I chose to do a rhetorical analysis on the trailer for The Revenant starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The film is mostly based on a true story, recounting the chilling experiences of a fur trapper named Hugh Glass in the early 1800's. However, it is uncertain how much of the legend is true, so as far as I know some scenes in the movie were written by the Hollywood producers. Because of the trailer's strong appeals to ethos and pathos, it is very good at engaging and persuading its audience.
I must admit, the trailer is engaging right from the start, mainly because of all of the sensory details and the action that is taking place. The opening line at (0:03)" ain't afraid to die no more, I done it already," makes the audience curious to know more about the story. In combination with the music, high definition views of the setting, and the intensity of the events being portrayed, the film does a remarkable job at obtaining and keeping the attention of its audience.
The University Writing Center at Texas A&M explains that rhetoricians use the appeal to pathos to "tap a reader's (in this case viewer's) sympathy and compassion, anger and disappointment, desire for love, or sadness to convince them of their argument." This is done really well in the trailer, especially at (0:38), where there are scenes of violence between characters, and near death experiences that the protagonist is facing. Because of the nature and intensity of the scenes in the trailer, strong appeals to pathos are created and help to persuade the audience even more.
Any movie that is based on a true story automatically has an ethical appeal, because you can't argue its credibility when it is portraying real, historical events. At point (0:18) we see the words "Inspired By True Events," which does a significant job at captivating the audience. Also the main actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, is extremely well known and famous, which adds even more credibility to the film. Because of the appeals to ethos in the trailer, it makes it very persuasive as a result.
In closing, the trailer for The Revenant starring Leonardo DiCaprio does a remarkable job at persuading its viewers because of its rhetorical appeals to pathos and ethos. The intense preview scenes, in combination with the music and dialogue make it a very persuasive trailer. Because the famous actor Leonardo DiCaprio takes on the main role, and the fact that the movie is portraying real events makes the credibility much stronger. In conclusion, the trailer for the recently released film The Revenant is both credible and enticing because of its use of the rhetorical appeals pathos and ethos.
It is rather interesting to see the connection to ethos, pathos, and logos in reference to cinema trailers. Prior to this assignment I never noticed what made a movie preview enticing. While I have not seen the preview for this movie, I do know that it stars Mr. DiCaprio. As you said, casting him brought a sense of credibility to the picture.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found most interesting though was how it claimed "Inspired by True Events," if I am not mistaken a majority of things, realistic or not, are inspired by true events these days!
After watching the preview, did you want to see the film?
It is rather interesting to see the connection to ethos, pathos, and logos in reference to cinema trailers. Prior to this assignment I never noticed what made a movie preview enticing. While I have not seen the preview for this movie, I do know that it stars Mr. DiCaprio. As you said, casting him brought a sense of credibility to the picture.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found most interesting though was how it claimed "Inspired by True Events," if I am not mistaken a majority of things, realistic or not, are inspired by true events these days!
After watching the preview, did you want to see the film?
I agree with your point that historical movies do have a stronger appeal due to their base in factual events, however, I find that when I watch movie trailers and they tell me that they were "inspired by true events," I actually think they actually lose some credibility. Although I can understand that points here and there are true - perhaps the historical figures or landmarks - I will take the account with a grain of salt. It will be a heavy interpretation, to me, and have skewed versions of the story. This, of course, does not take away from the entertainment value of the movie itself, only its credibility as a historical account.
ReplyDelete