Binary Opposites

The theory of binary opposites is a theory created by Claude Levi-Strauss: a French anthropologist during the 1900’s. It said that the way we understand words was based on our understanding of their opposites. For example, he said that we understand the concept of good on our understanding of evil. He called this ‘binary opposition’.
Levi-Strauss’ work was key in the development of the theory of structuralism and structural anthropology and has received numerous awards and honours in relation to his theories.
In film and media, there are binary opposites depending on the genre or storyline. Some binary opposites are used over many genres, such as good and evil, but others are more specific to the genre or storyline. Film Noir and Western films are two genres with different binary opposites. Specific binary opposites depend on the storyline of a film or media product, but over the genre, some binary opposites recur.

Film Noir is a genre mostly set in America in the post war era. It often focuses around crime and the phrase ‘Film Noir’ translates into ‘black cinema’ because of films originally being shot in black and white. This technique of black and white filming is what gives this genre the drama it is known for. The technique also helps exaggerate various binary opposites shown in the majority of Film Noir movies. Main binary opposites helped by the black and white are light vs dark and innocence vs corruption. Characters that fall into these different categories are often shown in different ways without the need for colour. Characters that are shown in the light and innocence categories are often shown in lighter tones in opposition to antagonists in the dark and corrupt categories, who are mostly shown in darker tones in the shadows. This also links to the binary opposites of day vs night. The characters are often shown in different parts of the day depending on their part in the story. Antagonists are often shown as luring in the shadows at night whereas protagonists are shown in the day. These binary opposites come together to portray the binary opposites of good vs evil. By tone and setting, the creators of
Film Noir films can differentiate between the good and evil characters. In ‘Touch of Evil’, directed by Orson Welles, antagonist Police Captain Hank Quinlan is shown as lurking down a quiet street late at night. Welles, who plays Quinlan, does this to show his character in a negative and sly way as he is corrupt.

Binary opposites can also refer to elements in the mise-en-scene of a film. These are more common in the Western genre than the genre of Film Noir. These binary opposites are used to differentiate between the identities of different character groups with the story. The most obvious set of binary opposites in Cowboys vs Indians which can be supported by other pairs such as guns vs bows and arrows, houses vs tipis and industry vs nature. The Cowboys in western films are shown modern in the time the films are set as their technology is more advanced than the Native Americans. We can see this through the weaponry and living conditions of the two social groups. The Native Americans are shown as being in contact with nature because they live on the plains, surrounded by forests and mountains. However, the cowboys are shown as being more industrial as they build towns with static buildings whereas the Native
Americans are nomadic and adjustable.
Similarly to Film Noir, the Western genre also has the binary opposite of good vs Evil. This isn’t necessarily between cowboys and Indians but between sheriffs and outlaws. One popular way of showing the conflict between these types of characters is through a ‘standoff’ or ‘showdown’ in which the characters have a test of nerve to see who will draw their gun first. In ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’, all three of the main characters are in the showdown together. The conclusion of the showdown shows Clint Eastwood’s character, Man with No Name, as a hero as he is victorious. The fact that he also stays cool under pressure shows him as dominant over the other two characters.