HIMANI MOCHARY 1224131 MADHUSREE GOSWAMI 1224134

Romantic Films Romantic films are a genre which has the following characteristics a) the film can have a happy ending or an unhappy ending b) the basic plot revolves around the love between two protagonists and c) the antagonist is the one who creates problems for the protagonist. In simple words romantic films are where love stories or affairs of the heart are portrayed. The common themes in romantic are 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. Characters, setting, music and props are some crucial elements of romance films. Romantic Films Sub-genres The sub-genres of romantic films are romantic drama, chick flicks, romantic comedies, romantic action comedies and romantic thrillers and screw ball comedies. Romantic Drama Romantic Drama is a genre that explores the complex side of love and the plot usually revolves around an obstacle which prevents true romantic love between two people. The obstacle ranges from a family's disapproval, to forbidden love and to one's own psychological restraints. A romantic drama usually ends with the lovers separating because of the enormity of the obstacle, the realization of incompatibility, or simply because of fate. Examples of such a sub-genre include the movies Titanic and A Walk to Remember. Romantic Comedies Romantic Comedies are films with light-hearted, humorous plotline and centred on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to overcome most obstacles. A primary distinguishing feature of romantic comedy films is a love plot in which two sympathetic and well-matched lovers are united or reconciled. The Seven Year Itch, Pretty Woman and Sweet Home Alabama are some romantic comedies. Romantic Action Comedies Romantic Action Comedies are a blend of action, romance and comedy. Mr. &Mrs. Smith, The Bounty Hunter and This Means War are some romantic action comedies.

Romantic Thrillers Romantic Thrillers are films which has a storyline combining elements of the romance film and the thriller genre. The plot usually revolves around an adventure or quest where the hero faces ordeals or monsters. The Phantom of the Opera and The Tourist belong to such category. Screwball Comedies Some romantic movies also are grouped under screwball comedy. Screwball comedy is defined as a film in which one or both of the lead characters, and perhaps others, engaged in situations staged as physical slapstick comedy in the pursuit of their disparate goals. The characters through a comedy of errors arrive at true love by the end of the film. Along the way they make fools of themselves and usually disparage each other but all is forgiven at the end. Examples include Lawrence Kasdans French Kiss (1995) and Griffin Dunnes Addicted to Love (1997).

Evolution of Romantic Films Romantic Films have evolved over the years to accommodate the varying taste of the audiences. There are some conventions governing classical romantic films. The conventions are: boy meets girl, leave and coincidentally meet again. E.g. Notting Hill the female lead is usually strong willed, who has even stronger friends. E.g. Sex and the City. the plot usually revolves around a love triangle, where one always ends up unhappy. E.g. Titanic the happily ever after concept. E.g. Enchanted. However, over the years there has been a change in the genre. An important development in this field is inclusion of elements from a different genre. The primary difference is that rather than just teaching the audience that they need to fall in love and get married, there is now more of a focus on the make-up of relationships and presenting the truth that love is complicated. The evolution has been attributed to the audience as well. The audience has played a major role in how much the genre has changed. Audiences have higher expectations and want challenging story lines. Techniques used in Romantic Movies Film lighting is generally used to add emotional value to a scene, building romance. Colored lighting is believed to have an emotional impact on the audience. Warms colours are often thought to be romantic. This is used significantly in Gone With the Wind.

The degree to which the lighting is hard or soft is referred to as quality. Soft lighting is often used in romantic movies. In the movie Casablanca soft lighting has been used.

Criticims against Romantic Films Several criticisms have been leveled against such a genre. They are romantic Films not considered a specific genre by film scholars, they are often seen as hybrids and romantic films aimed at women and debased in popular media as chick flicks.

Citations Gehring, D. Wes. Romantic vs Screwball Comedy.Scarecrow Press. 2002. Web. 4 December 2013.