Friday, June 17, 2005
THE NAKED SPUR: keeping the antagonist busy
Kemp is the protagonist of this story, and James Stewart portrays him with honor and intensity. But the real star of the show is Robert Ryan's character, Ben.
Because, as someone once said, a story is only as strong as its villain.
Ben is ruthless, cunning, and unprincipled. He has no pride, at least not enough to risk his life for. He has the soul of a psychiatrist, and the heart of a rattlesnake.
But what makes Ben a great villain--besides the fact he's strongly motivated--is he uses every available means at his disposal to defeat the protagonist. When his hands are tied, literally, in Act One, he doesn't give up, cave in, and quit until he gets hold of a gun again in Act Three. He stays busy. He doesn't only look for ways he can personally make trouble for Kemp, such as pitching him off a horse into steep ravine and crippling him. He works to create ways that other characters can make trouble for Kemp, too. Trouble that directly or indirectly still relates to Ben's own goal. For instance, using Lina to bait Roy's lecherous impulses, thus playing Roy and Kemp against each other. By using other characters' goals, motivations, and weaknesses to further his own purposes, Ben expands the conflict throughout Act Two, and in so doing immunizes it against "sagging middle syndrome."
Because, as someone once said, a story is only as strong as its villain.
Ben is ruthless, cunning, and unprincipled. He has no pride, at least not enough to risk his life for. He has the soul of a psychiatrist, and the heart of a rattlesnake.
But what makes Ben a great villain--besides the fact he's strongly motivated--is he uses every available means at his disposal to defeat the protagonist. When his hands are tied, literally, in Act One, he doesn't give up, cave in, and quit until he gets hold of a gun again in Act Three. He stays busy. He doesn't only look for ways he can personally make trouble for Kemp, such as pitching him off a horse into steep ravine and crippling him. He works to create ways that other characters can make trouble for Kemp, too. Trouble that directly or indirectly still relates to Ben's own goal. For instance, using Lina to bait Roy's lecherous impulses, thus playing Roy and Kemp against each other. By using other characters' goals, motivations, and weaknesses to further his own purposes, Ben expands the conflict throughout Act Two, and in so doing immunizes it against "sagging middle syndrome."
