Romantic films and romantic comedies are usually classed as dramatic, light-hearted stories that focus on the idea of "true love" and the obstacles most couples have to over come to become the "perfect couple".
The narrative is simple to follow and understand; It usually involves two central protagonists, a man and woman, who meet then become separated due to an unforeseen obstacle and have to separate. At first, they do not become involved romantically because they believe that the feelings aren't mutual or there are other obstacles such as a partner or social pressures - like status and wealth. However, from an audience perspective, the film-makers leave large hints to suggest that the two do like each other and want to become romantically involved with the other and we are led to believe that they would be a "perfect couple". When separated, the two have a realisation that they are in love with the other and then after one or both go to an effort to meet the other and claim their undying love (referred to as the grand gesture) they end up coincidentally meeting once more. Though there is often some awkwardness, they end up declaring their love and live happily ever after.
Shakespeare is said to be the inventor of the romance / romantic comedy genre as he wrote the infamous Romeo and Juliet as well as Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night's Dream. All of these follow the same basic plotline with the central protagonists becoming reunited and declaring their love.
Conventions:
Characters: Two central protgaonists, often 1 male and 1 female. Usually, these two characters have friends within the narrative who they confide in about their feelings which gives the audience an insight in to their thoughts.
However, sometimes the boy and girl have easily identifiable personalities and lifestyles that appear to make them incompatible. There is often something holding the characters back (the obstacle) whether this be for lifestyle choices or appearances.
Narrative: Boy and Girl meet. Seperate. Meet once more by accident. Fall in love. Declare love to each other. Live happily ever after.
Cinematography: A variety of shots are used, the main being close-ups to reveal emotions, slow-motion editing (such as the running scene) and long shots to reveal isolation.
Sound / Music: A common feature to demonstrate the mood of the characters. For example, a soft melody for the love scene and possibly a mournful soundtrack for the separation.
Budget: Often quite high to be able to achieve typical scenes often found in romantic films. For example, the "kiss in the rain" is a must-have for any romance.
Romantic films are more closely associated with a female audience because of their emotional tear-jerker scenes and because of the stereotypical woman who adores a love story. The idea being that every girl wants a prince in shining armour. In most romantic films, the boy and girl end up together at the end, therefore confirming the ideology that most females have. However, for the audience to be satisfied, the spark between the lovers must be established quickly so that the audience can relate to their relationship and want them to get together.
Examples of Romantic Films include:
13 Going on 30
50 First Dates
Along Came Polly
Beauty And The Beast
Bride Wars
Brokeback Mountain
A Cinderella Story
Clueless
Confessions Of A Shopaholic
Dirty Dancing
Ella Enchanted
Enchanted
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Ghost
He's Just Not That Into You
How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days
I Love You, Man
Jerry Maguire
Just My Luck
Leap Year
The Lizzie McGuire Movie
Love Actually
Maid In Manhattan
Moulin Rouge
Mr And Mrs Smith
Music And Lyrics
No Reservations
The Notebook
Notting Hill
P.S. I Love You
Pearl Harbour
The Perfect Man
Pride And Prejudice
The Prince and Me
The Proposal
& So many more!
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