ROMANTIC COMEDY - Analysis

Bridget Jones's Diary:
Bridget Jones is a British 2001 romantic comedy films, based on the novel of the same name written by Helen Fielding. She has stated in many interviews that the novel was based upon both Jane Austen’s work Pride and Prejudice, and the 1995 BBC adaptation Pride and Prejudice. Prior to the films release, there was a considerable amount of controversy surrounding the casting of the American Renée Zellweger in the role of what some thought was a quintessential British heroine.
In the opening scene of the film, the audience are introduced to two of the three main characters, and secondary characters, like their parents. As Bridget arrives at her parent’s house, we are shown that they live near a church, which has romantic connotations. The house itself is a large detached cottage, hinting to the audience that the family is quite well off. Later, in the second half of the sequence, the audience are taken into Bridget’s flat. She lives in South London, near to a railway. It is contrasted to the country home of her parents. Bridget’s parents house is large, which is the opposite of her small and enclosed flat, where she lives alone.
Another aspect of the scene is the set decoration and props. They give an insight into what is happening in the film. In the opening shot, Bridget is walking in the snow, this indicates to the audience that the setting of the film is in winter, and also Christmas. In the garden, the hedges have been cut into the shape of two swans’ heads making the shape of a heart, suggesting the romantic them to the film Bridget is carrying a suitcase to show the audience that she has travelled a distance to go and stay- an indication of how far away she lives. The furniture inside the house is very dated, this, coupled with the stripy wallpaper, connotes that Bridget’s parents are old-fashioned. In the party, everyone has a drink in their hand, showing that they are all having a good time. Also, quite a lot of the people are smoking indoors, which gives the impression that they are relaxed, thus giving us a sense of community and closeness between them. Around the house, there are various Christmas decorations i.e. - a tree, cards and tinsel, which once again show what time of year the film is set. There are pictures on the wall in the background of the scene could be symbolic of Bridget’s childhood, and other family occasions. In between the scene at the buffet and Bridget’s flat, there is a shot of a party hat that has been left on a fence covered in snow and ice, this is symbolic of the end of a party, or similarly, the fact that Bridget feels that she hasn’t had a good time. There is an exterior shot of Bridget’s flat, showing that the building is quite traditional. There are a number of props in Bridget’s apartment that contribute in the telling of her story. Firstly, there are a lot of books around her flat, showing that she is a well educated person. However, it could be argued that the state of her flat contradicts this. She has a miss match of furniture that doesn’t go very well together. Compared to where her parents live, Bridget’s flat is very compact and a lot lonelier. The phone is at the front of the shot, right next to the camera, whereas Bridget is at the other side of the room. This shows the disconnection between Bridget and the outside world. She has a bottle of wine and cigarettes next to her, which implies to the audience that they are all she needs to make her feel better about herself. She has a few cards and pictures on the wall, but there doesn’t seem to be anything that significantly stands out in the flat, everything blends in with everything else. She is sitting on her own watching the classic sitcom, Frasier. There is a shot of the television and the board games, Twister and Monopoly can be seen on the shelf. Both of these games require more than one person to play. Finally, Bridget is wearing a necklace with a heart on it; this is symbolic of the love she is trying to find.
Next, the costumes in the film play a big part in the audience’s perception of the characters. At the start of the sequence, Bridget is wearing casual clothes, which make her appear laid back and easy going, but also maybe a little frumpy. When her Mom opens the door, she is wearing an old fashioned dress that suits the way her house is decorated. Also, the way in which the characters use their costumes indicates what is happening, for example, Bridget taking off her scarf shows that she is staying. Her mom has prepared another outfit for her which she has to wear, Bridget herself, calls the outfit a carpet. She is wearing something that her mom would happily wear, at this point, her confidence decreases and she doesn’t feel comfortable with herself. Everyone in the scene is smartly dressed, which makes Bridget stand out even more. When Bridget meets Mark Darcy for the first time, he is wearing a green reindeer jumper, and for the first time, although she doesn’t know Mark, she feel she can relate to him as they are both uncomfortable in the outfits that their parents have picked out for them. It also shows that they haven’t made their own choices, which makes the audience wonder whether they would be able to make the right choice for themselves in a relationship. The colours that they are wearing also have some significance in the story. Bridget’s outfit is bright red, which has various connotations. It could be an indication of love, or danger. Mark’s jumper is green, which is the colour of envy, this gives the audience an insight to what will be a theme in the rest of the rest of the film. Also, it is a popular saying that ‘red and green should never be seen’. When Bridget is alone in her flat, she wears her comfortable pyjamas and thick woolly socks. Once again, the outfit she has on is red, which is a continuing theme from the previous scene.
The lighting in a scene can help to capture the mood or tone of a situation. At the beginning, Bridget’s mom has the lights on in the house, even though it is still relatively light outside. This could be her trying to make everyone feel more relaxed and calm. Mark is wearing a dark green jumper, which could have connotations of a dark trait in his personality. Also, when Mark and his Mom are talking about Bridget, and she is in the background, she appears to be lighter than them. This shows that she has a brighter spirit within her, even though she is getting insulted. Bridget’s flat is dimly lit by one light and a fireplace. It feels a lot gloomier and enclosed than her parent’s house. It is a reflection of how she is feeling at that time.
The music/sound is also an important feature of a scene which can often get overlooked. In the sequence, there is the use of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Throughout the film, Bridget does a voiceover, telling her story. She talks to the viewer like a friend, and we feel a connection with her as she pours her heart out to us. When Bridget arrives at her parent’s house, the music being played is almost like music from a fairytale, this also applies when Mark turns around – could her be her Prince Charming? Other music in the scene comes from the party. First, the song is Perry Como’s Magic Moments. When Bridget’s outfit changes, so does the song, it changes to Cant Take My Eyes Off You. This song plays through until Bridget hears Mark talking about her. The music then changes to Jamie O’Neal’s version of All By Myself. When Bridget checks her phone for messages, the use of sound indicates to the audience that she is all alone, and no one has left her any messages. Whilst Bridget is drinking more and more, the music builds up, and at the crescendo of the song, the title of the film appears.
Camera shots and editing is a very important feature of mise-en-scene, and there are various ones that could be discussed. Firstly, a point to be taken note of is that there are more shots and editing techniques used in the buffet scene, because there are more people there hence, more is happening. At the beginning of the sequence there is a fade in to reveal the character of Bridget. There is then a crane shot which is also an establishing show of where her parents live. When Bridget is walking from the taxi to the house, there is a pan to follow her movement, and then a tilt to reveal the house that she is going to. When her mom answers the door, there is a shot over Bridget’s shoulder to give the audience her view. There is a shot when Bridget steps into the house from the top of the stairs, it is almost as if it is a point of view shot of a ‘fly on the wall’ type character. There is an extensive use of medium close ups through the scene to portray characters emotions and reactions to conversations. Another shot which is used a lot is the point of view of Bridget, this is so the audience can relate to her character even more, and so we feel included in the party atmosphere. When Bridget goes into the living room wearing the second outfit, there is a backwards track to slowly reveal the full length of what she has on. There is a two shot of Bridget and her Mom, when she first sees Mark; this is so the audience can see that they both like him. When Mark does turn around, it is done in slow motion to keep the audience captivated. It is also an intertextual reference to Pride and Prejudice. There is then a tilt down to reveal his reindeer sweater, which is also done from Bridget’s point of view, because she did what everyone in the audience would have done at that point. Bridget and Mark, when talking, are on separate sides of the screen to put distance in between them. Also, when they have a conversation, they are not in the same frame as each other to increase the detachment of the pair. When Bridget overhears Mark talking about her, there is a forward track and also a shift in focus to show how Bridget copes with the situation. As she walks away, there is a freeze frame, so that the audience capture her emotion at that moment. There is then a dissolve to an establishing shot of Bridget’s flat; this shows the passage of time. For the rest of the scene, there are only 2 more shots used – a medium shot and a wide shot. There were two locked off cameras that didn’t move for the sequence this is to mirror Bridget’s life. While she may be trying to move on, it isn’t going anywhere, and at the moment, she is always going to end up at the same place. Bridget is fading in and out to show how much time has gone by whilst she is still in the same place. It doesn’t just have to be one night, it could be a metaphor for her life played out in one scene. The fact that there is hardly any camera movement makes the scene more focused on Bridget. The medium shots in the scene show Bridget getting increasingly frustrated and emotional. As she bursts her arms open at the climax of the song, the shot jumps from medium to wide, as if she is pushing her life out, and pushing away people who are getting too involved in her life i.e. her mom. It could also be her opening up and accepting that it is time to make a change. At the end of the scene, she appears to be singing directly to the phone, showing that she wants someone else in her life.
In addition, throughout the scene in Bridget’s flat, the use of verbal codes is evident as the names of the actors appear on the screen. The credits look as if they have been hand written, which relates to the title and theme that runs through the film. The main three actors in the film are Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. All of these are recognisable making them box office draws. Renée Zellweger was known for her role in Jerry Maguire (1996) and Hugh Grant is known for doing a lot of romantic comedies like Four Wedding and a Funeral (1994) and Notting Hill (1999). Colin Firth played the role of Mr Darcy in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, the film on which Helen Fielding based her novel. This will make him a recognisable character in the film.

Love Actually:

Love Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy that was written and directed by Richard Curtis. He is known for his work in romantic comedies e.g. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Notting Hill (1999) and Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001). As Love Actually is a British film, there are a lot of famous British actors that are recognisable in the opening sequence alone. These include – Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley and Kris Marshall.
One of the first things I noticed when watching Love Actually was that, with reference to the credits on screen, one word was red and the other was white. The red could be symbolic of the love/romantic theme in the film, and the white could connote innocence and truth. The red and white could also indicate the time of year being Christmas.
The first scene in the sequence is people in Heathrow airport greeting and hugging each other. There is a voice over talking about how love is all around. The airport is significant of people travelling to different countries, and this could also suggest love travelling between different people around the world. The camera shots are long, which makes the audience feel like they are in the airport with the characters. There is a range of different shots as well as long shots. There are pans to show how many people are around and how realistic the situation is. The slow motion editing makes the audience concentrate on exactly what’s happening. It could be considered as a point of view shot as we feel like we are there in the airport.
The scene then cuts from the airport to a recording studio, where there is man singing “Christmas is all Around”, this is an intertextual reference to the song Love is all Around from the popular romantic comedy, Four Weddings and a Funeral. The man who is singing the song is dressed in a very brightly coloured shirt and he looks out of place. He appears to be a middle aged rocker, and his shirt gives the impression of mid-life crisis. Also, we know that he must be quite well off as he is in the studio in the first place.
The audience are made aware by the mise-en-scene that the film is set near to Christmas. Firstly, and most obviously, because there is writing on the screen informing us that it is 5 weeks until Christmas. Also, there are people outside are ice skating. It is also an establishing shot of where the film is going to be set – London. This is clear because of the famous landmarks that are shown e.g. the London Eye.
The next scene in the sequence is between a Mother and her daughter. The young girl is talking about her school nativity play, which is typical around Christmas time. When she reveals that she is ‘first lobster’, there is a close up on the mom’s face to show her confusion.
Also in the opening sequence, there is a wedding going on, which is obviously linked in with the romantic theme of the film. There is a two shot of 2 men standing side by side. The camera zooms out to show that it is set in a grand church. When the bride walks in, she appears out of a bright light, showing that she is a light and innocent character. Also, the slow motion and shift in focus adds more impact to her introduction. The lighting in the scene, and throughout most of the opening is bright, and reflects the overall mood and tone of the film.
The final part of the opening sequence is the new Prime Minister being introduced the staff at 10 Downing Street. The main woman that is focused on in the scene is wearing smart clothes, as is the Prime Minister, and their outfits complement each other. It also indicates a higher social class. When they are talking, she embarrasses herself by swearing, and the audience are aware that she is nervous around him. There is an over the shoulder shot, and this shows how they are getting along with each other. As he walks away from her, he glances behind himself and looks at the woman again. This is to show his feelings and that he is still thinking about her.There are various stories that are going on at the same time as each other, although at this point, the audience don’t know how, or even if, the characters are connected.