Narrative Theory, film language - analysis (beginning) The Shining (1980)

Vladimir Propp (born: St. Petersburg, Russian Empire 1895 - died: Leningrad, USSR 1970) was a Soviet folklorist and scholar who analysed the basic plot components of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest irreducible narrative elements. Propp determined a set of character roles that he said were always present in one way or another. He stated that these roles were clearly defined and proposed that different characters could be classified into one or more of these distinct roles. Having characters who conformed to specific roles enables them to function within the narrative and help the story progress; this theory largely still applies to this day. Specific films that follow this model precisely can be as diverse as Star Wars, Shrek and the Lord of the Rings. All of these films and many others include character who fulfil roles that Propp first defined such as: the hero, the villain and the princess. 

In order to give a clearer idea of this theory take one of the examples I have already mentioned, Shrek. Each of the main characters fit nicely into clearly defined character roles, as you can see below:

• The Hero (seeks something)
• Shrek is the hero and he seeks to rescue Princess Fiona.
• The Villain (opposes the hero)
• Lord Farquaad is the primary antagonist who competes for Fiona's hand.
• The Donor (helps the hero by providing a magic object)
• Various characters aid Shrek throughout the films, some turn out to have malign intentions such as Rumpelstiltskin but some are benevolent a prime example of this is Puss in Boots.
• The Dispatcher (sends the hero on his way)
• In the original film Lord Farquaad also acts as the dispatcher as he wants to marry Princess Fiona.
• The False Hero (falsely assuming the role of hero)
• Prince Charming was originally supposed to rescue Princess Fiona. He is cowardly, megalomaniacal, vain and spoilt.   
• The Helper (gives support to the hero)
• Donkey is Shrek's best friend and sidekick throughout the entire series.
• The Princess (the reward for the hero, but also needs protection from the villain)
• Princess Fiona is the princess of Far Far Away, the daughter of King Harold and Queen Lillian. She becomes Shrek's wife at the end of the first film.
• Her Father (parent of the damsel in distress)
• King Harold was the king of Far Far Away, husband of Queen Lillian, father of Princess Fiona and father-in-law of Shrek. 

*For reasons of simplicity and fluidity above I referred to the entire Shrek film series, not just the first film, although that is the primary source.