Analysis of The Notebook Romance Movie - Essay Example

?Romance movie Although humans could experience wide range of feelings and emotions, one of the most strong and life altering feeling is love, or if,viewed from a particular perspective, romantic love. Numerous stories, plays and importantly films have been created and are being created depicting this passionate romantic love. These films come under the genre of Romance or Romantic love films. Romance films generally constitutes love stories, which centers on “passion, emotion, and the romantic, affectionate involvement of the main characters, and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage.” (“ROMANCE FILMS”). They are being watched and enjoyed by all kinds of people, irrespective of their age, sex, economic status, place, etc., as these films bring out varied feelings among the viewers including happiness, sadness, Deja vu, etc, etc. Thus, good romance films, apart from impacting the minds and even lives of the viewers, will also economically benefit its makers. This being the case, there are certain filmmaking and storytelling aspects, which makes a good romance movie. This paper will discuss those aspects or conventions which make a romance movie into a good romance movie, by case studying the movie, The Notebook, and by comparing that movie with other romance movies. First encounter between the lead characters One of the key conventions that make a good romance movie is the first encounter or the first meeting between the main leads. This encounter has to be a very interesting one, as that scene or series of scenes will make the viewers take interest in the lead characters. Importantly, that encounter has to be interesting enough to strike the minds of the lead pairs as well, so that encounter and the role played by one lead or both the leads would keep on coming in their minds, thereby pushing them to initiate the next romantic step. Those first encounters could involve scenes when one of the lead is in distress or in danger or in a tight situation, and the other lead saves him/her bravely or smartly or ingeniously. Scriptwriters also create first encounters on the basis of "meet-cute" concept, where they will create a “humorous sense of awkwardness between the two potential partners by depicting an initial clash of personalities or beliefs, an embarrassing situation, comical misunderstanding or mistaken identity situation.” (“Romantic Comedies”). Thus, it is clear that the first encounter has to be interesting and lasting enough for the romance to ‘blossom’. Those first encounter scenes have to be enacted well by the lead pairs, exhibiting apt chemistry, as that will only increase the likeability of the lead characters among the viewers. “If the chemistry is there, it makes the movie believable and enjoyable interactions. And it is important that the audience will like “get” the movie.” (“Four principles”). This convention was aptly filmed in the movie The Notebook. The male lead, Noah meets the female lead, Allie in a carnival, and as it is a love at first sight, Noah asks Allie out on a date, which she declines. To get her attention in a more dramatic and effective way, Noah climbs up the Ferris wheel, in which Allie was riding on and threatens to jump, if she does not accepts his date request. With a “humorous sense of awkwardness” Allie reluctantly agrees, however, that first encounter ‘seeds’ romantic feelings in her, and so both fall in love. Likewise, the first encounter between the lead pairs in the film Titanic, one of the most loved and successful romantic movies, also falls under one of the above discussed patterns. That is, when the female lead, Rose in a distressed state wants to end her life by jumping off from the ship, the male lead, Jack in their first encounter handles the situation smartly and saves her. That first encounter mainly sets off the romantic feelings among the leads. Obstacles After the first encounter and the romantic interludes between the lead pairs, the convention of introducing a strong, believable, challenging and tight obstacle has to be made. After the attraction has been established quickly, the key convention “are the obstacles that the potential pair must face before they can acknowledge, fulfill, or consummate their love, and the audience must care about the relationship enough to finish the movie.” (“Romantic Comedies”). The lovers in romance movies particularly romantic dramas will face obstacles including financial differences, differences in racial and social class status, different occupations, family particularly one of the parents threatening “to break their union and attainment of love.” (“ROMANCE FILMS”). Thus, the crucial part of romantic movies is how the lead pairs are ‘ripped’ apart because of a strong and challenging obstacle, which will make the viewers feel for the lovers and at the same time, hope something good will happen for them. This happens in The Notebook as well, with Allie’s mother shown as the obstacle, as she hides all the romantic letters that Noah writes to Allie. Noah writes one letter each day for a year to Allie, but as he receives no replies from her, the romantic relationship breaks down. This convention of external person or persons breaking romantic relationships can also be seen in the film, Adjustment Bureau. When the male lead of David Norris, played by Matt Damon, tries to meet his love, Elise, played by Emily Blunt, he was thwarted every time by the members of the Adjustment bureau. On the lines of The Notebook, in Titanic, Rose’s mother along with her fiance acts as the main obstacle in breaking the relationship between the main leads. Tragic Ending According to many, one of the key conventions to make a good romance movie is to make the ending a tragic or sad one. The filmmakers particularly believe that if the lovers are not able to join together in the form of marriage, and instead separate and more importantly if one of the pair or even both the characters dies, it will create more impact in the minds of the viewers. They believe, if the ending is tragic, the viewers will ‘hold on’ to the creation for a longer time, thinking about how the lead pairs could have united and all the best possible scenarios. “For a lot of people (especially women, I think) a movie is really romantic if the relationship ends in disaster.” (Curtis). This convention is also followed in The Notebook as well, as both the lead characters die at the end of the film. Although, they die old, they are not shown as living as old couples happily ever after; instead they are shown to die to create an impact. Likewise, in Titanic, the lead character of Jack dies in the end, and so their love also did not had a happy ending. Works Cited Curtis, Stephanie. What makes a movie romantic? Minnesota Public Radio, 20 Feb 2005. Web. 11 Oct 2011. “Four principles of the great romance movie.” Movies & Entertainment, 11 Sept 2010. Web. 11 Oct 2011. “Romantic Comedies.” Film Bug, n. d. Web. 11 Oct 2011. “ROMANCE FILMS.” Film Site, n. d. Web. 11 Oct 2011. Read More