A Combination of Generic Codes and Conventions in the Opening Sequence of Thelma and Louise

A Combination of Generic Codes and Conventions in the Opening Sequence of Thelma and Louise

“Since the 60s, in the era of Easy Rider (1969), the road movie has

increasingly portrayed those who are out of society for whom the road

represents a brief reprieve from social conventions and the law.” –

BFI Modern Classics. The classic road movie was about male privilege,

and the right to go on a trip without worrying about the destination

or family left at home. Women were not the protagonists of the movie,

and were more often than not what the men were running away from.

Women were not awarded the privilege of travel in the same way as men.

For example, Thelma says in the opening sequence: “I always wanted to

travel; I just never got the opportunity” or the difference in car

that her husband and she drive; the red Corvette and the tiny Honda

that she has.

The film 'Thelma&Louise' is a hybrid of different genres, in that it

incorporates elements of the Fugitive, the Road, the Buddy, the

Tragicomedy and the Modern Western movie. In order to embody a strong

feminist message, concerning female empowerment and independence, the

movie is based around two female protagonists: Louise, a waitress in a

cafe, who is bored with her life; and Thelma, a timid housewife who is

controlled and repressed by her bullying husband.

At the start of the film, Louise is rushed off her feet at work, in a

busy cafe. The shots inside of her workplace are busy and bustling and

every so often people will in fact walk past the camera to give the

feel of claustrophobia and an active environment. She telephones

Thelma, to arrange a short fishing trip. Her home is cl...

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... a child’s baptism. This alone

could make the audience feel unsettled.

The final shot is another mid-shot of Michael as the baptism has been

completed as has the murders. There is a high degree of closure at the

end of this sequence when referring to Michael’s place in the family

hierarchy being clear – he is now the new Godfather.

Consequently, Coppola has presented the natural challenge faced by

Michael in his new dual life using a variety of binary opposites and

filming techniques. While he speaks in one way in one world (with the

blessing of the child and the affirmation of Christ), he acts in a

completely contradictory way in another world (by ordering the murder

of the head of every rival family). In this sequence Coppola edits two

worlds together in an extraordinary and original style to create

suspense.