Film “Dazed and Confused” Written by Richard Linklater

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Main text
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Dazed and Confused is a 1993 film directed and written by Richard Linklater. The film is a coming-of-age comedy with an ensemble cast of future Hollywood stars. The budget of the movie was only $8 million in America. Nevertheless, it was later recognized as a cult film. Dazed and Confused represents a vivid and picturesque depiction of teenagers’ the last day in school in unique narrative techniques that deviate from the conventions of Classical Hollywood Storytelling.

Main text

Richard Stuart Linklater is a well-known American screenwriter, producer, director, and actor. As has been already mentioned, the cast of the film was represented by the future stars, namely Jason London, Milla Jovovich, Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Adam Goldberg, and others. The action takes place in May 1967 in the imaginary Lee High School in Texas (Macor 150). The last day of school of freshmen and seniors is depicted in the plot. The freshmen are worried about avoiding humiliation and paddling from the seniors while the latter is aimed at hazing kids to keep with traditions and looking for new places for partying (Murray par. 4).

The narration of Dazed and Confused differs from the Classical Hollywood Storytelling. The Classical Narrative Structure is the most widely-used and standard technique of narration for films. A three-act format is a core element of it. It presupposes that the action starts from the Setup, where all characters with their goals and problems are represented. Usually, that is the part where the main antagonist and protagonist are introduced. Then comes the Development of the story, where a particular conflict takes place. Finally, the climax and the closure of the story are called the Resolution (“Classical Narrative Structure” par. 1-7).

The purpose of Richard Linklater was to make an original and truthful representation of teenage life. Thus, he created both a sincere and ironic story that was referred to as “the teen pic” genre (Johnson 28). Even more, the director rewrote the rules, putting the plot in a one-day narrative structure (Sharf par. 4). The following techniques enhance the overall execution of the story as far they exemplify Linklater’s personal and creative vision. The most significant alternative storytelling technique is the employment of the ensemble plot. Thus, there are different stories of the characters, and all of them are described as equal. The second alternative technique is the so-called “anti plot”. The main features of anti-plot are anti-structure, non-linear time, and loose causalities. All of these are typical for the Dazed and Confused. The Hub-and-Spokes ordering of the events may be regarded as the third alternative technique only to some extent. There are a lot of protagonists and storylines, but all of them converge not on the same event, but on the same problem. They all render the issue of teenage life. One more important technique concerns the usage of music. The characters are disclosed through the special music chosen for every particular protagonist (D’Arpino par. 5). The fifth narration method consists in the fact that the typical classical storytelling structure of focusing on the actions deviates. The whole picture is focused on characters and conversations between them. The sixth technique is conducted with the help of formulaic narratives deviations. Finally, the seventh technique is the creation of a unique feeling that somebody is constantly watching though there are no adults who control teenagers.

Conclusion

The deviations of the Classical Hollywood Storytelling employed in the Dazed and Confused assisted Richard Linklater to achieve his primary purpose. The director was aimed at the most realistic and vivid depiction of teenage life and using the alternative narration styles he made a film that became cultic.

Works Cited

Classical Narrative Structure n.d. Web. 2015.

D’Arpino, Adam 2015, 21 Things You Might Not Know About ‘Dazed and Confused’. Web.

Johnson, David. Richard Linklater. Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 2012. Print.

Macor, Alison. Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids:Thirty Years of Filmmaking in Austin, Texas. Texas: University of Texas Press, 2012. Print.

Murray, Noel 2014, Keynote: The teenage utopia of Dazed And Confused, in 10 screenshots. Web.

Sharf, Zack 2014, 6 Times Richard Linklater Expertly Played With Narrative. Web.

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Film “Dazed and Confused” Written by Richard Linklater

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