Within different aspects of the media, there are various different things that will allow someone to

think differently toward a movie. These can be anyone one of a number of things (as shown below)

• Genre

• Narrative

• Semiotics

• Representation

The genre of a movie shows tells the audience what to expect before watching the movie, and also

during the movie.

The narrative of a movie is very important, this is because depending on whether or not it’s a linear

narrative or a non -linear narrative. This will give the movie a different edge to it and will change the

view of the movie for the viewers.

The semiotics of a movie are one of the most important aspects, this is because it will show to the

audience what the character is feeling and expressing through the things he or she does or the way

they react, Not only that but when advertising a movie the poster shows various semiotic things, the

lighting, the positioning of specific things.

Representation in the film industry is basically how they show certain things and the way they are

fed to us, like in Leon, the way mitildia is portrayed but also how Leon is portrayed, and the

relationship they have. This is all part of representation.

Here I will be talking about Narrative theory in the movie Leon.

The movie was released on the 14th of September 1994. By a director called Luc Besson. The cast

was Jean Reno as Leon, Natalie Portman as Mathilda, Gary Oldman as Norman Stansfeild and many

other great actors.

This is a plot synopsis written by J.S.Golden - After her father and little brother are killed by

her father's employers, the 12-year-old daughter of an abject drug dealer is forced to

take refuge in the house of a professional murderer who by her request, teaches her the

methods of his job so she can take her revenge from the corrupted DEA agent who

ruined her life by killing her brother out of no actual reason.

My personal Leon synopsis would be something along the lines of: After a 12year old girl is taken in

by a mysterious hit man, she learns the art of being a cleaner. This is because she saw the dead body

of her farther just moments after a DEA agent murders her whole family. This is not a tale of love,

but more a revenge riddled action with a dramatic ending.

Within the beginning of the movie, there are a lot of icon and conventional things shown, such as

the city of New York, and the busy high streets with people oblivious to what ’s going on. And the

way the camera pans out across the streets, and changes angles. This sets the stage and tells us

where the movies based.

In the actual movie itself there are a lot of different character representations. Such as the illusive

hitman that is silent, a little weird, but extremely deadly. And the cute innocent little girl who ends

up being revenge riddled and very different to what we might have first thought. Not only gender

but the movie also shows a corrupt DEA agent, this tells the audience that this movie will be filled

with ‘dirty cops`.

Mathilda, within this movie is portrayed as a very cute innocent little girl, up until her family gets

murdered and she learns to become a hit man. This shows the audience that even a young girl can

become deadly if she wanted to be, but also her use of language and the fact that she smokes also

shows that this young deadly girl craves to be older, and doesn’t like being told she can’t do

something.

The relationship between Mathilda and Leon is a very questionable one, this is because you see it

more as a father daughter sort of relationship, and the fact that Leon protects her and trains her

shows that he cares, but Mathilda shows a very different relationship need. Its almost as if she

wanted more out of the relationship. This is proven on many occasions by Mathilda and her

behaviours. Such as telling the receptionist at the hotel that Leon was her ‘lover’ and begging Leon

to kiss her in the restaurant.

The style of the movie is also very iconic, in the way the mese en scene shows specific things

creating the movie more in the eye of the genre, and the way the editing of the camera shots are

used. A perfect example of camera editing is when leon is killing all the guards in the begging, and he

coming from every angle, and the camera cut speed is very fast passed and quick turning

All these different things I have talked about help together to create the genre, and make the movie

fit its established title.