Ensemble film

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Ensemble Plot is a reference to a particular type of film that contains several different storylines involving a large cast of characters.

1 Examples
2 Brief history
3 Typical plots
4 Other Possible Ensemble Plot films
5 Notable Academy Award nominations/Awards for Ensemble Plot Performers
6 See also

[edit] Examples

Examples of films with ensemble plots include:

[edit] Brief history

Woody Allen once stated that this film style is something of an homage to Anna Karenina, and that it was that story that influenced him while he was making Hannah and Her Sisters. Over time these films (with the exception of a few) have been applauded for their multiple plots and characters, many of these films respectively receive Award nominations for their supporting roles.

[edit] Typical plots

Most ensemble films center on a single character or location; it is their connection to either the location or the person that makes their story valid in the ensemble.

In the 2004 film Crash, the stories are connected to Los Angeles; however it is safe to say that the stories are all connected in some way to Rick, the character played by Brendan Fraser.

In the teen comedy Can't Hardly Wait the characters are all connected by the fact that they are all attending the same graduation party.

Pulp Fiction is a different type of ensemble plot in the sense that each story is not spread out over the course of the film like most ensembles; however each character is connected in one way or another by Marsellus Wallace.

Magnolia is the perfect example of an ensemble plot film, with a peculiar interaction among several individuals during one apparently normal day in the San Fernando Valley, California. Interweaving nine separate yet connected storylines, all connected in some way or another to Earl Partridge (Jason Robards).

Hannah and Her Sisters and Crimes and Misdemeanors, although considered by many to be much more grander films have the pleasure of joining the raunchy teen comedy American Pie as a type of ensemble Plot film that has many characters that center around more than one main character, in Hannah and Her Sisters, the characters center around Hannah and her sisters Lee (Barbara Hershey) and Holly (Dianne Weist), where in Crimes and Misdemeanors, everybody centers around either Judah (Martin Landau) or Cliff (Woody Allen) . . . whereas in the comedy American Pie every character is filtered in one way or another through Jim (Jason Biggs), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Oz (Chris Klein) or Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas)

American Beauty could also be considered in this category as all the characters in the story are interacting through members of the Burnham family, and each family member has their own distinct storyline.

[edit] Other Possible Ensemble Plot films

[edit] Notable Academy Award nominations/Awards for Ensemble Plot Performers

The upside for a performer in an Ensemble Plot film is that critics often look highly at the cast performances and are very rewarding to its cast whom can often receive an awards nomination for a very small role.

Michael Caine won an Oscar for a screentime of less than 15 minutes for Hannah and her Sisters, the same for Dianne Weist.

Magnolia, Despite a runtime of over 3 hours, gives Tom Cruise an Oscar nomination for nearly twenty minutes screentime.

Although Martin Landau appears in more than half of the movie, his nomination for Crimes and Misdemeanors was only a supporting nomination. This might have been to improve his chances as Tom Cruise and Daniel Day Lewis were both sure wins that year (Day Lewis won). Despite this, Landau lost to Denzel Washington.

Pulp Fiction boasted nominations for Best Supporting roles for Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman and in a rarity for an ensemble ]lot film, John Travolta was nominated for best Actor in a leading role.

American Beauty received acclaim for its entire cast and many were surprised when Chris Cooper was not rewarded for his efforts as Colonel Fitz. However the film boasted nominations for Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening (Spacey won).