Title: 10 Classic Movie Themes With Examples - 2021 - MasterClass
Headings: 10 Classic Movie Themes With Examples
10 Classic Movie Themes With Examples
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What Is a Theme in Movies?
What Is the Purpose of a Movie Theme?
What Is the Purpose of a Movie Theme?
10 Classic Movie Themes and Why They Matter
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Content: Good vs. evil. The main theme of the Star Wars saga is good vs. evil, and the series provides an excellent demonstration of how all the elements of cinematic language can support a central theme. The good and evil characters are identifiable not only by their words and actions but by visual design. The Rebels and the Jedi are a diverse group of humans and aliens, clad in earthy, natural tones. Darth Vader and the rest of the Empire are cold, shiny, and uniform, a machine-like hegemon that crushes the individual. Death. Certain types of themes lend themselves to certain genres. In the heightened reality of the American Western, disputes quickly escalated to gunplay, and death was dealt casually by white hats and black hats alike. Traditional Westerns sometimes rely on death merely for stakes or as an efficient plot resolution, but revisionist Westerns have offered deeper explorations of the theme. In Lonesome Dove, Unforgiven, and No Country for Old Men, we’re reminded that death isn’t always just or fair—inevitably, it comes for us all.