Red Herring (How Directors Deceive Viewers)
Movie review by Emeka John Ekeh (Afrocinephile)
Jagun Jagun The Warrior
Chances are you have encountered the elusive narrative device known as the “red herring” without knowing it.
Herrings are forage fish. They are silver in color, but when smoked, they turn red and produce a pungent smell.
A “red herring” is a narrative device in filmmaking that misleads or distracts the audience from a critical plot point or creates suspense.
Red Herring
The term comes from using a strong-smelling, smoked fish (a red herring) to divert hunting dogs from the scent they were supposed to follow.
In philosophy, you also have the “Red Herring Fallacy. That is an attempt to transform a conversation from its original topic.
It may happen by introducing irrelevant information that distracts the reader or listener. It can be intentional or unintentional.
In the movie Jagun Jagun, the director used the red herring technique to deceive viewers with five salient themes and sub-themes, which drove the audience to the climax.
Directorial technique
He used;
- Love
- Beauty
- Availability
- Sympathy and Adventure
Characters
Characters themselves can be red herrings. A seemingly suspicious or antagonistic character may divert attention from the true antagonist or the actual motives.
Overall, the history of the red herring illustrates its evolution from a practical hunting technique to a powerful literary device and metaphor for deception and misdirection.
About this review
All opinions expressed in this review are those of the author. It does not represent or counter the views of Wakacast. We share it for educational purposes only. Thank you.
Review By Emeka John Ekeh – Filmmaker and Founder Afrocinephile
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