Research, Romance Films

As my film is homage of 40s and 50s romance films but in a modern times and setting, i researched old and modern romance films.

“love stories, or affairs of the heart center on passion, emotion, and the romantic, affectionate involvement of the main characters (usually a leading man and lady), and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus. Oftentimes, lovers in screen romances (often romantic dramas) face obstacles and the hazards of hardship, finances, physical illness, racial or social class status, occupation, psychological restraints, or family that threaten to break their union and attainment of love. As in all romantic relationships, tensions of day-to-day life, temptations (of infidelity), and differences in compatibility enter into the plots of romantic films.

Romantic films often explore the essential themes of love at first sight, young (and older) love, unrequited love, obsessive love, sentimental love, spiritual love, forbidden love, sexual and passionate love, sacrificial love, explosive and destructive love, and tragic love. Romantic films serve as great escapes and fantasies for viewers, especially if the two people finally overcome their difficulties, declare their love, and experience life "happily ever after" - implied by a reunion and final kiss.

Many romantic films do not have fairy-tale, wistful-thinking stories or happy endings, although love serves as a shield against the harshness of the real world. Although melodramas and romantic comedies may have some romance in their plots, they usually subordinate the love element to their primary goal - to provide humor or serious drama.”

(filmsite.org,2009, American Movie Classics Company)

This is relevant as it’s the general ideology and concepts that follow all romance films. This is an overview of romance films and what traits I should be looking for in mine.

Classic Romance Films

Gilda (1946)

One of the main inspirations for my film, Gilda is about a gambler (John Ford) who ends up working for a gangster who owns a casino. Then the casino owner ends up getting married to a lady by the name of Gilda (Rita Hayworth), which you find out that the gambler and Gilda once use to be a couple.

Even though this film also can be classed as a film noir (gangsters, pessimistic male character, femme fatale) its more of a romance film as the story is about these 3 characters, there trust and there relationship with one another.

I found this romance film interesting because of this triangle character relationship, the gambler is friends with the casino owner, Gilda is married to the owner, she still likes the gambler, and the gambler still likes her, yet the owner doesn’t know there past. Also the relationship between Gilda and the gambler is intriguing, they both have a lot of hate for each other, they both are horrible to one and another but it’s because there still is love there, as Gilda says herself “Hate is a very exciting emotion”.

This film inspired me because of the relationship between the two characters; I wanted to get this reluctant character and this tension between the two in my film, because in relationship there is tension.

Casablanca (1942)

Possible one of the greatest films of all time, Casablanca is about a bar owner (Humphrey Bogart) ends up seeing a girl (Ingrid Bergman) he use to be in love with when he lived in paris during the early years of WWII, he finds out that she is married to a revolutionist with a name for himself.

This film is amazing because of the story, romance and a war conflict. Also not to forget the roles of the character, Humphrey Bogart (which I like to say is the coolest man in Cinema) playing a tough yet heartbroken character, Ingrid Bergman the sympathetic woman. The two characters together create one of the best relationships in cinema history.

This film inspired me because once again the characters, the reluctant yet heartbroken male with the sympathetic female. One scene stuck out from the rest, the scene when she visits him and they are falling out but have there one last night together. This scene is what i was going for, tension and arguing till they both realise they still want each other.

Modern Romance films

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind

Is about a guy (Jim Carrey) trying to get his memory erased of a girl (Kate Winslet) due to the girl has done it to him. During the process he realises he doesn’t want to erase her and tries to stop it.

As some people regard this film as a ‘Chick Flick’ I would disagree due to the fact the story and the way the film is done (with Gondry’s signature transitions between scenes) appeals to more than just the female audience.

The whole concept of this film is fascinating, also the way its done where scenes intermingle with each other or bits of scenes disappearing etc makes this an emotional yet confusing ride.

This film is inspirational to my film because of the concept, your hearts broken and you hate the person but you remember the fun times, you realise you love them and even though what ever has happened you still have some feelings for this person and you cant deny love.

American Beauty

American Beauty is about one guy (Kevin Spacey) who is dead but goes back to how he ended up died (already you can tell how this is inspired from classic films, this one being Sunset Blvd), who is going through a midlife crisis and decided he wants to change his life, as his wife (Annette Bening) wants to be successful and ends up cheating on him, but he finds his daughters friend attractive.

This film is great, it does what Stanley Kubrick ‘Lolita’ did but in modern times. A taboo love story, full of affairs and also something we can relate too. Kevin Spacey is amazing in this film and I watch thinking... That’s going to be me when I’m that age. This also does like many other have done and set it in American Suburbia (which is great to say director Sam Mendes is actually English), to show what really happens on the other side of close doors.

This film is inspiring because it does what I want to achieve, Homage of classic cinema in modern day context. The Cinematography gives it the mood of classic cinema like film noirs as the Art Direction gives it that old Technicolor look with its bright primary colours.

I Believe that classic romance films where more Epic, there characters got you involved and there stories tend to be simple but on an Epic scale. As for modern day romance films (if there not some chick flick or Rom com) tend to rely on story innovation and taboos. For another example of a taboo romance film (which is another homage) ‘Brokeback Mountain’ which is about gay cowboys, a taboo subject as cow boys are seen as a big tough all American Cowboy, also recently ‘Australia’ which is an attempt to bring back epic romance.

In order to be successful I need to find a mid point of these two, bringing the subject to a modern concern but also give it that simplicity story telling. Also the look of the film is key to give it that mood and feel of an old film which ill but to lighting and colours.