Showdown

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A showdown , also called a showdown , describes a final, decisive power struggle between two or more opponents . The expression originally referred to the uncovering of the cards in poker (English to show down ), but also meant "showing the true circumstances".

description

In popular films, the showdown is usually staged in a particularly exciting and effective way as a dramaturgical climax or periphery of the plot . Classic showdowns are the duels fought with revolvers in westerns (e.g. twelve noon ) or variations of them in action films (e.g. James Bond ). Often it is about a formulaic, pathetic confrontation of the opponents, which over time seems like a static manifestation of the final conflict. This is particularly evident in the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone , for. B. Two glorious scoundrels  (1966) and Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod  (1968): With close-up and detailed shots of faces, hands and revolvers - accompanied by the music of Ennio Morricone  - the scenes are charged with tension; the confrontation is now inevitable. In conventional Hollywood dramaturgy, the showdown forms the prelude to the three-part film ending: after the dramatic escalation of the conflict, the actual ending follows, in which the further course of the conflict is presented. When the conflict is resolved, the tension is released in the sense of a happy ending and the viewer is released.

See also

Web links

Wiktionary: Showdown  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

literature

  • Uwe Schultz (Ed.): The duel: the deadly fight for honor . Insel, Frankfurt 1996.
  • Victor Morris Udwin: Between two armies: the place of the duel in epic culture . Brill, 1999.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Showdown ( Memento from February 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) in the glossary of the German Film Academy . Last changed on January 17, 2008.
  2. ↑ Showdown. In: Duden . Retrieved February 21, 2014 .
  3. ^ Theo Bender, Hans Jürgen Wulff : Showdown. In: Lexicon of film terms. Retrieved February 21, 2014 .
  4. ^ Hans Jürgen Wulff: Duels in the film. In: Lexicon of film terms. Retrieved February 21, 2014 .
  5. ↑ Hans Jürgen Wulff: Kiss-off. In: Lexicon of film terms. Retrieved February 21, 2014 .