Knight of Cups Literary Elements

Knight of Cups Literary Elements

Director

Terrence Malick

Leading Actors/Actresses

Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Natalie Portman

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Brian Dennehy and Antonio Banderas

Genre

Experimental Drama

Language

English

Awards

Knight of Cups was nominated for no major awards

Date of Release

March 4, 2016

Producer

Nicolas Gonda, Sarah Green, and Ken Kao

Setting and Context

Los Angeles, California. The present day.

Narrator and Point of View

The film is told through the point of view of narrator Rick.

Tone and Mood

Ruminative, Sad, Empty, Mysterious, Magical, Mystical, and Strange

Protagonist and Antagonist

Rick (Protagonist) vs. Himself (Antagonist)

Major Conflict

The major conflict of the film involves Ricks inner struggle to find meaning and happiness in his life in the face of death and emotional trauma.

Climax

The climax of the film occurs when Rick and Elizabeth meet up.

Foreshadowing

Although instances of foreshadowing are few and far between in Knight of Cups, Rick falling into Hollywood's excesses is foreshadowed early on in the film.

Understatement

The improvisational nature of the film is understated throughout the film

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

Although exceptionally well-shot and well-made (the films cinematographer is among the best—if not the best—working in film today), Knight of Cups was not innovative in filming or lighting or camera techniques.

Allusions

Allusions were made to the following films and T.V. shows: Less Than Zero (1987), Twin Peaks, and Ted (2012). Allusions were also made to tarot (the names of the chapters particularly), mythology, religion, popular culture (all of the films, books, video games, and T.V. shows that are mentioned), and geography (of Los Angeles).

Paradox

Rick is very successful and seemingly has everything, yet feels incredibly empty and unfulfilled.

Parallelism

Rick's story of excess is paralleled with the story of other people who also live lives of excess.

Update this section!

You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this section.

Update this section

After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.

Cite this page