Final textual analysis

Thesis statement
The two Films I have chosen for my textual analysis are Batman Begins (2005) and Casino Royale (2006). In both films it is the start of them becoming hero's, I am exploring what happens in the narrative to make them heroic? Both of these films have aspects of classic Hollywood narrative. How it is shown to the audience through the Micro aspects such as Mise-en-scene. I am arguing both of these characters are physiologically damaged, the narrative shows this in many aspects through out many of the iconic scenes in each of theses films with the Mise-en-scene. I believe that the physiological issues behind the characters are what have made them the archetype of a hero's or more anti hero's. If each of these characters were not physiologically unstable we wouldn't have a story as the fact they are physiologically unstable is the reason they become heroes. Also if neither of there parents died we still wouldn’t have a story, this is not typical classic Hollywood narrative, this is more post modem, as audiences are getting bored with CHN as its been repeated for so many years. Each of the characters James Bond and Batman/Bruce Wayne are orphans as there parents both died when they were both young this could be one of the reasons why they are physiologically damaged, the reason they risk there life's as they both feel as they are to blame, for what happened to them, they feel they need some kind of redemption.

How they are portrayed at the start of there heroism?
In each of these scenes it shows that both of the characters at the start of the narrative and the start of there journey as a ‘hero’ or being reborn. In Batman it shows that the character of Bruce Wayne is fuelled by anger and revenge and is physiologically damaged. These are not really qualities that hero’s show. In the scene (The Will To Act) it shows Bruce trying to over come this anger and revenge and turning it in to justice. This is where the character of Batman is born. his mentor Raj al Gaul blames Bruce’s dad for there murder as he did not step in and stop the murderer, teaching Bruce the true meaning of being a hero, but now Raj has become Bruce’s father figure, after. In Casino Royale it introduces you to the character of James bond in the his first kill situation that is in black and white showing it is a memory or a flashback. It's set in a cricket club toilet, find out the he is a ruthless killing machine, that likes to feel people die under his own hands already James Bond shows as the archetype of a antihero. You can tell he is inexperienced at this point in the narrative as it takes him a while to kill the man and also they crash though toilet cubicles and also break sinks and mirrors, but you see his ruthless side as he drowns his victim in the sink of the bath room. In his next kill you can see he has been changed and is more of a confident man as he smug after he kills the section chief and doesn’t seem to effect him in anyway as if he has been reborn as a killing machine, with no trace of his former self. To manage all of this they had to loose their humanity, forget about their pasts. change there morals for a different set of values this causes them to become a completely new person 'reborn' as an anti hero.

How the characters costumes portray state of mind?
(Batman’s first appearance). In the narrative he is still quite inexperienced, but it shows you what he is capable of doing. It shows that he uses the cover of darkness to hide himself from the enemy and to disrupt their plans in the mob the fact that he uses the shadows says the he could also be trying to hide from is own personal demons. Also this scene backs up the fact that he is physiologically damaged as he say “we are not one person we are two”. The fact that he wears a costume and puts on a voice when he is fighting injustice also backs up the ideal the character is physiologically damaged from his parent’s murder so basically Bruce Wayne has split personality’s. the colour black on the costume shows that he is a dark isolated character, the cape also backs up this fact as it can been seen as his past always clinging on to his and as much as he try's to get away from it he can't. This shows that the character of Bruce Wayne is a coward by hiding behind the mask of the vigilantly of batman and can only do these great things by being his spilt personality, other aspects of the meis-en-scene backup the physiologically unstable state of mind for example batman only comes out at night this shows that he uses the shadows to hide, it similar to the fact Bruce Wayne runs away because he doesn't want people to blame his for his parents murder. Where as in James bond he always wears suit to show he has had a complete transformation from who he use to be, now he is just ruthless killer, sociopath and closed off emotionally. Except in the scene where Daniel Craig is coming out of the sea in his speedo's this still shows people he is a threat as his muscularity is more superior than anyone else in this sea. This also implies the female gaze.

What happens in the narrative to make them unstable?
In the key scenes I have chosen each of the characters are being torched but both in highly different ways. In Casino Royale it shows physical toucher. This scene emasculates Bond has he has been strip of his clothes and weapons, this seems to take away all of his power and makes the character of l’chife the most masculine, another way this emasculates Bond is the fact that l’chife is hitting Bond in his genitals with a piece of rope, Bond takes control through this scene as he mocks l’chife while he is torturing him he says “every one knows you are going to die scratching my balls” this shows that Bond would never let another man be more masculine than him. Where as in batman it is what he witnesses that at that moment in time that makes him the person he is in the rest of the narrative. This is the reason he hides behind the costume and mask as he believes he is to blame, this scene that in my personal opinion that scars him most. Now he believes that he has to serve justice to the people who show injustice to society. This can be seen as a plead for redemption as he still hasn't forgiven himself for his parents death.

how mies-en-scene can show what the character is feeling?
In Bond, the scene where (Vesper) Bonds love interest, betrays him for the freedom of her Algerian partner, this show that he is not just a ruthless killing machine it also shows that he still has some emotions left in his hollow shell of a body. When the building in Venice is sinking where Vesper drowns herself as she believes that Bond will not forgive her for what she has done. The fact the building is plummeting into the river be linked in to James heartbreak for her, as after this he does not seem to have any solace for anyone else. The reason for this because his hard exterior has been shattered by the emotions of a woman, making him in some way weak.

Conclusion
Batman Begins and Casino Royale, both of the stories evolve in to becoming the hero’s we know, but the things they do in the narrative make them anti-heroes. Each of these films different ways they become anti-heroes. In Batman he becomes a hero because he blames himself for his parent’s murder, he believes that he needs to be redeemed for the murder, so he goes out as a vigilante so he can feel some kind of redemption in himself. The reason he wears the Batman costume is because Bruce Wayne himself is a coward and needs something to hide behind. Where as in Casino Royale, James bond is a completely different character. He does not hide behind anything he want to let people know he is a killing machine and he wants people to notice he is a threat to the enemy. The narratives are both similar in a way as they both start off with them at the start of their journey as a hero and the narratives both end in a form of revenge.