Enrique Iglesias - Hero•Released – 2002 (UK)•Directed by – Joseph Kahn

NarrativeThe narrative for the music video to Enrique Iglesias’ Hero features the singer Iglesias as the protagonist who is a criminal, being hunted down by his enemies. Jennifer Love Hewitt plays his love interest, while the lead gang member who is tracking them down is played by Mickey Rourke. The video features Iglesias and Love-Hewett as they are chased through the desert and are finally hunted down .

According to Tsvetan Todorov, Bulgarian Literary theorist, the narrative within the music video for Enrique Iglesias’ Hero, follows the generic conventions of narrative theory, in which he proposes that most narratives begin with a state of equilibrium, in which the characters’ lives are normal and the protagonist is happy. This is evident in Joseph Kahn’s music video with the close up shots of Iglesias and Love-Hewitt embracing each other’s company in a state of affection. The slow edit used at the start of the video creates a mood of contentment between the couple. For the audience, this creates a much greater sense of tragedy. Being presented with the character's most happiest and content moments before the dramatic turn of events for the worse creates a contrast and so has greater, significant impact as a dramatic narrative.

However, according to Todorov’s theory, this equilibrium is disrupted by a state of disequilibrium; a disruption of the peace and contentment by an outside force. In the music video for Iglesias’ Hero, we see that the calm is soon disrupted by the fact that they are evidently being chased by a gang. This is shown through a parallel narrative consisting of shots of a gang congregating in the desert, cutting to shots of Iglesias and Love-Hewitt, seemingly aware they are being chased. The shots of money escaping from the back seat of the car that the pair are riding in, further indicates the fact that they are involved in some sort of suspicious activity, casting some doubt upon the calm state of equilibrium which we find them in at the beginning of the video.

Money escapes from a bag in Iglesias’ and Love-Hewitt’s car.

The gang congregates outside a motel/café in the desert.

Goodwin's theory of music videos, that the soundtrack should match the visuals is referenced during the final stand off in the desert at the end of the text. The music is heightened, with the chorus line 'I will be your hero baby' as Iglesias injures the gang leader, played by Rourke, defending himself and his partner. This helps to heighten the overall mood and atmosphere of the text. The strong links to the lyrics in the visuals helps to reinforce the tense mood during the standoff.

In the music video, the protagonist Enrique Iglesias, is presented as the ‘hero’. According to Vladimir Propp, each narrative will consist of a set of stock characters. Of the archetypes which Propp introduces us to, we can deduce that Iglesias is the heroic character – the person on a quest. In literature, the hero in a tragedy, is the protagonist whose fatal flaw leads him to his eventual tragic end. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the hero Macbeth meets his tragic fate as a result of his greed for power. Similarly, Iglesias meets his tragic end at the end of the music video as a result of his apparent greed for wealth, indicated by the shots of the money bag in the back seat of his car.

Further to this, Mickey Rourke, is shown to play the villain in Iglesias’ music video. At the beginning of the video, a few close up shots of Rourke indicate that there is trouble to come and foreshadow the later event. The image of the figure, dressed in all black, facing away from the camera and stroking his hair back, adds a sense of mystery, and indicates the presence of a menacing character.

Another conventional character profile within narrative is known as the princess. According to theorist, Vladimir Propp, the heroic character's incentive throughout their crusade is the end reward of the princess. In the case of the music video to promote Enrique Iglesias' Hero, Love-Hewett plays the princess. It is evident through the intimacy which the two characters display, that Iglesias, as the hero, has the intention to win the love of this character and is seemingly willing to battle to keep her. In the stand off towards the end of the music video, Iglesias is fighting to save Love-Hewett and although it costs him his life, he demonstrates how he is willing to protect her from the gang who close in on them.

French semiologist, Roland Barthes suggested that narrative works with five different codes, one of which being action - a narrative device in which some sort of resolution is made through action. In the case of the music video to promote Enrique Iglesias' Hero, the mid-desert standoff leads to the resulting consequences.

Music video for Enrique Iglesias, Hero. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Sergio Leone.

Within the action narrative, Joseph Kahn makes a strong reference to Sergio Leone's 1966 Western, The Good,The Bad and The Ugly. Fans of the film genre who also watch this music video will be thrilled to recognise the staggering link between the location, in which the major climactic events of the two texts take place in. This audience will immediately recognise the fact that the desert location in which the stand off takes place indicates bad to come. This is an effective tool which the director, Kahn has made use of, in order to heighten the tension of the action within the music video.