AboutIsabel Expertise Please consider asking Nell Minow because she seems more knowledgable than I am, but if she is unavailable I may be able to help. Please read my expertise & realize you are asking a question in romantic movies because I will feel bad if I cannot help you but if you ask about something outside my area of expertise likely I will be unable to help. I can answer questions about story lines, characters, and cast/crew in ROMANTIC movies 1940s, 1950s, & 1990 - present. I cannot help you with questions related to gossip surrounding the cast or people who are not listed in the credits. If the movie is rated R I probably cannot help you.
Experience I have seen numerous romantic movies and read different articles about them.
Question Isabel could you please explain to me what generic elements distinguish a romance film (pre 1950's) such as what are the plotlines, character types, iconic imagery and settings that characterize it to be a romance film?
Answer Heather,
Is this a homework question? It kind of sounds like it and we are not supposed to answer homework questions.
I enjoy romantic movies and I once took a theater appreciation course. However, I am not a technical expert and to examine the literary aspects of a movie would likely ruin them for me.
a romantic movie is distinguishable as such because there are a few main characters who love or fall in love by the end of the movie. there was the man and woman. there might possibly be some other potential suitors, exs, lovers, man's family, and/or the woman's family that served as a source of conflict and had to be dealt with for the couple to come together. the story focuses on their blossoming love and the trials they face in their developing relationship. it is not especially action packed, funny, or full of drama. if it is it likely is an action, comedy, or drama. often the couple gets together in the end - they are either dating or marry. the imagery and setting can vary - there are not certain ones necessary for it to be a romance.
1900-1930 the movies were silent and so viewers had to read the dialogues and plot aspects. in my opinion, the acting was more theatrical because the images were so crucial for conveying much of the action and plot.
1930s actors and actresses had to adjust to movies with sound. some movies reflected the Great Depression, but there were others that could be seen as an escape from the great depression.
1940s movies tended to have plots surrounding war, soldiers, the army, patriotism, etc. even romantic movies had their share. even with these settings that seem more appropriate for an action movie, they were still romances because that was the main focus of the story the war was just the backdrop for it because that was what many countries were experiencing during this time in history.
1950s the movies were more carefree and light than ones from the previous decade.
1960s movies started having loser standards that decreased as time went on. while old movies before 1960s could not even show a married couple in the same bed, newer films were more and more "risque" compared to older standards. todays films often allude to the couple having premarital sex as if any couple who likes each other must have premarital sex. while old movies before 1960s tended to focus on a couple's love and not their having sex, there were some that addressed premarital sex, but they also addressed the implications and social problems the woman, her child, and possibly the baby's father faced. pre 1960s movies were more likely to end with a beautiful loving scene of the couple kissing and tended to allude to the couple marrying more so than them having premarital sex, which was not portrayed as a norm or desirable outcome.
