Another look...The narrative styles of Casablanca, Daughters of the Dust, and Monsoon Wedding

After watching Casablanca, Daughters of the Dust and Monsoon Wedding, along with reading about the significance of film narrative, I can identify the differences between, and the deviations from, classical and alternative film narrative within these three films. Specifically, I am going to focus on the importance of the characters and the plot structure within these three films, and how they differ in terms of focus, importance, and construction within the classical narrative and the alternative narrative.

Casablanca is very much the perfect example of a film with a classical narrative. In terms of the emphasis and the development of the characters within the film, classical narrative "centers on one or more central characters who propel the plot with a cause-and-effect logic (whereby an action generates a reaction)" (Corrigan and White 2009). In Casablanca, Rick is the main character around whom the plot forms, and most of the story is told through his perspective (through an omniscient narration). Ilsa and Victor are introducted about a quarter of the way through the film and the narractive centers around the entaglement that these three are caught up in. There are other characters, like the piano player who knew Ilsa back in Paris and the German officials who are trying to keep Victor from leaving Casablanca, but they don't serve as any purpose other than supporting the actions of the three main characters. The cause-and-effect logic of the classical narrative is also evident within the film as well. As we find out more about the history that exists between Rick and Ilsa, that cause-and-effect logic becomes more evident. If Rick leaves Casablanca wth Ilsa to start a new life with her, she will have to leave Victor and always wonder if she should have stayed. But if Rick gives the exit visas to Victor and Ilsa, he will have to deal with losing Ilsa for a second time and never being able to see her again. The narrative resolves itself in a way that you can understand why Rick made the decision he did, and feel a sense of hope for Victor and Ilsa now that they are finally escaping Europe and getting the chance to make a new life in America.

The presentation and development of the characters within both Daughters of the Dust and Monsoon Wedding is far different from Casablanca, and aligns with the alternative film narrative. These films fit within the alternative narrative because, "Freed of the determining motivations of classical characters, the plots of alternative film narratives tend to break apart, omit links in a cause-and-effet logic, or proliferate plot lines well beyond the classical parallel plot" (Corrigan and White 2009).

In Daughters of the Dust, the film is narrated through the first-person by Eula and Eli's unborn daughter. The narrative focuses of the Peazant family, but there are many characters present within the narrative, and many different subplots taking place as well. The events within the narrative seem scattered and randomly placed, with no real relation to one another, other then to the apprehension regarding the looming move from Sea Island to the mainland. I found that because the narrative was unconventional and not linear like the classical narrative, I couldn't focus on what was going on during the film and didn't really come away with any feelings of resolution at the conclusion of the film. I felt as though a lot of the dialogues, perspectives and the significance of interactions between the characters were unclear to me, and that the narrative would have been more easily comprehended if I had more knowledge of the context that it was taking place in.

On the other hand, Monsoon Wedding also follows the alternative film narrative but also seemed to have some aspects of the classical narrative integrated within the film as well. The narrative focused on the importance of many different characters within the Verma family, and the many subplots present within the narrative were important to the development of the plot and in reaching a resolution at the conclusion of the film.While there was no real cause-and-effect logic within the narrative, I felt a sense of resolution at the end of the film: when the bride, Aditi, chooses to marry her suitor instead of continuing her illicit relationship with her married lover; when the wedding planner finally is able to tell the Verma's maid Alice that he is in love with her; when Ria, the brides cousin, exposes the family patriarch for sexually abusing her years ago, and so on. I felt as though the importance of these subplots and the characters within the narrative was a lot clearer than in Daughters of the Dust.

Overall, I feel as though I can identify and relate better to the classical film narrative of Casablanca because I like feeling the sense of resolution at the end of a film. But I can also identify with the alternative film narrative within Monsoon Wedding because it was a new way, for me, of watching a film and interacting with the narrative and the characters present within that narrative. I didn't care at all for Daughters of the Dust and how it depicted the alternative film narrative, but I can say that I would enjoy watching films from either style narrative and that I have developed more of an open mind and a wider scope of interest after watching and analyzing these three films.