Subplots, Part 4
BACK TO THE FUTURE (written by Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale) is a script which makes great use of subplots. The Plotline: Marty McFly (MICHAEL J. FOX) accidentally travels back in time, then desperately tries to get back home. The subplots include:
MARTY AND HIS MUSICAL ASPIRATIONS: Marty doesn’t have the courage to send off his rock band’s demo tape to the record company.
MARTY’S FATHER (GEORGE): Man with no backbone.
MARTY’S MOTHER (LORRAINE): Sexually repressed woman — supposedly.
GEORGE AND LORRAINE’S ROMANCE: How Marty’s parents hooked up.
MARTY’S FADING FAMILY: The fate of Marty and his siblings.
DR. BROWN AND THE LIBYAN TERRORISTS: The fate of Dr. Brown.
Let’s examine each of these subplots, looking for specific examples of the four-beat pattern. NOTE: The numbers refer to scenes in the shooting script.
MARTY AND HIS MUSICAL ASPIRATIONS
Beginning: Marty confides he is reticent to send demo tape to record company because of his fear (“What if they hate it?”)
Middle I: Marty discovers his father writing a science fiction story, but George never lets anybody read them — “What if they didn’t like ‘em.”
Middle II: Marty gets to play rock and roll at the dance with Chuck Berry’s cousin, Marvin
Ending: Marty retrieves the demo tape from the trash, now having the courage to send it to the record company
MARTY’S FATHER (GEORGE)
Beginning: George doesn’t stand up to his bullying brother, BIFF, when Biff has wrecked George’s car (“Son, I know it’s hard for you to understand, but the fact is, I’m just not a fighter.”
Middle I: George bullied by Biff (in the past)
Middle II: When George tries to ask Lorraine out for a date, Biff humiliates George by extorting money from him
Ending: George saves Lorraine from Biff by knocking him out
MARTY’S MOTHER (LORRAINE)
Beginning: Lorraine weighs in on contemporary social values (“I think it’s terrible, girls chasing boys. I never chased a boy when I was your age.”)
Middle I: Young Lorraine excited by Marty (“I’ve never seen red underwear before.”)
Middle II: Lorraine asks Marty out to the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance
Ending: Smoking cigarettes and knocking back booze, Lorraine puts the moves on Marty
THE ROMANCE OF GEORGE AND LORRAINE
Beginning: Lorraine tells the kids (for the millionth time) how she and George met (he was struck by Lorraine’s father’s car), and their ensuing romance (“Your father kissed me for the very first time on the dance floor… and that was when I realized I was going to spend the rest of my life with him.” — At the Enchantment Under the Sea” school dance)
Middle I: Marty knocks George out of the way of Lorraine’s father’s car, disrupting the past
Middle II: Marty agrees to be Lorraine’s date to the dance, but only to set up a scenario in which George will act like a hero and win Lorraine’s affection
Ending: At the dance, George shoves a rival into the punch bowl, grabs Lorraine, and kisses her
MARTY’S FADING FAMILY
Beginning: Marty’s siblings, Dave and Linda, introduced
Middle I: Dave’s photo fading, letting Marty and Brown know that Marty’s siblings are being “erased from existence” — if Marty can’t orchestrate Lorraine and George together, his siblings and Marty will never come to be
Middle II: Dave is gone from the photo, and now Linda’s image starts to fade
Ending: Marty’s photo starts to fade as well, but when George and Lorraine end up dancing together, his image, along with his brother’s and sister’s, returns to normal
DR. BROWN AND THE LIBYAN TERRORISTS
Beginning: As Brown is about to do his time travel test, the Libyans appear and gun down the scientist
Middle I: Marty stops short telling Brown about how he was killed by Libyan terrorists
Middle II: Marty writes a letter to Brown, letting him know that he must take precautions to avoid getting shot by the terrorists in the future
Ending: Although shot by the terrorists, it turns out Brown read Marty’s letter and wore a bullet proof vest to survive the attack
These subplots work.
Each of these subplots has at least three beats…
Each of them has a Beginning, Middle, and End…
Each of them intersects with the Plotline…
Each of the subplots tie into the Themeline.
In sum, they all serve and dimensionalize the story, making it more fun, dramatic, and full of action.
By the way, if you are wondering what the central theme of the movie is, it comes to us courtesy of a side of Dr. Brown dialogue in scene #11: “That’s the point, Marty. Risk. Risk makes life worth living.” The Plotline and all the subplots explore the concept of risk and discovery.
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