Annotated Bibliography

Vogler, Christopher. "The Epilogue " The Writer's Journey : Mythic Structure for Writers. By Christopher Vogler. Vol. 3. Studio City, CA:  Michael Wiese Productions, 2007. 230-290.

Summary 

In this section, Vogler concentrates on showing the reader how the Hero’s Journey applies to certain popular films. Before doing so though, Vogler makes sure that the reader understand that the Hero’s Journey is a guideline and that in fact, audiences often prefer a story that is unique and different and actually strays from the stages in the Hero’s Journey. Vogler tells us that it isn’t a formula for a story. 

He goes on to talk about several popular movies; Titanic, The Lion King, Pulp Fiction and Star Wars. The most interesting are the Lion King and Titanic. From a production point of view Titanic was suppose to be a giant flop. It was the most expensive movie ever produced, and there was no way that it would return that profit. But it did. Vogler spends much of his time telling us why Titanic actually worked. The Lion King is an example of a movie that very closely follows the hero’s journey. It is probably the closest to the Journey I can think of. 

Reflection 

I really liked this part of the reading. By using examples Vogler not only helped me to understand but he gave me insights into movies that I love. For example, I had no idea that the Lion King was originally going to be very different. It’s a movie that I love very much, so thinking that something about it might be changed was strange. I think that some of Vogler’s ideas would about Rafiki would have helped the movie actually. 

I also loved talking about the Titanic. I remember seeing it in the movie theater when I was 8 years old and instantly falling in love with Jack. I liked the insight provided into his relationship with Rose. They are one of my favorite movie couples, and I loved the fact that Titanic was suppose to be a bust. Instead it is one of the highest grossing movies ever, and won a record breaking amount of oscars. 

Questions 

Why do you think Titanic was so successful?

Is there anything you would change about the Lion King?

Can you think of any examples were that doesn’t follow the hero’s Journey?