FILM 201 Study Guide - Final Guide: Narration, Human Events, Leonardo Dicaprio
Document Summary
Four levels of meaning: referential meaning: bare-bones plot summary; specific items (characteristics of the time and place) depicted in film; things and places already invested with significance because we recognize them from the world outside of the film. During the depression, a tornado takes a girl from her family"s kansas farm to the mythical land of oz. After a series of adventures, she returns home: explicit meaning: the point of the film, the openly asserted meaning . The film will give a lot of force to this point and make it fit within its overall context and form. A film may have multiple explicit meanings, in which case we must determine how they relate to one another. A girl dreams of leaving home to escape her troubles. Only after she leaves does she realize how much she loves her family and friends.
