Conflict - How important it really is?

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  • JoeBanks
    replied
    Re: Conflict - How important it really is?

    Originally posted by TigerFang View Post
    From my point of view, the conflict in Forrest Gump was the main character's adversity encountered with society's perception of him as an imbecile. As it turned out, his values were better than those of most people, and he overcame that adversity and succeeded in life.
    but from a character perspective, he doesn't actively overcome adversity. he's just a dummy who stumbles ass backwards through the situations because he's not smart enough to know any better. that's not drama or conflict, it's mere happenstance. popular, yes. but still bad writing

    http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/forrest-gump

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  • Clint Hill
    replied
    Re: Conflict - How important it really is?

    Originally posted by JoeBanks View Post
    Forrest Gump -- okay, i guess there is conflict between Forrest and Jenny over how to live one's best life or something but one reason it is pretty awful is that there really isn't any conflict driving the story. just a bunch of dumb episodic chapters about an imbecile
    And yet, Forrest Gump *worked* and was a great commercial success.

    “Nobody knows anything...... Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what's going to work. Every time out it's a guess and, if you're lucky, an educated one.”

    ― William Goldman, Adventures in the Screen Trade

    From my point of view, the conflict in Forrest Gump was the main character's adversity encountered with society's perception of him as an imbecile. As it turned out, his values were better than those of most people, and he overcame that adversity and succeeded in life.
    Last edited by Clint Hill; 06-02-2018, 05:01 PM.

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  • JoeBanks
    replied
    Re: Conflict - How important it really is?

    of the ones i've seen . . .

    One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest -- McMurphy v. Nurse Ratchit, for who's going to actually be in control of the asylum (and by extension, McMurphy himself)

    Deer Hunter and Platoon -- arguably two sides of the same Vietnam War coin. Platoon's is probably more clearly drawn, although it's more a God (Elias) v. Devil (Barnes) struggle for Charlie Sheen's soul in the theater of war. But in both, the conflict is mainly within the soldiers themselves over how to continue living after the war has ended. In The Deer Hunter, that internal struggle is externalized in the russian roulette games that Walken's character descends to.

    Forrest Gump -- okay, i guess there is conflict between Forrest and Jenny over how to live one's best life or something but one reason it is pretty awful is that there really isn't any conflict driving the story. just a bunch of dumb episodic chapters about an imbecile

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  • fallenangel
    replied
    Re: Conflict - How important it really is?

    Thanks, Joan. My apologies for not effectively articulating my question. In each of the mentioned pictures (and there a a ton of others), what is the conflict that our protagonist is trying to resolve? Character Arc was a secondary question.

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  • Joaneasley
    replied
    Re: Conflict - How important it really is?

    If you are asking about characters who do not ark, that happens a lot in super-hero movies. The character keeps his super qualities and fights bad people. Much of the conflict is not as much in character arc as it is in the battle for good over evil.


    It also happens in movies where the main character might be what's called a traveling angel. That kind of character changes other people around him or her but does not change. It also happens a lot in sitcoms. The characters often stay the same, only the situation they are in varies. Hope this addresses your question.

    Leave a comment:


  • fallenangel
    started a topic Conflict - How important it really is?

    Conflict - How important it really is?

    Conflict is an integral part of any compelling story. Without conflict, there is no story. At least that's always been told. Protagonist, in his or her search for a resolution, leads us through an engaging & entertaining story. We follow his journey, root for him or her, etc. There are internal and external conflicts. A few are evident (Die Hard, Kramer versus Kramer, Unforgiven, Bridges of Madison County) while others are buried in subtext. I continue to struggle to identify the latter. Below are just a few Academy sample:

    1. Leaving Las Vegas
    2. Affliction
    3. One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
    4. Deer Hunter
    5. Platoon
    6. Forrest Gump

    All of these are powerful story of characters, their journey, events that shape them etc. Not sure if most of the characters have any arc. Yet, these stories make our heart bleed.

    Question: Where is the conflict?

    My apologies if this has been addressed.

    cheers -- fallen
    Last edited by fallenangel; 06-01-2018, 05:14 AM. Reason: Flipped 'it' and 'is' in subject line.
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