Monday, June 13, 2005
THE NAKED SPUR: playing sleight-of-hand with the protagonist's motivation
Year: 1953
Genre: Western
Cast: James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan, Ralph Meeker, & Millard Mitchell
Director: Anthony Mann
Writers: Sam Rolfe & Harold Jack Bloom
Howard Kemp (James Stewart) is on the trail of a man wanted for murder. He's followed Ben (Robert Ryan) all the way from Kansas to the Colorado Rockies. When down-on-his-luck miner Jesse (Ralph Meeker) tips him off to the fresh trail, Kemp hires him to help find Ben's camp in the mountains. Discharged cavalryman Roy throws in with them, much to Kemp's chagrin. When they finally apprehend Roy, they find the daughter (Janet Leigh) of a dead outlaw has thrown in with him.
When Kemp meets Jesse, the miner assumes he's a lawman with altruistic motives for Ben's capture and return. Kemp allows the assumption to ride, even when Jesse talks with Roy about convincing Kemp to deputize them so they can pick up some extra money. It's not until the trio captures Ben they learn Kemp's true motives. Ben knows Kemp is not a lawman at all, but a bounty hunter. Kemp needs the money on Ben's head to buy back the ranch stolen from him by an unfaithful fiancee during the Civil War.
This revelation, along with Ben's capture, turns the story in a new direction. As long as Jesse and Roy believed Kemp was a lawman, it confined their personal stakes in taking Ben back to Kansas. Once they discover Kemp is after the reward--that is, once his real motivation is revealed--their goals change and their personal stakes increase. Now they want equal shares of the reward, and make it impossible for Kemp to prevent their accompanying him, Ben, and the girl.
Delaying the revelation of the protagonist's real need and motive until after the Inciting Incident works because--
1): His presumed motive is strong enough to be credible. Finding a lawman on the trail of a murderer is not unusual in a western story.
2): The writers play fair with the audience by giving them clues all is not quite as it seems. Jesse comments that Kansas is a long way away for a lawman to track a criminal, and Roy is also suspicious.
3): The protagonist contributes to the deception by his silence. It's okay for misunderstandings to get a protagonist into trouble, but not to keep him there or get him out. Kemp takes over the "misunderstanding" by actively adapting it for his own best interest.
4): The protagonist maintains his "likeability" connection with the audience by struggling with the deception. Internal conflict. Despite his need for the misunderstanding, there are some compromises he won't make with his honor. He refuses to lie.
5): The revelation of his real motive changes the dynamics of the protagonist's relationships with the other characters.
6): The revelation kicks the story into high gear by heightening the stakes.
Genre: Western
Cast: James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan, Ralph Meeker, & Millard Mitchell
Director: Anthony Mann
Writers: Sam Rolfe & Harold Jack Bloom
Howard Kemp (James Stewart) is on the trail of a man wanted for murder. He's followed Ben (Robert Ryan) all the way from Kansas to the Colorado Rockies. When down-on-his-luck miner Jesse (Ralph Meeker) tips him off to the fresh trail, Kemp hires him to help find Ben's camp in the mountains. Discharged cavalryman Roy throws in with them, much to Kemp's chagrin. When they finally apprehend Roy, they find the daughter (Janet Leigh) of a dead outlaw has thrown in with him.
When Kemp meets Jesse, the miner assumes he's a lawman with altruistic motives for Ben's capture and return. Kemp allows the assumption to ride, even when Jesse talks with Roy about convincing Kemp to deputize them so they can pick up some extra money. It's not until the trio captures Ben they learn Kemp's true motives. Ben knows Kemp is not a lawman at all, but a bounty hunter. Kemp needs the money on Ben's head to buy back the ranch stolen from him by an unfaithful fiancee during the Civil War.
This revelation, along with Ben's capture, turns the story in a new direction. As long as Jesse and Roy believed Kemp was a lawman, it confined their personal stakes in taking Ben back to Kansas. Once they discover Kemp is after the reward--that is, once his real motivation is revealed--their goals change and their personal stakes increase. Now they want equal shares of the reward, and make it impossible for Kemp to prevent their accompanying him, Ben, and the girl.
Delaying the revelation of the protagonist's real need and motive until after the Inciting Incident works because--
1): His presumed motive is strong enough to be credible. Finding a lawman on the trail of a murderer is not unusual in a western story.
2): The writers play fair with the audience by giving them clues all is not quite as it seems. Jesse comments that Kansas is a long way away for a lawman to track a criminal, and Roy is also suspicious.
3): The protagonist contributes to the deception by his silence. It's okay for misunderstandings to get a protagonist into trouble, but not to keep him there or get him out. Kemp takes over the "misunderstanding" by actively adapting it for his own best interest.
4): The protagonist maintains his "likeability" connection with the audience by struggling with the deception. Internal conflict. Despite his need for the misunderstanding, there are some compromises he won't make with his honor. He refuses to lie.
5): The revelation of his real motive changes the dynamics of the protagonist's relationships with the other characters.
6): The revelation kicks the story into high gear by heightening the stakes.
