Movies - Trilogy

	Movies - Trilogy

A trilogy is a set of three works of art, usually literature or film, that develop a single theme over three works. They may tell an extended story, such as Isaac Asimov's original Foundation series of novels; or involve the same characters or the same setting, as in The Godfather films; or have more tenuous connections, as in the surreal Nova trilogy novels of William S. Burroughs.

Trilogies have a long history. In the Dionysia festival, for example, trilogies were performed followed by a fourth satyr play. The Oresteia is the only surviving trilogy of these ancient Greek plays, originally performed at the festival in Athens in 458 BC.

In principle, each work in a trilogy stands by itself, although what is called a trilogy is sometimes just a larger single work divided into three. Works may become trilogies for other reasons; for instance the original Foundation series was originally eight short stories and novelettes, and the division into books can be considered more or less accidental, while the Gormenghast trilogy is a trilogy by default, as Mervyn Peake planned to write more than three books about the world before his poor health intervened.

It is not uncommon for longer series to be created, such as The Alexandria Quartet novels by Lawrence Durrell, the open-ended series of James Bond movies, or the five computer games in the Myst story line.

Trilogies differ from a triptych, which is a set of three related or connected paintings that are created at one time and designed to be viewed as a single work.

In boxing and other combat sports, a trilogy may refer to a series of three separately-scheduled matches between two fighters, usually with each winning the first two a third to settle the question of who is best.

Adding works to an existing trilogy

Creators of trilogies may later extend the series by adding more works, and it varies whether the original three works continue to be considered a trilogy. The first three novels in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series were dubbed a trilogy, and even after extending the series to five novels, author Douglas Adams, for humorous effect, continued to dub it a trilogy for the rest of his life.

Certain trios of works are often considered a trilogy even if they're part of a greater series or saga. For example, although the Star Wars film series is comprised of six episodes, episodes I, II, and III are considered one trilogy (the "prequel trilogy"), while episodes IV, V, and VI are considered another (the "original trilogy"). Similarly, the video games Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2, and Metal Gear Solid 3 are considered a trilogy, despite being preceded by Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 and followed by Metal Gear Solid 4. Other times, a trio of works ceases to be known as a trilogy if additional works or sequels are added. The films Batman, Batman Returns
, and Batman Forever
were released on home video as the "Batman Trilogy", but after the release of Batman and Robin, the series became known as the "Batman Legacy".

Sometimes a trio of works is known as a trilogy not in regard to the series continuity, but rather to the creator (author, director, etc). If a person creates three unrelated works, they may come to be known as "the trilogy". For example, before Quentin Tarantino's fourth film (Kill Bill
) was released, his previous three films (Reservoir Dogs
, Pulp Fiction
, and Jackie Brown) were sometimes referred to as "the Quentin Tarantino trilogy". Also, three works with similar themes from a creator may come to be known as a trilogy, especially if produced one after the other. The Steven Spielberg films A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Minority Report, and Catch Me If You Can
are unoffcially known as "the running man trilogy".

One of the most popular "trilogy" novels of recent decades, The Lord of the Rings
is not actually a trilogy, even though it was initially published in three volumes. Tolkien regarded it as a single work, and divided it into six books plus five appendices, in keeping with his literary device of pretending to have discovered Middle-earth and to be describing it as a scholar of linguistics and ancient history. It is available in both one-volume and seven-volume editions.

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Movies - Trilogy

Adding works to an existing trilogy

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