Bananas
When a bumbling New Yorker is dumped by his activist girlfriend, he travels to a tiny Latin American nation and becomes involved in its latest rebellion.
Despite its tight budget of $2.0M, Bananas became a box office success, earning $11.8M worldwide—a 492% return. The film's unique voice engaged audiences, proving that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Bananas (1971) reveals deliberately positioned narrative design, characteristic of Woody Allen's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 10-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 22 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.7, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Fielding Mellish
Nancy
General Emilio Molina Vargas
Esposito
Main Cast & Characters
Fielding Mellish
Played by Woody Allen
A neurotic product tester who becomes accidentally involved in a Latin American revolution and ends up as the country's president
Nancy
Played by Louise Lasser
A social activist and Fielding's on-again-off-again love interest who inspires his revolutionary journey
General Emilio Molina Vargas
Played by Carlos Montalban
The dictatorial president of San Marcos who is eventually overthrown by the revolutionaries
Esposito
Played by Jacobo Morales
The rebel leader who recruits Fielding into the revolutionary cause and later becomes his advisor
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Fielding Mellish is a neurotic products tester in New York City, living a mundane and lonely existence, desperate for meaning and connection.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 10 minutes when Nancy breaks up with Fielding, telling him he's not mature or committed enough - crushing his hopes and forcing him to confront his inadequacy.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The Collapse moment at 60 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Fielding is exposed as a fraud, arrested for subversion, and put on trial. His identity as a revolutionary leader is revealed to be a sham, and he faces imprisonment - his fake transformation dies., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 65 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Fielding is sentenced but pardoned, marries Nancy, and their wedding night is broadcast as a sporting event by Howard Cosell - embracing absurdity while achieving genuine connection., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Bananas's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 10 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Bananas against these established plot points, we can identify how Woody Allen utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Bananas within the comedy genre.
Woody Allen's Structural Approach
Among the 42 Woody Allen films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Bananas takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Woody Allen filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Woody Allen analyses, see Sleeper, Celebrity and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Fielding Mellish is a neurotic products tester in New York City, living a mundane and lonely existence, desperate for meaning and connection.
Theme
Nancy tells Fielding that she's interested in him because he's "immature" and needs to become a real man who stands for something - establishing the theme of identity and authentic purpose.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Fielding's pathetic life, his job testing products, his awkward attempts at romance, and his meeting with political activist Nancy, who represents everything he's not: passionate, committed, and purposeful.
Disruption
Nancy breaks up with Fielding, telling him he's not mature or committed enough - crushing his hopes and forcing him to confront his inadequacy.
Resistance
Fielding desperately tries to find purpose and win Nancy back. He attends protest rallies and considers going to San Marcos, a fictional Latin American country in political turmoil, to prove he can be committed to a cause.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
The "fun and games" of revolutionary life: Fielding bungling through guerrilla training, absurd combat scenarios, and the escalating insanity of Latin American political upheaval. Comedy of a nebbish playing revolutionary.
Opposition
Fielding returns to America as "President" of San Marcos seeking aid. He reunites with Nancy while disguised, complications mount, and the U.S. government grows suspicious of his true identity.
Collapse
Fielding is exposed as a fraud, arrested for subversion, and put on trial. His identity as a revolutionary leader is revealed to be a sham, and he faces imprisonment - his fake transformation dies.
Crisis
The absurdist trial where Fielding must defend himself. He confronts who he really is versus who he pretended to be, stripped of all pretense in the courtroom farce.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Fielding is sentenced but pardoned, marries Nancy, and their wedding night is broadcast as a sporting event by Howard Cosell - embracing absurdity while achieving genuine connection.