| 1 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mononymous_3105.jpg]] |
| 2 | [-[[caption-width-right:330:Top: ''{{Film/Cobb}}'', ''{{Film/Wilde}}'', ''{{Film/Gia}}''\ |
| 3 | Bottom: ''{{Film/Jinnah}}'', ''{{Film/Ali}}'', ''Film/{{Milk}}'']]-] |
| 4 | |
| 5 | To name a work is a delicate art: it has to capture the essence of the work ([[WordSaladTitle at least most of the time]]) and do justice to the content. With {{biopic}}s and other biographical works, this is slightly trickier since a real person's life rarely follows a particular, simplistic theme that eases the process of naming. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | Sometimes you can use certain phrases that you think represent the person well: "''Film/RagingBull''" for Jake [=LaMotta=] or "''Film/ThePursuitOfHappyness''" for Christopher Gardner. But some other times it's best to just name it after the person. Usually it's their last name. Sometimes the given name. It just has this immediate impact. Probably because being mononymous traditionally carries a certain honour (Plato, Rafael, and so forth), this has a certain effect of grandeur. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | SubTrope of OneWordTitle (although some variations include ''the''), and may even overlap with OneLetterTitle (''W.''). Also a SubTrope of CharacterTitle. Not to be confused with a variation where the trope is applied to fictional characters, common in TV series in order to highlight the title character's central role. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | ---- |
| 12 | !!Examples |
| 13 | |
| 14 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 15 | |
| 16 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 17 | * ''WesternAnimation/Charlotte2021'' (Charlotte Salomon) |
| 18 | [[/folder]] |
| 19 | |
| 20 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 21 | * ''Film/{{Alexander}}'' (UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat) |
| 22 | * ''Film/{{Ali}}'' (UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli) |
| 23 | * ''Film/{{Amadeus}}'' (a slightly odd example, as the protagonist is Antonio Salieri; Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart is just the object of his obsession) |
| 24 | * ''Film/{{Amelia}}'' (UsefulNotes/AmeliaEarhart) |
| 25 | * ''[[Film/{{Amy 2015}} Amy]]'' (Music/AmyWinehouse) |
| 26 | * ''Artemisia'' (Creator/ArtemisiaGentileschi) |
| 27 | * ''Aurore'' (Aurore Gagnon) |
| 28 | * ''Babe'' (Babe Didrikson) |
| 29 | ** Also ''The Babe'' (This time for UsefulNotes/BabeRuth) |
| 30 | * ''Film/{{Barry}}'' (UsefulNotes/BarackObama) |
| 31 | * ''Film/{{Basquiat}}'' (Jean-Michel Basquiat) |
| 32 | * ''Film/{{Becket}}'' (UsefulNotes/ThomasBecket) |
| 33 | * ''Film/{{Bronson}}'' (Charles Bronson, not to be confused with [[Creator/CharlesBronson the actor of that name]]) |
| 34 | * ''Film/{{Bugsy}}'' (Bugsy Siegel) |
| 35 | * ''Film/{{Caligula}}'' ([[UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}} Caligula]]) |
| 36 | * ''Film/{{Camila}}'' ([[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camila_O%27Gorman Camila O'Gorman]]) |
| 37 | * ''Film/{{Capone}}'' (UsefulNotes/AlCapone) |
| 38 | * ''Film/{{Capote}}'' (Creator/TrumanCapote) |
| 39 | * ''Carlos'' (Carlos the Jackal) |
| 40 | * ''Carrington'' (Dora Carrington) |
| 41 | * ''Film/{{Casanova}}'' (Giacomo Girolamo Casanova) |
| 42 | * ''Cass'' (Cass Pennant) |
| 43 | * ''Chaplin'' (Creator/CharlieChaplin) |
| 44 | * ''Che'' (UsefulNotes/CheGuevara; actually a duology with a subtitle each.) |
| 45 | ** ''Che!'', a different film. |
| 46 | * ''Chisum'' (John Chisum) |
| 47 | * ''Film/{{Chopper}}'' (Mark 'Chopper' Read) |
| 48 | * ''Film/{{Christine|2016}}'' (Christine Chubbuck) |
| 49 | * ''Cleopatra'' (UsefulNotes/{{Cleopatra|VII}}; an extreme case with at least five films titled as such, the most famous being [[Film/{{Cleopatra}} the one with]] Creator/ElizabethTaylor, as well as [[Film/{{Cleopatra 1934}} a 1934 film]] with Creator/ClaudetteColbert [[note]]To be fair, she is essentially mononymous--''technically'', she was Cleopatra VII Philopator, but even if you called your film "Cleopatra VII" everyone would be confused.[[/note]].) |
| 50 | * ''Film/{{Colette}}'' (Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette) |
| 51 | * ''Film/{{Cromwell}}'' (UsefulNotes/OliverCromwell) |
| 52 | * ''Cobb'' (Ty Cobb) |
| 53 | * ''Dahmer'' ([[SerialKiller Jeffrey Dahmer]]) |
| 54 | * ''Danton'' (Georges Danton) |
| 55 | * ''Dempsey'' (Jack Dempsey) |
| 56 | * ''Dillinger'' (John Dillinger) |
| 57 | * ''Film/{{Disraeli}}'' (UsefulNotes/BenjaminDisraeli) |
| 58 | * ''Film/{{Domino|2005}}'' (Domino Harvey) |
| 59 | * ''Elgar'' (Edward Elgar) |
| 60 | * ''Film/{{Elizabeth}}'' ([[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Queen Elizabeth I]]) |
| 61 | * ''Film/{{Emily}}'' (Creator/EmilyBronte, distinguishing her from her similarly notable sisters) |
| 62 | * ''Film/{{Elvis|2022}}'' (Music/ElvisPresley) |
| 63 | * ''Music/{{Evita}}'' (UsefulNotes/EvaPeron) |
| 64 | * ''Faustina'' (Mary Faustina Kowalska/Saint Faustina) |
| 65 | * ''Fidel'' (UsefulNotes/FidelCastro) |
| 66 | * ''Film/{{Frances}}'' (Frances Farmer) |
| 67 | * ''Freud: The Secret Passion'' (UsefulNotes/SigmundFreud) |
| 68 | * ''Film/{{Frida}}'' (Frida Kahlo) |
| 69 | * ''Gainsbourg'' (Music/SergeGainsbourg) |
| 70 | * ''Galileo'' (UsefulNotes/GalileoGalilei) |
| 71 | * ''Film/{{Gandhi}}'' (UsefulNotes/MahatmaGandhi) |
| 72 | * ''Film/{{Gia}}'' (Gia Marie Carangi) |
| 73 | * ''Gie'' (Soe Hok Gie) |
| 74 | * ''Film/{{Golda}}'' (Golda Meir) |
| 75 | * ''Gosnell'' (Kermit Gosnell) |
| 76 | * ''Film/{{Gotti}}'' (John Gotti) |
| 77 | * ''Hamill'' (Matt Hamill) |
| 78 | * ''Hannibal'' (Hannibal of Carthage) |
| 79 | * ''Hansie'' (Hansie Cronje) |
| 80 | * ''Film/{{Harriet}}'' (UsefulNotes/HarrietTubman) |
| 81 | * ''Film/{{Hawking}}'' (Creator/StephenHawking) |
| 82 | * ''Hoffa'' (Jimmy Hoffa) |
| 83 | * ''Houdini'' (Creator/HarryHoudini) |
| 84 | * ''Iris'' (Iris Murdoch) |
| 85 | * ''Isadora'' (Isadora Duncan) |
| 86 | * ''Film/JEdgar'' (John Edgar Hoover) |
| 87 | * ''Film/{{Jackie}}'' (Jackie Kennedy) |
| 88 | * ''Film/{{Jenifer}}'' (Jenifer Estess) |
| 89 | * ''Jinnah'' (Muhammad Ali Jinnah) |
| 90 | * ''Film/{{Jobs}}'' (Creator/SteveJobs) |
| 91 | * ''Film/Joy2015'' (Joy Mangano) |
| 92 | * ''Juarez'' (Benito Juarez) |
| 93 | * ''Film/{{Judy|2019}}'' (Creator/JudyGarland) |
| 94 | * ''[[Film/AK47 Kalashnikov]]'' (Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov - original Russian title, worldwide release title is "''AK-47''") |
| 95 | * ''Kennedy'' (UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy) |
| 96 | * ''Kinsey'' (Alfred Kinsey) |
| 97 | * ''Klimt'' (Creator/GustavKlimt) |
| 98 | * ''Lenny'' (Creator/LennyBruce) |
| 99 | * ''Leonie'' (Leonie Gilmour) |
| 100 | * ''Film/{{Lincoln}}'' (UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln) |
| 101 | * ''Lovelace'' (Linda Lovelace) |
| 102 | * ''Luther'' (Martin Luther) |
| 103 | * ''Mahler'' (Music/GustavMahler) |
| 104 | * ''Margaret'' (UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher) |
| 105 | * ''Marie'' (Marie Ragghianti) |
| 106 | * ''Marley'' (Music/BobMarley) |
| 107 | * ''Film/{{Milk}}'' (Harvey Milk) |
| 108 | * ''Modigliani'' (Amedeo Modigliani) |
| 109 | * ''Film/Napoleon1927'' (UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte) |
| 110 | * ''Film/Napoleon1955'' (UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte) |
| 111 | * ''Film/Napoleon2023'' (UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte) |
| 112 | * ''Nero'' (UsefulNotes/{{Nero}}) |
| 113 | * ''Film/{{Nixon}}'' (UsefulNotes/RichardNixon) |
| 114 | * ''Film/{{Oppenheimer}}'' (UsefulNotes/RobertOppenheimer) |
| 115 | * ''Film/{{Patton}}'' (George S. Patton) |
| 116 | * ''Prefontaine'' (Steve Prefontaine) |
| 117 | * ''Piñero'' (Miguel Piñero) |
| 118 | * ''Pollock'' (Paul Jackson Pollock) |
| 119 | * ''Film/{{Ray}}'' (Music/RayCharles) |
| 120 | * ''Sadat'' (Anwar Sadat) |
| 121 | * ''Film/{{Selena}}'' (Music/{{Selena}} Quintanilla-Pérez) |
| 122 | * ''Film/{{Serpico}}'' (Frank Serpico) |
| 123 | * ''Silkwood'' (Karen Silkwood) |
| 124 | * ''Sinatra'' (Music/FrankSinatra) |
| 125 | * ''Film/{{Sissi|1955}}'' and its sequels (Empress UsefulNotes/{{Elisabeth|Of Austria}} "[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Sissi/Sisi]]" of Austria) |
| 126 | * ''Film/{{Snowden}}'' (Edward Snowden) |
| 127 | * ''Soraya'' (Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari) |
| 128 | * ''Film/{{Spartacus}}'' (Spartacus) |
| 129 | * ''Film/{{Spencer}}'' (UsefulNotes/DianaPrincessOfWales, born Lady Diana Spencer) |
| 130 | * ''Film/{{Starkweather}}'' (Charles Starkweather) |
| 131 | * ''Sylvia'' (Creator/SylviaPlath) |
| 132 | * ''Tatsumi'' (Yoshihiro Tatsumi) |
| 133 | * ''Film/{{Tchaikovsky}}'' (Music/PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky) |
| 134 | * ''Film/{{Till}}'' (Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till) |
| 135 | * ''Film/{{Tolkien}}'' (Creator/JRRTolkien) |
| 136 | * ''Truman'' (UsefulNotes/HarryTruman) |
| 137 | * ''Film/{{Trumbo}}'' (Creator/DaltonTrumbo) |
| 138 | * ''Film/{{Tyson}}'' (Mike Tyson) |
| 139 | * ''Film/{{W}}.'' (UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush) |
| 140 | * ''[[Film/WeirdTheAlYankovicStory Weird]]'' (Music/WeirdAlYankovic) |
| 141 | * ''Film/{{Whitney}}'' (Music/WhitneyHouston) |
| 142 | * ''Wilde'' (Creator/OscarWilde) |
| 143 | * ''{{Film/Wilson}}'' (UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson) |
| 144 | * ''Winchell'' (Walter Winchell) |
| 145 | * ''Winnie'' (Winnie Mandela) |
| 146 | * ''Wittgenstein'' (Creator/LudwigWittgenstein) |
| 147 | * ''Film/{{Zola}}'' (Aziah "Zola" King) |
| 148 | [[/folder]] |
| 149 | |
| 150 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 151 | * ''Series/{{Attila}}'' (UsefulNotes/AttilaTheHun) |
| 152 | * ''Benito'' (UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini) |
| 153 | * ''Series/{{Dickinson}}'' (Creator/EmilyDickinson) |
| 154 | * ''King'' (Martin Luther King) |
| 155 | * ''Series/Napoleon2002'' (UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte) |
| 156 | [[/folder]] |
| 157 | |
| 158 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 159 | * ''Barnum'' (P.T. Barnum) |
| 160 | * ''Coco'' (UsefulNotes/CocoChanel) |
| 161 | * ''Theatre/{{Diana}}'' (UsefulNotes/DianaPrincessOfWales) |
| 162 | * ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}'' (Empress Elisabeth of Austria) |
| 163 | * ''Music/{{Evita}}'' (Eva "Evita" Perón) |
| 164 | * ''Theatre/{{Fiorello}}'' (Fiorello [=LaGuardia=]) |
| 165 | * ''Theatre/{{Gypsy}}'' (Gypsy Rose Lee) |
| 166 | * ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' (Alexander Hamilton) |
| 167 | * ''Harriet'' (Harriet Beecher Stowe) %%not a musical |
| 168 | * ''Kean'' ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Kean Edmund Kean]]) |
| 169 | * ''Sophie'' (Sophie Tucker) |
| 170 | * ''Theatre/{{Schikaneder}}'' (Emanuel and Eleonore Schikaneder) |
| 171 | * ''Theatre/{{Mozart}}'' (Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart) |
| 172 | [[/folder]] |
| 173 | |
| 174 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 175 | * In a ''Website/{{Cracked}}'' [[http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_261_12-people-today-as-remembered-in-future-biopics/ photoplasty on biopics]] you would naturally see some examples. |
| 176 | [[/folder]] |
| 177 | |
| 178 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 179 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Ryan}}'': documentary animated short about Canadian animator Ryan Larkin |
| 180 | [[/folder]] |
| 181 | |
| 182 | [[folder:In-universe examples]] |
| 183 | * The [[ShowWithinAShow Play Within A Show]] ''Freud!'' that Joey appears in ''{{Series/Friends}}''. |
| 184 | [[/folder]] |
| 185 |
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