Thriller Conventions

There are many different types of conventions within thriller, they are as follwoed;

1. A crime is at the core of the narrative, (often, murder, but not always)
2. A complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resoulutuioins.
3. A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas (problems) which the viwer expects to be resolved.
4. A protagonist who is systematically, disempowered and drawn into a complete web of intruge by an antagonist.
5. Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations.
6. Themes of identity
7. Themes of mirroring
8. Themes of voyeurism
9. Protangonist with a "flaw" which is exploited by the antagonist
10. Titles often refledct an aspect of the protagonist/antagonist's psychological state
11. there is often a scene near the end of the film in which teh protangonist is in peril.

The Manchurian Candidate- (2004)

We have recently been watching this film in our media class for our coursework watching and observing what happens and different aspects and how differnet directors do different things during a thriller film.
Maj. Bennett "Ben" Marco (Denzel Washington) is a war veteran who begins to doubt what is commonly known about his famous army unit. During Operation Desert Storm, Sergeant First Class Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber) supposedly rescued all but two members in his unit, of which Marco was the commanding officer. While this made Shaw a war hero, gained him the Medal of Honor, and launched him into a career in politics, Marco and other members of the troop feel that while they remember that Shaw did rescue them, they do not actually remember him doing it.

The Manchurian Candidate- John Frankenheimer (1962)

Captain Bennett Marco, Sergeant Raymond Shaw, and the rest of their infantry platoon are kidnapped during the Korean War in 1952. They are taken to Manchuria, and are brainwashed to believe that Sgt. Shaw saved their lives in combat — for which Congress awards him the Medal of Honor.

Years after the war, Marco, now back in the United States working as an intelligence officer, begins suffering the recurring nightmare of Raymond Shaw murdering two of his comrades, all clinically observed by Chinese and Russian intelligence officials. When Marco learns that another soldier from the platoon also has been suffering the same nightmare, he sets to uncovering the mystery and its meaning.

It is revealed that the Communists have been using Raymond Shaw as a sleeper agent, a guiltless assassin subconsciously activated by seeing the “Queen of Diamonds” playing card while playing solitaire. As such, he obeys orders, which he then forgets. Raymond Shaw’s Soviet secret service controller is his domineering mother, Eleanor, a ruthless power broker working with the Communists to execute a "palace coup d’état" and quietly overthrow the U.S. Government with the "Manchurian Candidate": her husband, McCarthy-esque Senator Johnny Iselin.

In the end, Raymond is provided with a sniper's rifle and is assigned to shoot a leading presidential candidate during his acceptance speech at a national convention. At the last moment, a remarkable plot-twist foils the plan.

North By Northwest-1959

North By Northwest is a thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Recently we have been watching this film and observing as part of our media coursework.
North By Northwest is a simple film about mistaken identity with innocent advertising man Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is mistaken for someone who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and is follwed and hunted across the USA for things that he did not do and being huted by people who are after the completely wrong person. This is one of Hicthcocks signature MacGuffin. Thornhill is a Madison advertising executive and is mistaken for a Mr Kaplan and when the gang find Mr Kaplan/Thornhill he is kidnaped and is then taken to the house of leader Lester Townsend.