Hi Friends,
Some of you who are regulars on my blog might recall that I had written a post drawing parallels between The Ten Commandments and Gladiator vis-a-vis their story structure, plot-line and characterization.And this time around the two films That I have earmarked for this study are - Cast Away and The Terminal.
Offhand,the only link that's obvious and comes to our mind this instant at the mention of these two films is the principal actor-Tom Hanks,who portrays two different characters-Chuck Noland and Viktor Navroski so convincingly that in my view deserved a few awards (especially in Cast Away) for his heart-rending performance.
But hold on...there's more than just the actor that connects the two films if only you trained your eyes to observe, study and decipher story-structures! And as I draw comparisons within the context and framework of their story structures,you'd realize how similar they indeed are at the end of the day.
However,before I make my five point observation on the two films,here's a brief synopsis for the benefit of those who have not watched it yet.
But hold on...there's more than just the actor that connects the two films if only you trained your eyes to observe, study and decipher story-structures! And as I draw comparisons within the context and framework of their story structures,you'd realize how similar they indeed are at the end of the day.
However,before I make my five point observation on the two films,here's a brief synopsis for the benefit of those who have not watched it yet.
Chuck Noland's life changes forever when on a business trip his FedEx plane goes down in the South Pacific.A lone survivor of the crash, he is now marooned on an island,away from home and without any human contact. A man who once lived by the clock now engages in a battle of wits and survival when he is put to test mentally,emotionally and physically. Finally, he triumphs from the forces of nature and makes his voyage safely back home only to find that the love of his life and girl-friend,Kelly Frears who presumed he was dead in all these years is now married to another man and has a family with him.The hope of re-uniting with his beloved that kept him fighting against all odds in that God forsaken island is dashed once again when he is 'cast away' this time by the woman he loves! That's Cast Away for you in a nutshell.
Viktor Navorski arrives in New York to fulfill his late father's last wish but is left stranded at the Terminal after a war breaks out in his home country,Krakozhia.With a passport deemed void and now rendered without a country,he is denied entrance to the United States Of America.Confined to the international lounge of the airport, Frank Dixon, Immigration Officer at JFK makes life difficult for Navorski during his nine months unscheduled stay at the terminal.But in difficult times as these especially when he has no money to eat and a place to live,the good-natured Navorski acclimatizes himself with this new situation he finds himself in even as language poses to be a barrier at first.But his affable and gentle demeanor wins many hearts at the terminal when he ends up making unlikely friends with the airline staff,starts off with odd jobs at first then graduates to a regular job and goes on to fall in love with a troubled yet kind-hearted air-hostess,Amelia who secures him a one day emergency visa to visit the United States but at a sacrifice!
On reading the premise of the two films,some of you film buffs out there must have already begun drawing parallels between the two films (call it as a part of your film exercise) while some of you might still be wondering on what could possibly be the semblance between the two films.
So then let's get started with this discussion in a five point format on the two popular and highly acclaimed films of their times...
1. Both men- Chuck Noland and Viktor Navorski are traveling overseas with an objective i.e. to accomplish a predetermined work/ family obligation set before them.
While Chuck Noland is traveling on work to dispatch a consignment in a bid to set an example before his staff at FedEx on the importance of discipline and commitment towards delivering promises on time whereas Viktor Navorski on the other hand is making a trip to realize his late father's wish of getting a pending autograph from tenor saxophonist, Benny Golson on a famous Hungarian portrait featuring 57 jazz musicians wherein his father managed to get all but one in his lifetime.Thus the onus on the successful completion of his late father's last wish rests on Navorski as he makes this visit to the United States.
While Chuck Noland is traveling on work to dispatch a consignment in a bid to set an example before his staff at FedEx on the importance of discipline and commitment towards delivering promises on time whereas Viktor Navorski on the other hand is making a trip to realize his late father's wish of getting a pending autograph from tenor saxophonist, Benny Golson on a famous Hungarian portrait featuring 57 jazz musicians wherein his father managed to get all but one in his lifetime.Thus the onus on the successful completion of his late father's last wish rests on Navorski as he makes this visit to the United States.
Their character arches differ too as the two men are in no way even remotely connected to each other vis-a-vis their professions, language or place of origins - Chuck Noland is a FedEx Executive and lives in Memphis, Tennessee (America) whereas Viktor Navorski is from Krakozhia (a fictional region based somewhere in Russia/ Bulgaria, which is evident from his dialect) and appears to be an engineer/ architect/ constructor by profession which I gather from the nature of work he undertakes at the terminal when he is hired by the contractor.
The goal post of Chuck Noland changes less than half-way through the film i.e. after his plane crashes with the FedEx consignment that he was originally assigned to deliver and after being stranded on that island,his focus now shifts towards somehow journeying back home.However in the case of Viktor Navorski,unlike Chuck Noland he lands safely at his destination but his problems begin after landing at the airport.However the objective of making it to the United States for the purpose he had originally set out for remains intact even in the wake of challenges posed before him as he patiently pursues his way to the goal post .
However,the situations that both Noland and Navorski are thrown into as well as their objective and goal posts are simply part of the treatment.Essentially what is immediately established and clear within the first half hour of the film is that the protagonists in both films are men on a mission to complete an unfinished task/ objective set before them where interestingly both 'task/objective' take different forms.
Now if you agree with me on point one,we shall then proceed to point two.
While in Cast Away it is nature's fury that Chuck Noland has to contend with by way of persisting turbulent weather conditions at the seas that stops him from journeying back home then Viktor Navorski on the other hand has an antagonist to deal with is in the form of a person-Frank Dixon who detains him indefinitely at the airport lounge and makes life difficult in every way possible by throwing hurdles and challenges before him.
3. During the initial moments of their detention be it at the island or the terminal,both protagonists attempt to/given a chance to escape before they surrender to their respective situations. It is again that their first 'escape' come in different forms.
If you might remember-when Chuck Noland is stranded on the island,he uses a water float in an effort to sail back home but it's not long before he is thrown back into the shores of the island by the rough seas. 
Now again that's a part of the treatment - whether the protagonists take that chance to escape or not;but the options are thrown open to them.Whether Chuck Noland takes that chance and travels on the water float or whether Viktor Navorski decides not to walk through the doors of America that's 'suspiciously' thrown open to him;bottom line here is that both see/have the first window of opportunity towards their escape.
And also what's to be noted here is that both are stranded in their respective human situations.While Chuck Noland is the lone surviving human being struck on that island whereas Viktor Navorski is in a way imprisoned (as I may call it) to a lounge where language and communication is a barrier (at first) and finds himself lonely despite having people around.
Essentially what's to be understood here is that the protagonists in both films are in a state of exile (i.e. away from home) as they find themselves helpless in the situations they are trapped in and alone during this whole struggle which is beyond their control and not of their making.
And also what's to be noted here is that both are stranded in their respective human situations.While Chuck Noland is the lone surviving human being struck on that island whereas Viktor Navorski is in a way imprisoned (as I may call it) to a lounge where language and communication is a barrier (at first) and finds himself lonely despite having people around.
Essentially what's to be understood here is that the protagonists in both films are in a state of exile (i.e. away from home) as they find themselves helpless in the situations they are trapped in and alone during this whole struggle which is beyond their control and not of their making.
4. And as they concede with their initial bout of defeat,they both learn to adapt themselves to this new-found environment and make the best of it while keeping their hope and quests alive of making it through these challenges thrown before them.
The affable,Viktor Navorski on the other hand does odd jobs to afford a proper meal for himself but it's not long before when he's hired on a regular job by the contractor that he begins to enjoy the delight of a regular meal,he lives in the lounge as he joins up benches to make a bed for him to rest,unrelentingly visits the visa department regularly only to have his application rejected,makes new friends with the airline staff who love his company and feed him with fine food,shower him with their little gifts and plays cupid to a blossoming romance between two airline staff members working in different departments when he gradually finds himself falling in love with Amelia,a flight attendant!
Kelly Frears had to some day stop waiting for the love of her life,Chuck Noland to return home as he was declared missing at first and later presumed dead during those four long years. She moves on in life when she goes on to marry and raise a family of her own whereas Amelia cannot be by Viktor Navorski's side as she decides to make a sacrifice for him when she rekindles a bad relationship with her much-married government official boy-friend so that she can secure a visa for Navorski in the bargain and thus fulfill his late father's dream.Bottomline here is-both don't get the girl! :-(
At the conclusion,while the treatment and genre of the two films may differ but the crux of the situation and framework that the film rests on is essentially the same.Also note:both films flow in a linear narrative with one frame dissolving into another as the story doesn't go back and forth in time through a series of flashbacks nor is it told from a survivor's perspective nor is it a third person recounting this chapter from their lives.And this is the film grammar I observed that both films shared in common as well which I thought of writing about in this month's post.Did you like reading my notes on the two films?What are your thoughts on it? Do share them there.
Take care and ciao!
Love
Sonyaa
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