Media Theories - Taken Trailer

Todorov:

                       The first equilibrium: Kim (the daughter) is going on holiday with her friend, Amanda. They are going to Paris and everything is balanced and happy. The two 17-year-olds are deceived by a French man who is working with an Albanian group - this leads to them being kidnapped and taken - this is the interruption to the equilibrium. Kim gets saved by her father- this is the final equilibrium and leaves things balanced and resolved.

Propp: 

                 The father, Bryan Mills, is played by Liam Neeson - this character is made out to be a very representative, conventional protagonist (strong, brave) and main character. Kim, played by Maggie Grace, is made out to be the heroine since she is the person Bryan is trying to save. The Albanians and Arabic group are classic antagonists because they are malicious and do not care for others. 

Barthes:

                     The trailer is created so that the audience is thinking whether he saves his daughter or not and if he deceases in the process. The use of short snippets and the run through phone call makes you want to know what the outcome is. The relentless build up of tension (action codes) brings you to the final enigma - does he save his daughter?

Taken - Representation Analysis

Non-American people are portrayed as aggressive, nefarious and sinful. This is shown through the plot and the character roles: the foreigners capture loads of girls and make them prostitutes or products to make them money. The Albanian traffickers are seen as pitiless and vicious because they use them for their own benefit and do not care for their feeling. The Arabic ‘pimps’ are seen as avaricious and sly as they acquire and auction for women who are virgin. This could possibly be because the U.S audience views non-Americans of a mysterious other to be afraid of - fraudulent and devious. Also, they could be implying that 17 year old girls should not be wondering around in foreign cities (even tourist attractions such as Paris) by themselves as it is perilous. In addition, this could show that Americans think that non-Americans believe in inequality towards women and have trades such as this major one which threatens the lives of many young, mainly innocent girls.