Eclipse is my favourite
November 29, 2011 at 2:52 pm 1 comment
With the new one coming out – Breaking Dawn – I decided to re-watch the older ones. Eclipse is my favourite. It has some really great archetypal moments. Most prominent is the fact that these guys are willing to give their life to protect what they see to be of great value – Bella’s life. How wonderful it would be if we could find just one guy who felt this way about us.
The key to me is that they do this with really good focus. It is not an opportunity to show how manly they are. It is a genuine desire to be of service. Edward forgoes the big battle because he is determined to be most useful with Bella. He and the wolf pup.
When Jacob kisses Bella, Edward is not enraged because she is his girlfriend. He is enraged because Jacob kissed Bella without her permission. Rather than being territorial he is looking after Bella’s best interest, even when his heart is hurt. This is well placed self sacrifice and goes a long way to helping us understand why Bella would have chosen him. Personal, I like to go back and watch this scene a few times.
The point is made again when Bella is in need of warmth. When they thinks about it, both suitors place the care of Bella as the goal, not winning a competition between them. This is truly heroic. Again, I hit the replay button.
Breaking Dawn had good moments. I was a bit freaked by the imprinting but the flash forward helped. I just don’t want to see Bella so sickly anymore.
Entry filed under: Archetype theory, Film Summaries. Tags: Archetypes, Breaking Dawn, Eclipse, Edward, film, film analysis, film structure, hero, Jacob, Jungian, screenwriting, twilight saga, twilight trilogy.
1.
Lorne A | December 2, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Kim: Again, masterful analysis. A rare quibble or perhaps just a question. The lament in your opening paragraph – about how elusive men willing to make the ultimate sacrifice are – infers that your readers are exclusively or at least predominately female. Not sure if that is a reasonable assumption. Besides, my reading of your work is that the trait of self-sacrifice for the greater good is a masculine attribute, and thus males or females could exhibit that (apparently!) rare act.
Humbly and respectfully I ask, what am I missing?
Thanks as always, Kim. You never fail to make me think, even if my logic may is a tad faulty at times!