Monday, October 29

Syd Field's Theory: Fatal Attraction

Applying Syd Field's theory to Fatal Attraction:

Act 1
The audience are shown Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) is normal caring husband with a perfect life with a wife (Anne Archer) and children.
The main hook for the audience in the first 30/40 minutes is that Dan risks all of this by sleeping with Alex Forrest (Glenn Close), but mainly it is plot point 1...

Plot point 1 - Alex slashes her wrists, this is when the story changes dramatically as Dan realises just how serious this little 'fling' has become.

Act 2
Alex starts to stalk Dan despite his attempts to move house and change his number, to the extent that she feigns pregnancy (possibly real) and also befriends his wife.

Plot point 2 is the boiling of the bunny, this forces Dan to realise that Alex has to be stopped before anyone is harmed and that he can't really do this by simply talking to her.

Act 3
The final confrontation is physical and ends with a struggle between Dan, Alex and Dan's wife, where Alex tries to stab both of them and finally Dan's wife shoots Alex.

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