Fried Green Tomatoes

(Jon Avnet 1991)

l How does Fried Green Tomatoes begin?

l In Medias Res
l Prologue
l We see introductory images before the
titles/credits and this scene takes us into
the middle of the events.
Fried Green Tomatoes
l The film has two intertwined narratives; there
are two narrative lines, which are conflated.
However, there is only one narration.
l One narrative is structured around Evelyn
Couch’s life. This narrative tells about the
changes that take place in Evelyn’s life as she
visits Ninny.
l The other story takes place a half century ago,
in the town of Whistle Stop, depicting the
friendship of Idgie and Ruth.
Fried Green Tomatoes
l Which elements of the narration are
repeated through the film?
l How and when we discover that Idgie and
Ninny are the same person?
l Any camera movements repeated?
l The use of voice over in this film. Is it
diegetic or non-diegetic?
Truth is a funny thing sometimes.
Mrs. Threadgoode

The story of Fried Green Tomatoes is

ostensibly structured around a mystery:
who killed Frank Bennett, Ruth’s
abusive husband?
The film, by exploiting the clichés of the
crime/mystery genre, turns out to be a
joke on the spectators—the ones who are
only intrigued by the easy solutions and
engage in the film as if it were nothing but a
Whodunit story.
Fried Green Tomatoes

The film nullifies the lure of easy, solely

plot-driven resolutions to the given
problems.
The viewers’ emotional investment is
thwarted if they expect the film’s
denouement will answer all the
enigmas/mysteries posed. Instead, the
viewers are invited to re-read and re-
work the narrative after the film ends.
Fried Green Tomatoes

It is in this respect that Fried Green

Tomatoes plays upon the cliché meaning
of the metaphor of the pond (or pool)
created by the cinema–especially within
the crime/mystery genre.
The film is a tongue in cheek homage to
the type of crime/mystery genre in
which a corpse is discovered in the
water.
Surface/Appearance VS Depth/Meaning

To think that the truth will be revealed once

what is on the surface is removed is the
easy solution itself.
The binary of surface/appearance and
deep/meaning is denied by its formal
system.
Surface/appearance (and deception) is
integral to the reality; to think in terms of
binary understanding is misleading.
Shallow Surface VS Deep Reality

l the car submerged in water

l the shoes
l the oyster story (beautiful inside/ugly outside)
l The Bible/Moby Dick (WHY?)
l friendship/lesbianism ( two women in the
house )
l cross-dressing, angels masquerading as
people
Magic/Faith/Unreason VS Reason

l Magic (bring that magic spark back to

your marriage)
l Towanda (If you won’t listen to reason,
there’s always Towanda!)
l Miracle (the lake story)
l Secret ( in the sauce )
l God’s intervention…