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The evolution of love in Hollywood Cinema; the love affair and its portrayal The evolution of love in Hollywood Cinema; the love affair and its portrayal The romance genre of Hollywood films has evolved throughout the decades to match the societal norms in which they were created. American society ideologies of romance and love the time in which seen through the film’s narrative structure, plot, the protagonists, and costumes. All of which are enhanced, in some way, by the setting of the scene and film technologies used to tell the narrative.
A contrast can be en in the way romance, love and sexual relations are depicted in films during the time of the Production Code, and those made after its elimination. “By the sass almost ever Hollywood film contained a romantic plot or subplot” (Banshees et at, 2009, p. 309). This continues to be true in today’s cinema. There are many romance films to date that involve the notion of true love, and use the love affair sequence to tell the story. Made in the late sass An Affair to Remember by director Leo McCarty tells the love affair of Nice Efferent, a suave gold digger, and Terry McKay an entertainment singer.
The two fall in love on a cruise ship even though they are engaged to other people back home. Dear John a modern love film based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, directed by Lasses HalestГ??m, is about John Three, a soldier, who meets a conservative Savannah Curtis while he is home during leave. The two fall in love in Just only two weeks but are separated by war, and Savannah finds someone else to be with. A vital part of any romance film is the first kiss. After visiting Nickel’s grandmother Canon the two reminisce about how nice their visit was offshore.
At this point, Nice temps to make a move at kissing Terry. She delicately pulls away and says, “let’s walk”. The camera cuts to a side angle and shows Nice and Terry walking along the top deck, and then they begin to descend a staircase that leads to the deck below. The camera cuts and now we see their feet as they walk further down the staircase. Terry stops halfway down the staircase, while Nice walks down a few more steps and we can see him full bodied in the bottom right of the screen. Terry still holding on to his hand leads him back up the stairs towards her.
Next we see Cary Grant’s eight has shifted and we can see that he is leaning into her, indicated by his left foot reaching out to balance him. The couple obviously shares a kiss while the viewer gazes at their feet for a few long seconds. We can see Terry’s hand move from her side up and up to embrace Nickel’s head to deepen their kiss. We don’t actually see where her hand goes as the couple is beheaded by the frame. As we continue to watch their feet as they are kissing we ask ourselves; is the camera ever going to move upwards so we can see them kiss?
Was it a good kiss? Are they still kissing now? What is the point of making a film about modern movie viewer this seems outrageous and is unnerving. The fact that the spectator could miss the first kiss is something important to note. The subtleness of the narrative and what the film reveals through the camera works against showcasing the love that has kindled between Terry and Nickel. What is off screen can be Just as important as what is on it. If MIS-en-scene, editing, and camera movement are all matters of decision-making, of selection, then it stands to reason that the information a director leaves out of the image is worth considering as ell” (Kiddos, 2012, p. 30)