Archetypal Elements In The Fifth Element

Words: 1888
Pages: 8
Open Document
The oldest theme of storytelling in history is the battle between good and evil. Films such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter utilize this theme to tell amazing stories because it is a fundamental part of any tale. The hero gets called to adventure, they enter another world in which they make allies as enemies, challenged by trials and tribulations, after which they finally return home a changed person. The Fifth Element, directed by Luc Besson, is an excellent example of this classic archetypal theme of light vs. dark and the hero’s journey. Both elements are plainly symbolized in personified characters: Leeloo and Mr. Shadow, the use of imagery, and different characters introduced in the film.

The movie The Fifth Element …show more content…
dark. Father Vito Cornelius is a priest dedicated to the belief and protection of the elements. As protector of the elements, when he was asked where their location was by the greedy Mr. Zorg, he obviously would not answer. Father Cornelius states he “[tries] to serve life, but [Zorg] only seem[s] to want to destroy it” (Besson, The Fifth Element). Similarly to Leeloo, Cornelius’s purpose in life is to protect and serve the life bringing elements. His character helps highlight the theme on the good side of the spectrum. Mr. Zorg, however, is the other extreme. As Cornelius “serves life”, Zorg serves destruction. However, Zorg believes his motives are good, and that the destruction and chaos Mr. Shadow will bring will actually encourages life, by rebuilding the Earth anew. Although Zorg does commit malicious offenses throughout the film, he is not directly attempting to destroy the Earth. In addition, there is another important character that magnifies the theme, the captivating Plava Laguna or, the Diva. The Mondoshawans trusted the first four elements to the Diva, and it is her mission to deliver them to Leeloo. Korben and Leeloo board a ship, Fhloston Paradise, in which the Diva is performing in, and wait until after the concert to receive the elements from her. She is first illustrated as being very mysterious, wearing a veil and seeming to be able to speak to her assistants within their minds. When she finally performs, every person in the audience, including Korben, is instantly captivated (Besson, 181). The song she sings is filled with sadness and grief, but when she gestures to Korben, her song becomes hopeful (Besson, The Fifth Element). Similarly to Leeloo, she sees all the destruction and disorder humans create with the life that is given to them, but Korben gives her hope for humanity. This is why she gives her life to ensure the stones are safely acquired by Leeloo and
Show More

Related Documents: Archetypal Elements In The Fifth Element

How Does The Wasteland Present Depression In Hamlet

a confessional style or writing directly about his experience with mental illness, Eliot gives depression a realm of its own, with its own unique figures and physicality. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Each poem begins with an epigraph, an element key to understanding each poem as a whole. In his reader’s guide to Eliot’s work, George Williamson insists “the epigraph is never to be ignored in Eliot; for while it…

Words 1310 - Pages 6

TDGE10 FINAL PAPER

their family, and primarily direct their frustrations and struggles with outside, foreign society. Lett flips this common notion on its head, when he authentically and masterfully reveals the grinding tension and familial fault lines impacting this archetypal American family. Using a dynamic and searing character development style, heavy dialogue, and tremendously acute stage direction, Lett in August: Osage County, reveals the latent melancholies and destructive mortal sins buried within us all.…

Words 1588 - Pages 7

Modelling The Demand For Learning Resources In Academic Libraries

close links to systems theory it offers an holistic approach to modelling and focuses on the analysis of the feedback structures existing in complex systems that give rise to observed behaviour. This paper gives a description of some of the classic archetypal system structures that commonly occur in system dynamics models and interprets them within the context of modelling an academic library system. The paper summarises the process of modelling with system dynamics and gives examples of some behavioural…

Words 6241 - Pages 25

Department of English Spring 2014 Course Descriptions Essays

Department of English Spring 2014 Course Descriptions 89S. Imagining War. Instructor M. Maiwald. WF 8:30-9:45 In this course, we will consider how the experience of war has been represented in American fiction, non-fiction, and film. We will investigate how attitudes toward war have evolved throughout American history: our timeline begins with the Civil War—the traumatic event that birthed the modern American state—and ends with the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. In particular…

Words 9501 - Pages 39