 Love and attraction have always been leading themes in storytelling. Whether it’s hatred that turns to love, passion, unrequited love, lust, soul mates, friendly flirting, love at first sight, or something else, writers and film makers have been fascinated with the relationships that form between women and men. After reading William Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” and E.E. Cummings “I carry your heart.” It is clear that “love” isn’t just one thing- not just one idea. There are many different types of love, many different ways to express it, and there has been no type of love left untouched. In “Taming of the Shrew“, we see love-hate relationship explored; the attraction and passion that comes from fighting, debating and anger. Where as “I Carry Your Heart” is not stormy, but calm and wholesome; a straight and simple declaration of love. In literature, both text and non-text, there are many different ways to portray different feelings, emotions, and tones. Whether it's the use of a specific type of language, the soundtrack, or the gestures and tone of voice of the characters, each piece of literature helps create the final effect. Why do so many people love love stories? Why do Jane Austin and Nicholas Spark’s novels sell so fast? Why do movies based on these stories sell out in theatres? Even guys, who say they don’t “do chick flicks” pile in to see the newest Tom Cruise or Matt Damon movie. What about “The Dark Knight“? Or “Cloverfield“? All of these movies have a romantic theme in them. Why does America tune in to see what happens to “McDreamy and Meredith” or when there’s a new relationship on “The Hills”? Why, you ask? Why do authors and film makers pump attraction and romance in to every thing they create? And why do we get sucked in each time? The reasons behind this is that every person is different, as is every relationship. Like in books such as “Taming of the Shrew” and “Pride and Prejudice” the person you end up loving could be the one person you’ve decided to hate. Or, you could be more like the characters in “Romeo and Juliet” or “Twilight” and find love at first site. These are just two examples, there are a hundred different possibilities in between! With billions of people in the world each looking for a way to connect, filmmakers must put a lot of thought into how to create the perfect scenes to capture the emotions they’re looking to portray. By examining five movies that span a generation (all on “AFI’s Top 100 film list“, I might add), we can explore some of the many ways filmmakers create that perfect moment. Movies being analyzed: (Click on the links below the movie poster's to get summaries of each movie from IMDB) Clip #1 Clip #2 |
