The Hollywood Romantic Comedy: Conventions, History, Controversies

ISBN-13: 9781405182669 / Angielski / Twarda / 2011 / 232 str.

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Opis

The most up-to-date study of the Hollywood romantic comedy film, from the development of sound to the twenty-first century, this book examines the history and conventions of the genre and surveys the controversies arising from the critical responses to these films.

• Provides a detailed interpretation of important romantic comedy films from as early as 1932 to movies made in the twenty-first century
• Presents a full analysis of the range of romantic comedy conventions, including dramatic conflicts, characters, plots, settings, and the function of humor
• Develops a survey of romantic comedy movies and builds a canon of key films from Hollywood's classical era right up to the present day
• Chapters work as discrete studies as well as within the larger context of the book

Though well over ninety percent of Hollywood films include a romance, the romantic comedy distinguishes itself by making romance the principle plot action and using humor to set the tone for courtship. The plot of the romantic comedy is ancient and goes back at least to classical Roman times and the plays of Menander. A couple meets and falls in love. Obstacles intervene to separate the lovers. The body of the action involves wrestling with the obstacles until the couple can be united, usually in marriage. The nature of the obstacles becomes the distinguishing quality of these tales and the courtship practices, sexual mores, and gender cultures of every era establish the foundation for its humor.
THE ROMANTIC COMEDY explores the contemporary plot conventions of this stalwart, entertaining, and often mad–cap genre. Spanning the romantic comedies from the advent of sound to latter day box–office sleepers, smashes, and surprises, the volume traces the various forms of romance depicted on screen––screwball, ′battle of the sexes,′ comedies of seduction, modern manifestations, traditional reaffirmation and ambivalence. Some of the many films analyzed include "His Girl Friday," "Some Like It Hot," "The Graduate," "Annie Hall," "When Harry Met Sally," "There′s Something About Mary," and "High Fidelity."
Whether it′s Cary Grant or Hugh Grant, "She Done Him Wrong" or "Shakespeare in Love," THE ROMANTIC COMEDY showcases how viewing romantic films and their stars through the lens of genre criticism enables us to better understand the wisdom of the landmarks of screen comedy and develop a greater capacity to enjoy the more modest achievements of this popular form of screen entertainment.

Recenzje

Grindon s contribution to the romantic comedy film bibliography is a valuable addition to the limited number of similar scholarly endeavors, and it seems well–designed for classroom use not just for teaching the particular films he discusses, but also for teaching methodology. The romantic comedy genre has rarely received the sort of academic recognition it deserves, but students, film scholars, romance scholars, and rom–com enthusiasts all over the world will find The Hollywood Romantic Comedya fine introduction to this culturally and politically significant  film genre.   (Journal of Popular Romance Studies, 1 October 2012)

"The romantic comedy genre has rarely received the sort of academic recognition it deserves, but students, film scholars, romance scholars, and rom–com enthusiasts all over the world will find The Hollywood Romantic Comedy a fine introduction to this culturally and politically significant  film genre." (Journal of Popular Romance Studies, 15 October 2012)

"Summing Up: Recommended. Lower–division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers." ( Choice, 1 September 2011)

Spis treści

List of Plates.

Acknowledgements.

1 Introduction.

2 History, Cycles, and Society.

3 Thinking Seriously About Laughter and Romance.

4 Trouble in Paradise (1932): What is the Trouble in Paradise?

5 His Girl Friday (1940): Jailbreak!

6 The Miracle of Morgan′s Creek (1944): The Home Front Romantic Comedy.

7 Adam′s Rib (1949): Anatomy Lesson.

8 Some Like It Hot (1959): Riding Sidesaddle.

9 The Graduate (1967): Counter–Conventions and Cultural Change.

10 Annie Hall (1977): The Trials of Partnership.

11 When Harry Met Sally (1989): Friendship, Sex, and Courtship.

12 There′s Something About Mary (1998): Parody and the Grotesque.

13 Waitress (2007): Women′s Ambivalence.

A Chronology of Prominent Hollywood Romantic Comedies.

References.

Index.

O autorze

Leger Grindon is Professor of Film and Media Culture at Middlebury College, USA. He has written widely on film and is the author of Shadows on the Past: Studies in the Historical Fiction Film (1994) and Knockout: The Boxer and Boxing in American Cinema (2011).

Blurb

Though rarely explored in analytical detail, the romantic comedy remains a stalwart contributor to Hollywood entertainment. This book offers a comprehensive history of the Hollywood romantic comedy film, from the coming of sound to the twenty–first century, examining the conventions of the genre and surveying the controversies arising from the critical responses to these films.

Hollywood′s romantic comedies can be seen as a series of productions whose form and meaning change in response to conditions in the film industry, courtship culture, and society at large. This book provides an essential overview of the continuities within the genre as well as its historical evolution. A full analysis is provided of the range of romantic comedy conventions, including dramatic conflicts, characters, plots, settings, and the function of humor. In doing so, Leger Grindon develops a survey of historical cycles and clusters and builds a canon of key films from Hollywood′s classical era right up to the present day, which are analyzed in detail in the second part of the book. Films analyzed include Trouble in Paradise, His Girl Friday, The Miracle of Morgan′s Creek, Adam′s Rib, Some Like It Hot, The Graduate, Annie Hall, When Harry Met Sally, There′s Something About Mary, and Waitress.