Narrative and Film langauge

1. Narrative and Film langauge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4IduvJrg2M

2. Over View • “Rush” (Dir. Ron Howard) is based on the competition between 1970’s Formula One racers, NikiLauda (Daniel Bruhl) and James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth). The story follows their rivalry and different styles of driving along with showing the risks and consequences of making a mistake behind the wheel.

3. Narrative and Language • Using rhetoric analysis, we will look at how the film constructs the following themes: • Masculinity • Formula One Driving • Fame

4. Masculinity • The verbal rhetoric at the beginning of the trailer constructs James Hunt as a successful ladies man: • Interviewer: "How'd you achieve this advantage?” • James Hunt: “Big balls” • The innuendo “big balls” could be interpreted in one of two ways – • It constructs him as a adventurousand brave as he is willing to take risks for his profession. • It also has suggestions about what makes him a male and is quite sexual, suggesting that he has alot of experience with women. • The repetitive photographic rhetoric of James Hunt being with other women reinforces this, and sets him up to look like a player. • The presentational rhetoric of James smashing a mirror and then looking into his reflection suggests that his profession has broken him as a man. The violent action is also stereotypical of masculinity.

5. Formula One Racing • The editorial rhetoric of the fast paced edit makes it look like the frames of James Hunt racing and then being with women are “flickering” into each other, mimicking the speed of the race cars. This anchors the film’s name “Rush” as it feels fast. • The fire coming from the car is symbolic of danger suggesting formula one racing is hazardous. The stormy weather gives the audience a sense of foreboding as well, suggesting racing is a risk taking sport. • The over the shoulder shot of James Hunt staring at Nicki Lauder constructs a binary opposition between the two drivers, suggesting that formula one racing is competitive. The diegetic sound of race cars build suspense for the pending race. This also over laps with the theme of masculinity as men are stereotypically competitive.

6. Fame • The champagne bottle being sprayed every where in the opening scene suggests that this man is a successful man of celebrity status, as champagne has connotations of success and wealth. • James Hunt is also being interviewed by someone, which suggest that his voice is one that should be heard as it is important. • The large stadium of people and the diegetic sound of crowds cheering and clapping also suggest he is of a high status.

7. Linking to the key readings • The film is based on a true story, but has some elements of fiction to drive the narrative. • The trailer ends with Hunt saying “I fully expect, the next press conference we all have will be with me as world champion” for those who do not know who won this could be seen as a cliff hanger (Ellis, 1982, 146). For those who do it is not. • Unlike television, this film relies on the image on screen, using spectacle and high quality stunts (ex, the car on fire) to maintain the viewers attention. (Ellis, 1982, 120) • We can also argue that I have got this themes from this film because I wanted to, and I have used rhetoric as a language tool to manipulate it to mean what I want it to mean. “Films mean because people want them to.” (Nowell-Smith, 2000)