Syd Field
Syd Field is an American screen writer who works by the theory that all films have a three act plot structure. He believes there are many plot points in a film, but there are 3 identifiable main ones. These acts change the relationships of characters within the film, change the tone of the plot etc. Below, i have applied this theory to 'Fatal Attraction.
Act 1: Setup
This occours in the first 10 minutes of the film and is used to help the audience decided whether they like the film or not. Syd Field believes that the audience will usually be unlikely to change their mind later. The film maker must give the audience a sense of the film e.g. who the protagonist is, which characters to sympathise with. The rest of first 30 minutes of the film should be used to let the audience learn the nature of the problem.
-->Applied to Fatal Attraction
Act 1 establishes Dan (the protagonist) in his family life and shows the audience the huge risk he takes when sleeping with Alex (the villain).
Act 2: Confrontation
This is the longest act in the film and shows the protagonist facing more and more extreme problems and thwarted attempts to defeat the villain. There is usually a mid-point in the film where the main character wins what looks like a helpless struggle but then realise there is still a long way to go and realise what they've been doing up until now isn't working and tactics must be changed.
-->Applied to Fatal Attraction
Act 2 shows growing tension between Dan and Alex as she tries to stay in his life and his attempts to make her leave him alone e.g. the bunny boiling.
Act 3: Resolution
In this act, we see the hero taking control of the problems they have faced usually involving some form of confrontation of their enemy on one of their home territory's to achieve the final, decisive victory.
-->Applied to Fatal Attraction
Together, Dan and Beth fight and defeat Alex in their home.
However, some people criticise Field's theory for being too prescriptive and that the theory cannot be applied to all films. Pulp Fiction, for example, is proof that films do not need to stick to the rigid rules of Field to result in interesting and popular films.
What is the 'problematic' of the film?
-A problem which the film sets up close to the start which will be resolved at the end
In the case of 'Fatal Attraction', the problematic are simply Alex's attempts to stay in Dan's life which is resolved at the end of the film by Dan fighting her and Beth shooting her. The film starts with the calm of family life which Alex destroys. The audience want the problem to be solved and equilibrium restored.
Fatal Attraction's Ideology
Fatal Attraction puts across a very definite about the view of women in society, the main of which is that single woman are evil. this is put across by contrasting Beth and Alex as good and evil. This ties back to traditional roles of women e.g. a good woman will a housewife, dependent on her husband, a family woman etc whereas independent, business women were frowned upon. The film also has the traditional ideology that sexual relationships outside marriage are wrong.
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