IN THEIR 3RD DAY ABOUT ¾ OF THE WAY INTO THE
MOVIE WHEN THEY SPEAK TO SOMEBODY FROM THE GOVERNMENT. I PREDICT THAT FROM BEGINNING TO
END THE PLOT LASTS JUST OVER 4 DAYS.
• STORY DURATION; THE AMOUNT OF TIME ALL EVENTS THAT IMPACT THE MOVIE RUN OVER, INCLUDING THOSE
THAT ARE NOT SHOWN. IT IS UNKNOWN TO THE AUDIENCE HOW LONG THE ACTUAL STORY RUNS OVER, THIS IS
BECAUSE WE ARE UNAWARE HOW LONG IT TOOK THE GOVERNMENT TO CREATE THE VIRUS ‘TRIXIE.’ WE ARE
TOLD IN THE FILM THAT THE BIO-WEAPON IS HEADED TO AN INCINERATOR IN TEXAS MEANING IT IS POSSIBLE
IT HAS ONLY JUST BEEN CREATED. THE PLANNING OF A WEAPON LIKE THIS COULD BE YEARS IN THE MAKING
SO THE STORY DURATION COULD BE ANYTHING FROM A COUPLE OF MONTHS TO SEVERAL YEARS.

17. GIVE TWO EXAMPLES OF EVENTS THAT CAUSE
LATER EVENTS IN THE FILM BUT WHICH OCCUR
BEFORE THE FILM BEGINS.
• PLANE CRASH – ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE THE FILM BEGINS A PLANE CRASHES INTO A SWAMP IN OGDEN MARSH.
DURING THE FILM DAVID AND RUSSELL LEARN OF A PILOTS BODY THAT WAS FOUND IN THE SWAMP AND WHILE
INVESTIGATING THEY DISCOVER THE PLANE AND REALISE THAT IT HAS CONTAMINATED THE TOWNS DRINKING WATER. THEY
CONNECT THIS WITH THE ODD BEHAVIOUR OF THE TOWN CIVILIANS AND DECIDE TO SHUT OFF THE TOWNS WATER SUPPLY.
WE LATER FIND OUT THAT THE PLANE WAS CARRYING A "RHABDOVIRIDAE PROTOTYPE" BIOLOGICAL WEAPON. IT WAS EN-
ROUTE TO TEXAS TO BE DESTROYED WHEN THE PLANE CRASHED.
THE OUTLINE OF THE PLANE CAN
BRIEFLY BE SEEN IN THIS IMAGE.

18. GIVE TWO EXAMPLES OF EVENTS THAT CAUSE
LATER EVENTS IN THE FILM BUT WHICH OCCUR
BEFORE THE FILM BEGINS.
• JUDY’S PREGNANCY – WE FIND OUT THAT JUDY IS PREGNANT WHEN HER AND DAVID ARE SEPARATED DUE
TO HER HAVING A FEVER. THE GOVERNMENT BELIEVE THAT HER FEVER IS BECAUSE SHE IS INFECTED AND THEY TAKE
HER INTO THE SCHOOL WHERE THEY TEST HER BLOODS. HER PREGNANCY ACTUAL AIDS THE NARRATIVE BECAUSE IF
HER AND DAVID HAD NEVER GOTTEN SEPARATED THEN HE WOULD HAVE NEVER GONE BACK TO SAVE HER WHEN SHE
WAS STRAPPED DOWN TO A TABLE IN THE SCHOOL. THE FACT THAT DAVID HAS TO GO BACK TO SAVE JUDY ACTUALLY
PREVENTS HIM FROM BEING EXTERMINATED AT THE TRUCK STOP HE WAS TAKEN TO BECAUSE HE WASN’T INFECTED.

19. LIST TWO EVENTS FROM THE 92 MINUTE FILM THAT
HAPPEN IN A DIFFERENT TIME AND SPACE TO THE
ONE WE ARE SHOWN.
• THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS IN A DIFFERENT TIME AND SPACE TO THE PLOT IS THE
EXTERMINATION OF THE UN-CONTAMINATED CIVILIANS. WE KNOW THAT THOSE WHO
AREN’T INFECTED ARE TAKEN TO A TRUCK STOP SO THEY CAN BE TAKEN TO SAFETY AND
LATER ON IN THE FILM WE SEE JUDY HOLDING THE BULLET CASES, CONNOTING TO THE
AUDIENCE THAT THEY WERE ALL KILLED. JUDY EVEN SAYS THAT THEY ‘EXTERMINATED
THEM ALL.’ HOWEVER, WE NEVER ACTUALLY SEE THIS HAPPEN. THE EXTERMINATION
CLEARLY DIDN’T WORK AS SOME OF THE MILITARY ARE KILLED BY THE CRAZIES BEFORE
THEY EXTERMINATION, WHICH TURNS THEM INTO CRAZIES. THIS IS WHY AT THE END OF THE
FILM CEDAR RAPIDS ALSO NEEDS TO BE QUARANTINED BECAUSE THE DISEASE HASN’T BEEN
CONTAINED PROPERLY AND THERE ARE STILL INFECTED PEOPLE OUT THERE.

20. LIST TWO EVENTS FROM THE 92 MINUTE FILM THAT
HAPPEN IN A DIFFERENT TIME AND SPACE TO THE
ONE WE ARE SHOWN.
• THE SECOND THING THAT HAPPENS IN A DIFFERENT TIME AND SPACE IS RUSSELL
ESCAPING FROM QUARANTINE. RUSSELL IS SEPARATED FROM JUDY AND DAVID AS HE
SHOWED SIGNS OF THE DISEASE. BUT WE NEVER SEE HIM ESCAPE AND MAKE HIS WAY
BACK TO THE POLICE STATION. HOWEVER WE DO HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW HE MANAGED
TO GET FREE. WHILE IN QUARANTINE JUDY SEES A VAN CRASH INTO A PEN WHICH
CONTAINS ALL OF THOSE WHO ARE CONTAMINATED. WE CAN ASSUME FROM THIS THAT
ALL THE PEOPLE ESCAPE AND FLEE AWAY FROM THE AREA. WE ASSUME THAT RUSSELL
IS IN THAT PEN AND THIS IS HOW HE ESCAPES.