MovieChat Forums > Arachnophobia (1990) Discussion > The cliche elder, mentor, or expert who ...

The cliche elder, mentor, or expert who comes to provide wisdom...

posted 9 years ago by DreTam2000
5 replies | jump to latest

Ha ha...

This seems like a cool thread to make, so I'll make it.

Recall all those classics from the 90s and 80s and before. Remember the cliche expert who arrives on the scene at some point to impart knowledge to the troubled protagonists combating the supernatural forces..?

It usually happens in a pattern. We usually see this expert at the beginning of the film. We see them briefly, then they fade away until later on in the film when they are needed to save the day, or provide some background on the menacing forces at play. And, mind you, it's often knowledge that no one on Earth should really know, but somehow these experts possess said knowledge anyway. Of course, we can always simply tally it up to story conceit. But it sure is fun!

Let's run through some films:

The Exorcist - Father Merrin
Arachnophobia - Julian Sands's doctor character
Poltergeist - Tangina
Jurassic Park - The Australian raptor expert
Child's Play - the voodoo guy who knows about Chucky and how to kill him
Wolf - the character who provides Nicholson's character background info on the wolf entity
Dolly Dearest - (I barely remember this one, but there's one involving info on an ancient goat)
Jaws - Quentin

Damn, I had more examples but for some reason they currently fail me off the top of my head. Anyhow, you guys and gals are free to provide some as well.

The wise elderly expert is oftentimes someone we see in the first act, who is gone for most of the second act, and then they come back to impart knowledge or to rescue the protagonists, or to help the protagonists rescue themselves, and they often are killed by the very menacing force they were called upon to assist against. They are often mysterious characters who have had a past experience with the antagonist or menacing force, perhaps now having a score to settle. Either they defeated the evil, or the evil defeated them in the past.

They make the audience feel safe and comfortable the moment they arrive, as if their presence and knowledge is enough to provide sufficient refuge from the danger in question. It happens in varying ways, like in the case of Tangina, or other characters in other Horror films who the protagonists eventually find who happen to have knowledge on the antagonizing force (ha ha... I just thought of King Willy and the Gary Busy character from Predator 2).

Who are some more characters? Who are your favorite examples of this elder-expert story convention? Who did you find most impressive? It doesn't have to be all Horror, incidentally. I'm sure there are other genres, like Sci-Fi or Fantasy (or perhaps even Action or Drama), with characters who are examples of this cliche.

I'm not a control freak, I just like things my way

[–] AugustGorman 9 years ago

There's no one called "Quentin" in Jaws.

Show some respect.

[–] CrazyJim2004 9 years ago

Yeah, that Quentin one bugged me too. How does one get a major character from Jaws wrong?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ywLWkHaQ6A

[–] Deenglow 9 years ago

They're all just riffs on Bram Stoker's Van Helsing aren't they?

[–] HaraldBluetooth 9 years ago

The trope also probably originates in the Bible.

Saint John the Baptist takes this role in Christianity (and to a lesser extend, Islam). He is an itinerant preacher who baptizes Jesus and is ultimately put to death by the Romans.[

This would make sense since Dracula of course is Satan.

http://rukiaburch7.deviantart.com/art/The-Comparison-of-Dracula-and-Satan-312646527

[–] HaraldBluetooth 9 years ago

The Obi-Wan

"Well, as an older mentor figure, the most likely scenario is that I'd return only to be randomly killed by an enemy of yours so that you can cradle my dying body while swearing revenge — so don't take it personally if I say that I sincerely hope we never cross paths again."
— Julio Scoundrél, The Order of the Stick

A mentor who travels with the main character and often has some sort of magic powers or at least a brilliant mind. Even though this character is better skilled, faster and more experienced than The Protagonist, they aren't The Hero, either because they are not The Chosen One or because they have already grown too old for the task. Their role is to introduce a new skill or sharpen the current skills of the protagonist, often hoping to pass the torch because they know their career is coming to an end. Expect him to have a very calm attitude as if he has wisdom that he will give out in his own due time.

This character will almost always die, albeit usually at a time of his own choosing, so that the protagonist can learn to stand on his own two feet. Their death will also be a great motivator as it gives the protagonists a chance for vengeance. Afterwards, they'll usually become a Spirit Advisor, either as a literal "spirit" or in flashbacks. If they don't die, they will stick around giving advice, but not actively adventuring (unless Gondor Calls for Aid).

The Obi-Wan can also play Mr. Exposition and as The Chooser of The One.

The Obi-Wan is an Archetypal Character. The Big Brother Mentor is a subtrope that happens when the Obi-Wan is older, but not too much older, than the protagonist. If the character is simply demoted early on in the plot, he's only a Quickly Demoted Leader. For more information concerning "The Mentor" and other narrative archetypes, see Vladmir Propp's theory of narrative. Compare Big Good where they tend to keep a distance on the hero's quest and run things from the throne.

See also Old Master, Eccentric Mentor, Cool Old Guy.

Named for Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, who bites it at the end of Act 2 in an Obi-Wan Moment, Passing the Torch to the young hero who then goes on to avenge his death.

Warning: this is a Death Trope; there be spoilers ahead.

Examples in link

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheObiWan

But maybe the scientist is more like Mr. Exposition?

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MrExposition