Unknown

What the film is about?

This film is about a women and a man who are happily married. Then he has a accident. The reason he has this accident is because he goes into a taxi to go back to the airport where one of his bags have been left with all of his ID. Once he recovers from this accident he goes to find his wife to find out she does not recognize him and someone has stolen his identity. It is also about the lady who was driving the taxi and how she is involved in what happened. There are some guys that are after this man and he does not know why, and there is a car chase that takes place. this is then when they end up going to the club. He is trying to find out why this is happening to him and most of all who is doing it to him. This film was made on February 16th, 2011. This film is also a thriller but more of a mystery thriller as you do not know why it is all going on. Not only this, but it does not focus on upper, middle or lower classed people it has all different classes of people in it. The director is Jaume Collet-Serra, writers are Oliver Butcher (screenplay), Stephen Cornwell (screenplay), Stars are Liam Neeson,  Diane Kruger and January Jones. Budget:​ $30,000,000 (estimated), Opening Weekend:​ $21,856,389 (USA) (20 February 2011)​, Gross:​ $130,786,397 (Worldwide) (12 May 2011).

About the trailer Unknown: 
This trailer is about two and a half minutes long. It shows us the main points within the film. However, all of the scenes are messed up and put into different orders so that the film is not given away when the people watch it. It also shows us how his life has changed and how he plans on getting it back. In this trailer is focuses on the point when he has the crash int he car and they drive off the bridge, the reason they do this to make the audience see that this is a big, and important part of the film. It shows us all of the trilling part and that their is something going on within this film that he has got to try and uncover. This trailer gives away quite a lot about the film and what is going on within the film, however, it does not show us why it is happening and what the result is in the end. All this trailer shows the audience is that something is going on and this man is stuck in the middle of it. The ways in which this trailer will appeal to an audience is because it is fast and very trilling in the trailer making people want to watch it due to the excitement they will be feeling from it, making them think the the film itself will be more exciting and thrilling.

About the hotel scene:
This is a very important scene. The reason for this is because in the scene before this Liam Neeson has dismisses him out of the hospital, the reason for this is because he believes he wife will be worried about him as he has just woke from a coma he has been in for four days. Therefore, he then gets into a car to go back to the hotel him and is wife booked into whiles they stayed in Berlin. However, there is a twist to the story when he gets to the hotel and this twist is, he see's his wife walking around the hotel. When he is taken to say he is sorry to his wife and explain what had happened to him when he wife claimed to not recognize who he was. The to Liam Neeson's surprise her husband who she claimed to be came over. At this point he had realized that something wrong was going on and that his identity had been stolen. However, their was little he could do as all of his things had been lost and replaced with this other mans picture, even picture of his and his wife. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH5hC8kRjdU

About the hospital scene: 
This is a very effective scene, the reason for this is because this is the scene when you realize that someone is out to get rid of Liam Nesson and completely erase him from the world. However, when they are in the hospital and the bad guy kills the young lady in front of Liam Neeson, the camera uses an extreme close up on the scissors in the young ladies pocket. When Liam Neeson reaches for these scissors, and you hear the bad guy coming back it causes suspense and tension for the audience, making you think he has either got caught or he was not able to get the scissors. Then, all for a sudden you see them in Liam Neeson's hand when the body is getting pulled away. This allows the audience to see what is going on and whether or not Liam Neeson is going to get away. They also use disorientated music to give a better effect and understanding to the audience, making them think he is not going to get away.

Devices:
The devices that where used within this film was suspense the reason for this is because when the taxi crashed into the river their was suspense, as the young lady was able to get out of the car. However, was did not know id Liam Neeson was going to survive as he was knocked unconscious, but when the young lady when back to save the man it put the audience on edge wondering whether he would survive or not. Therefore when he was pulled out of the car it also put the audience on edge and caused suspense, this is because, when the ambulance come you was sitting their wondering if he was going to wake up and what was going to happen to him. Therefore, when the care was going into the water, the film went into slow motion to show them flying off of the bridge. this had a good effect towards the audience the reason for this is because then they was able to see Liam Neeson hit is head and see the impact that it had. Therefore, when it sped up again it shocked people, and made them wonder if he would get out, making it more effective and exciting for the audience. 

Todorov's narrative theory:
He believed that you was able to apply the five stage within any film. In this film the 5 stages where used. 

• A state of equilibrium (all normal) - Liam Neeson and his wife are on the airplane and then arrive at the airport to then get a taxi to the hotel that they are meant to be staying at, forgets is case so has to go back to the airport gets in a taxi to go back there. 
• A disrupt of that order by an event - Liam Neeson goes back to his hotel after being in an accident to go and tell his wife and she does not recognize who his is and calms another man is her husband by the same name. 
• A recognition that the disorder has occurred - when he goes back to the hospital to speak to the doctor and get another head scan, and then wakes up to a man trying to kill him and has already killed two of the doctors. 
• Attempt to repair damage - Liam Neeson goes to put things right by confronting the back guys and trying to get his identity back and trying to find out who did this to him and why they did it. 
• Return or restoration of a new equilibrium - Finds out who did it to him and then he gets is identity back but nothing will be how it used to be. 

Barthes - Enigma codes:

I believe that Barthes enigma codes where used through out this film the reason for this is because their was a idea of mystery as no one know why this was happening and who was reasonable for it. Also in this film the text where just complex bundles of meaning. The reason for this is because the audience did not know what was going on and what any of this meant until the end and still their was no real reason for it to happen. therefore, there was a problem introduce, which was Liam Neeson identity has been stolen form him. It was also a polysemic text because there was a lot of different meanings going on within this film. 

Levi Strauss: 

The Hollywood traditional narrative structure was used, which is the three act structure, these are:

• Set up (25%)
• Confrontation (50%)
• Climax (25%)

Linear (chronological) a few sub plots which is tendency towards closure at the end of the film. 

Vladimi Propp:

Vladimi Proop's theory was used within this film, he believe that there was 8 key character roles, these 8 character roles are, Hero, villain, helper, donor (provider), father, dispatcher, princess, false hero, and one character can perform more then one role. 

• Hero - Liam Neeson
• Villain - The man who has stole his identity and the men that are trying to kill him
• Helper - The taxi driver  
• Father - The older man that is trying to help get is identity back
• Princess - Liam Neeson's wife
• False hero - Could be Liam Neeson wife to

Camera shots: 
Close up: This camera shot is used through out the film, the reason for this is because it make it effective when people are talking and it is just an easy shot to use in a film, and it allows the audience to see what is going on. this was used int he first scene when Liam Neeson and his wife was on the plain. 
Extreme close up: This camera shot was also used through out the film. This was mainly used within the fighting and more intense scenes to allow the audience to know what was going on. this was also used when Liam Neeson has just come out of having his head scan. 
Long shot: This was used through the movie to allow the audience to see what was happening. for example, when a car was following Liam Neeson they did a long camera shot to show us and to build up the tension and put the audience on edge. 
Higher angle: This the girl pushed the car off the edge with her car, this was used to make the people in the car look powerless and to make it look Liam Neeson and the girl helping had won. 
Rolling shot: This was used before the car drove into the river to show us all of the cars rolling about and the motorbike rolling across the road. 
Wide shot: This was used through out the film, to show the audience what was going on all around. it was very effective as it allowed the audience to see everything and was almost like they was in the movie. 

Liam Neeson speaking about the film unknown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXXM_2Pk79Y

The end scene: 
The end scene i feel is the most exciting and well done scene. The reason for this is because you find out that Liam Neeson is not the person he thinks he is and that person dose not actually exist, he is a person who has been made up for a plot to kill someone. Not only this, but you also find out what the meaning to the first bit of the movie meant and why he was at Berlin and why everything else happened and Why his 'wife' did not recognize him. Therefore, at the end when you find out that their is a bomb and they are trying to kill a man because the year of research he has and that they could get loads of money for it, you then find out that Liam Neeson was the one responsible and behind this plot. You then start to understand the film a bit more. This is then when the film starts to get excited and tense as you don't know what is going to happen and if he is going to make it right. However, it also shows the audience as different side to the story and makes the audience see how it all started and why it happened and how they will over come this. 

The McGuffin: 
The Mcguffin in this film is about the growing corn. However, within any thriller film there has to be a Mcguffin but no one really cares about it. The Mcguffin is the thing that drives the plot along for example why the people are their in the first place and that is the reason why they was going their or doing what they was doing. On the other hand, no one cares what happens to the Mcguffin it just helps the audience understand why the people are their and what they are their for.