Title: Movie Themes: Examples of Common Themes for Screenwriters
Headings: Movie Themes: Examples of Common Themes for Screenwriters
Movie Themes: Examples of Common Themes for Screenwriters
Theme in film
What is a movie theme?
Movies Themes • Equipment for Living
THEME DEFINITION
What is a theme in film?
Movie Themes #1
God and Philosophy
Are the Coen Brothers Obsessed with Desks? • Subscribe on YouTube
Coin Toss Scene • No Country for Old Men
I Feel Overmatched • No Country for Old Men
Themes in Coen Brothers’ films
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Movie Themes #2
Survival
“There’s something inside they can’t get to”
“I guess it comes down to a simple choice.”
Ending Scene • Shawshank Redemption
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
Movie Themes #3
Virtue and Values
“It’s creepy! Let’s go home!”
Judgement, Courage, Loyalty
SPIRITED AWAY
Movie Themes #4
Love
“You are our last hope.”
Judgement, Courage, Loyalty
CASABLANCA
Movie Themes #5
Social themes
Mookie and Pino
Death of Radio Raheem
DO THE RIGHT THING
Movie Themes #6
Good vs. Evil
The hottest spot north of Havana
“Why did you do that!?”
GOODFELLAS
Movie Themes #7
Discovering Self-Knowledge
Contempo casual
Cher’s new project
All by Myself
CLUELESS
UP NEXT
Theme: Definition and Examples
Showcase your vision with elegant shot lists and storyboards.

Content: “There’s something inside they can’t get to”
While Andy fights outward oppression, his friend Red (Morgan Freeman) struggles internally. While Red has an easier time of it in prison than Andy, he doesn’t believe that he can make it on the outside if he is ever released. “I guess it comes down to a simple choice.” The famous line from the scene, “Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’,” can be tweaked slightly to convey another theme: “ If you don’t commit to actively living despite your circumstances, you aren’t really alive, and you might as well be dead.” Eventually Red embraces living, leading to one of cinema’s most famous and moving endings. Ending Scene • Shawshank Redemption
List of Themes
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
No matter how bad your situation is, the way you react to it - what you learn, how you feel, and how you treat others - is up to you. If you don’t commit to actively living despite your circumstances, you aren’t really alive, and you might as well be dead. WATCH NOW
Movie Themes #3
Virtue and Values
In this category, subtopics that yield common themes include: Courage and heroism
Honor and loyalty
Hypocrisy
Facing fear/finding bravery
Greed as downfall
Pride as downfall
Rising to the occasion
Themes of virtue and values are typically dramatized in films for children, especially fantasy adventures such as Hayao Miyazaki’s animated classic Spirited Away (2001).