Biography

BIOGRAPHY/ BIOPIC

An important genre in prose, film and drama. What are our leaders, authority figures, great artists really like? We are fascinated with their greatness and talent. We want to know all about them. This genre focuses on a person rather than an era. The writer must interpret facts as if they were fiction, find the meaning of the subject’s life, and then cast him as the protagonist of his life’s genre. It exists in all genres. It offers a fanciful dramatised portrayal of the life of a famous figure. There are certain narrative principles that govern the conventional biopic: the protagonist risks all for success, endures a period of neglect, then achieves success, before experiencing personal conflict or becoming afflicted in some way. Typically, the protagonist falls from the height of fame and makes triumphant comeback. German-born William Dieterle set the patterns with numerous biopics in the 30s: The Story of Louis Pasteur, and The Life of Emile Zola. The characteristics of the biographical film are: the central character has a particular talent and a nonconformist personality; the central character’s talent develops in conflict with the conventions of society. The antagonist is not physical; rather it can be a time (The Life of Louis Psteur), ignorance (The Life of Emile Zola), or conventional thinking (Patton). The psychological makeup of the central character allows her to overcome the tragedy of life and succeed. Although Van Gogh dies at the end of Lust for Life, his success is evident in his life’s work. There is a sense of mission that is religious in its overtone (Patton is a zealous, in his way, as Gandhi. Personal relationships often fail. The critical moment, whether it is a discovery or a religious or political conversion, is the most important point in the story, far more important than the public acknowledgement of the character’s achievement. The tragic aspect of the character’s life is also important in this genre.

Subgenre: Autobiography (this idiom is popular with filmmakers who feel that they should write a film about a subject they know). See Annie LeibovitzL Life Through a lens (2006)

What to Watch: Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), Gandhi (1982), The Aviator (2004), Frida (2001), Pollock (2001), Walk The Line (2005), Ray (2004), Nixon (1995), Bafana, Bafana (2002), The Queen (2005), Frost/ Nixon (2008), Downfall (2003), Valkyrie (2008). J. Edgar (2011)