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Natalie Johnson
K.C. Jensen
Film and Culture
11 December 2014
The Development of Drama in Film
In the time that we have been in class this semester we have watched several different
films from several different genres. Each one of these films carried their own personalities and
their own individual plot twist. Though many of these films carried several similarities most of
them were distinctly different from one another. The one point that seemed to dramatically
change throughout the history of film is the identity of drama in a film. While this may not be
clearly outlined throughout film development, it is clear to see that the film industry has
expanded and altered what is a crisis and what constitutes a tragedy.
In the three oldest films we watched, the concept of tragedy is remarkably similar. In the
two black and white films, the ever present danger was death. The most traumatic experience
that was being confronted in these films was the possibility that a main character was about to
die or was in great peril of being killed. The reason for this is up for debate, in the early days of
film it is entirely possible that the directors of these films believed that, in order for there to be a
sufficiently dramatic effect on the audience, the possible outcome must be the one thing that
most people fear most in this world, death. Then again, the truth may be that the only films that
were actively watched were films in which the plot line was so traumatic that death was not only
a probability in the movies but also a certainty for some of the characters in the film.
In an article regarding the use of tragedy in plays, University of Vermont Professor Lisa
Schnell claims that it is not precisely death that makes the play tragic. In the early days of film

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we saw the ultimate outcome of the film as the death of either the villain or the hero as the
dramatic end result. It is completely possible that these types of endings were the conclusions
needed to sell tickets to the events and may be the reason that these films are still relevant today.
In stark contrast to these norms, in the older films that we had watched, all but two of
these films contained no deaths at all. Many of these films were personified by characters who
had experienced a traumatic death previous to this films beginning. In The Kids are Alright
the most traumatic development that was likely to occur in the film is that the family structure
may be broken apart because of a parent figure exploring outside of her homosexual nature.
Quite a difference from the possibility of being shot in the head at several points throughout the
film.
It is likely that these films from the past (40s and 50s) were under the impression that
something as common as the separation of a family is not nearly traumatic enough to be made in
to a main stream film. It is my belief that back in the good ole days the majority of the typical
stereotypes of film had not been truly explored yet. I believe that, since many people had not
seen the amount of films that our generation has seen, the typical film where the good guy fights
the bad guy and wins the pretty girls heart had not become clich at all. This lack of
accommodation to film stereotypes would suggest that the writers were not required to develop
highly emotional plot twists and could leave the work to the storyline as opposed to relying on
cinematography and the ability to capture human emotion in HD.
The flip side of this is the amazing development of film that has allowed us to experience
an emotional connection in a film that may otherwise be very boring. In A Better Life that
major fear and worst outcome is that the father would be deported. In Casa Blanca, if a threat
arose that someone may get deported it would seem to be a very minor problem considering the

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other events that were occurring. However, because of the progression of the film industry to
capture the intense human emotion, the concept of an illegal immigrant getting a truck so that he
can provide for his son becomes just as important as a different stories hero being killed while
accomplishing a moral deed.
In a research article, author Libby Jones identifies the the purpose of a dramatic
storyline is to move the audience emotionally. What she means is that the intent of the story is
to move the viewer, whether that is by the possibility of death, the prospect of romance or the
drive to keep a family together. Keeping that in mind, I am forced to wonder if past film makers
lacked the creativity to develop these alternative sources of emotion, if the actors were not
capable of expressing the emotions required to make something as small as keeping a family
together seem so important or if the technology of the time would not allow such advances to
take place.
In many of the older films, the drama takes place in situations which would not normally
be encountered by your everyday citizen. Events like being hunted by a notorious criminal or
fighting off Nazis may have seemed dramatic to most people because they were not realistic.
The actually obscurity of such an event taking place may have been a main point in the dramatic
effect applied by the film. These extreme situations have not faded away in film, a new film
appears every few months dramatizes the unrealistic for the intention of entertaining the
audience. To the credit of the old films, without the benefit of CGI, these story tellers had to rely
on the quality of the actors and the caliber of the storyline to keep the audience entertained.
As we move in to the 21st century of film it is clear that writers are searching for new
ways to inflict drama to an audience that has been numbed by gigantic explosions and mass
death in many of the popular films of the modern era. The de-sensitizing of viewers, especially

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American viewers, has presented a unique challenge to the film industry. When they are looking
at a customer base that has seen giant elephants trampling over dwarfs, a woman being raped by
her counselor and humans entering the bodies of blue aliens protecting a giant tree on a moon
orbiting Jupiter, how are they supposed to get an audience emotionally involved?
In new era films it is apparent that the answer for this conundrum is to relate with viewers
on a level that identifies what is important to them and project that into a character that is
experiencing hardship. While this may not hold water when compared to a nuclear explosion, if
a person can relate to a story then they might just get emotionally involved.
As an example, I am not an illegal immigrant. However, I know what it means to be a
parent. I can imagine what it would be like to face the reality that, at any moment, I may be
pulled away from my child and sent to a different country. I know what it is like to struggle to
provide the best life I possibly can for my daughter. In this way I am able to relate to a middle
aged illegal alien at an emotional level that puts me to tears when I see him being sent away from
his son.
In an article regarding the development of character emotions author Martha Alderson
exclaims that The most powerful way to reach an audience is through the characters' emotions.
What Ms. Alderson means is that the best way to get a viewer to relate to a character is by
allowing them to identify the emotions that the character is experiencing and relating them to
experiences in their own lives (real or imaginary).
A very powerful example of this is the first rape scene in The Girl with the Dragon
Tattoo. Whether or not you have been raped, the feeling of helplessness associated with that
situation is something that everyone can identify with emotionally. Because of this scene an

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audience creates an attachment to this woman that they may not have had if they had not viewed
her experience in this traumatic event.
At the end of the day, it is difficult to decide whether the original portrayal of the
stereotypical stories is better or worse than the intense emotional relationships established in
modern film. It is impossible to pass judgment on these films because of the incredible
differences that encompass every aspect of these films. Having said that, it is easy to see that
there are still good movies and bad movies in each generation, the classics live on and the true
dramatics in film that persuade you to become attached to the characters will remain relevant
regardless of what generation is watching them.

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Works Cited
Jones, Libby. "Research into Drama Film Genre!" Research into Drama Film Genre! N.p., n.d.
Web. 10 Dec. 2014
Schnell, Lisa. "Tragedy." Tragedy. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
Alderson, Martha. "Connecting with Audiences Through Character Emotions." Connecting with
Audiences Through Character Emotions. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.