British and American Comedy - Essay Example

?British and American Comedy Introduction The films, which are generally characterized to be comedy, have a great sense of humor attached to them. Further, these types of films like Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) and Some Like It Hot (1959) characterized as comedy also have a comfortable and happy ending. A look at the two films mentioned reveals that the British and American comedy differs on one main salient point, the presence of irony. Bridget Jones’s Diary reflects a strong inner meaning; a play of minds in the midst of humor attached while Some Like It Hot reflected a more humoristic and straightforward appeal rather than portraying emotion. The paper presents a detailed discussion on the two movies based under some key heads and endeavors to catch the essence of romantic comedies. Bridget Jones and Her Men Bridget Jones is stuck in a real dilemma for the existence of two men in her life, Daniel and Mark. Daniel turns out to be her boss and Mark is the person whom she meets at the Christmas Party hosted by her parents. Bridget Jones in the initial stage in more busy involved in a relationship with Daniel Cleaver who also reflects a kind of possessiveness over girls and woman. Bridget despite knowing the fact that Daniel is an occasional flirter continues to share a strong relationship with him by going to dates. The attraction, which Bridget has for Daniel, becomes contested, as Mark gradually moves to win her heart. Mark through one of her colleagues discloses his liking for Bridget. Mark, the son of an old family friend of Bridget’s parents also gets the access to meet Bridget in many occasions like parties and in events like book launches. Bridget on hearing about Mark’s feelings about her also develops a soft corner for him. Daniel on learning about Bridget’s feelings about Mark tries to dissuade her by making false allegations about Mark. However of late Bridget gets a clear picture of Daniel’s perverted character when she discovers him with another woman. Bridget finds that the things heard about Daniel Cleaver is true and decides to break up from him. This break up from Daniel helps to reduce Bridget’s dilemma of whom to depend upon as her relationship with Mark starts developing. However, Daniel again returns back to the scene, which again makes Bridget run into the dilemma. Bridget gets stuck between Daniel’s attractive personality and Mark’s close associations with her. This dilemma of Bridget gets solved through the information she learns from her mother about the real truth of the conflict between Daniel and Mark. Bridget learns that Daniel owing to his flirting character had contributed to breaking the relationship between Mark and Mark’s wife. Thus successfully coming out of the dilemma she decides to stay on with Mark (Maguire, 2001). Dilemma to Comedy In my perception, Bridget Jones’s Diary is truly a romantic comedy. Bridget in her relationship with the two people Daniel and Mark shows a reflection of good amount of emotion and romance, which culminates to putting her into dilemma. The movie in the midst of a romantic whirlpool becomes successful in portraying a comedian character of Bridget Jones. Bridget who frequently takes into alcohol and cigarettes takes the pledge to reduce her overweight. The way Bridget records the same in her diary attracts attention in making it as one of best comedy films. Further, the film has employed many funny dialogues, which owing to their simplicity and straightforwardness made it have a comedy appeal. The flirting activities, which Bridget carries on out of her fantasy for her boss, Daniel Cleaver, also encourage a sense of comic actions. The comedy is best exposed in a boat scene where Daniel in an endeavor to balance himself between two boats one run by him and the other by Bridget loses balance and eventually falls into water. Bridget Jones Diary earns success in becoming a comedian film also because of the way the characters are portrayed in the movie. Bridget’s character enacted by Renee Zellweger has become the main attraction owing to her comedian moves and endeavors to make the people laugh along the film. Even the way Bridget fantasizes about her boss Daniel Cleaver is shown in a comedian fashion to project not only romance in her minds but a sense of cutting wickedness and an interest in flirting. Thus, Renee Zellweger through her physical movements coupled with a bunch of witty dialogues and surprising antics have somewhat made the movie earn a comedian face. Bridget Jones stuck in the dilemma of whom to stay with between Daniel and Mark in her obsessed figure portrays a comedian character in the way of fantasizing her boss and the occasional meeting ceremonies with Mark in parties and book events (Maguire, 2001). Roles in Some Like It Hot The main roles in the movie Some Like It Hot is played by Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in the movie play the roles of two musicians who were struggling to settle their career and earn a better livelihood. The names of the musicians, which Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon portray in the movie, are that of Joe and Jerry. However, these people in a search for a better life and have become the center of chase having seen a murder make an endeavor to flee to Florida. The uniqueness in the portrayal of their character involves the turnaround where these two persons, Joe and Jerry decide to hide their original identity and join a musical band group maintained by girls. Joe and Jerry in their disguise name themselves as Josephine and Geraldine respectively. Marilyn Monroe on the other hand known as ‘Sugar Kane’ in the movie plays the role of a principal vocalist and plays a musical instrument for the band. These two people, Joe and Jerry start felling attracted to her owing to her glamorous stand. In that, Joe and Jerry endeavor to reflect their feelings for her without letting off their false identities. On reaching Florida, Joe decides to make the principal lady of the band ‘Sugar Kane’ his own. Thus Joe again changes his disguise and gets changed from the woman to a multi-millionaire and earns the name as ‘Junior’. Geraldine the transformed identity of Jerry further changes the name to Daphne who really becomes proposed by a millionaire man. This millionaire man, Osgood Fielding the third, enacted by Joe E. Brown, feels deeply romanticized by Daphne’s thoughts and makes plans to marry her. (Wilder, 1959) The comedy factor of the film Some Like It Hot is built up as Joe and Jerry, the male musicians struggling to get to a newer life and out of Chicago decide to wipe off their male identities. These people decide to put off their male identities by taking on to female clad dresses, wearing wigs and also in the style of getting their legs shaved off. Jerry enacted by Jack Lemmon creates the comedian scenes through the use of dialogues where she feels uncomfortable in walking wearing those ladies outfits. She infers that how do women tread about wearing such things and even comes to state that he is feeling naked in such wears. Even the dialogue used by Jerry in seeing Sugar Kane (enacted by Marilyn Monroe) dance invites comedy as he comments that she must be having some ‘built-in motors’ which makes her swing like that. Further the conversations, which Jerry has with the millionaire, Osgood also reflect stark comedy. Osgood who is deeply in love with Daphne the female face of Jerry and has already proposed her for marriage reveals again reveals his feelings for her. To this Daphne tries to convince Osgood that she would not be able to marry him for in truth she is not a female. Jerry dressed as Daphne reflects all the masculine features like smoking cigarettes and disability in bearing a baby to Osgood. However, Osgood deeply in love stays unperturbed and goes on suggesting solutions for the hindrances cited. Finally when Jerry also reveals his masculine identity, Osgood in a romantic mood states that ‘Well nobody’s perfect’ (Wilder, 1959). This reflects the comedic portrayal of the characters in the movie. Comic Scenes The best comedy scene that I liked in the movie Bridget Jones Diary is the boat-riding scene in which Daniel Cleaver and Bridget Jones go on date. This scene appeared to me as one of the best comic scenes in the movie owing to its style of representation. Daniel in an endeavor to transfer himself from his boat to that of Bridget’s tries to balance himself on the two boats. Eventually, Daniel loses his balance and lands himself into the water. This scene depicts a show of antics, which reflects a comical touch as felt by me. In Some Like It Hot the best comic scene enjoyed by me stands out to be the one where Jerry and Joe dressed as Josephine and Geraldine walk along the railway platform to catch their train to Florida. The way Jerry was walking and the manner of his conversation with Joe invoked a sense of laughter inside me. Jerry in his expression of being uncomfortable dressed in such female attire even said that he was feeling naked. This scene was thus felt by me as one of the best comical scenes of the movie. Concluding remarks in my opinion, the film Bridget Jones’s Diary is a romantic comedy for it successfully blends the romantic set up of the movie to the comical moves of the characters inside it. The film which depicts a romantic conflict between Daniel and Mark over Bridget and draws emotions also successfully highlights comedian scenes brought through conversations and body movements. I also think that Some Like It Hot is a romantic comedy for it also reflects romantic relationship between two couples. However, the movie in its depiction earned a comical tone for the activity of the two characters, Joe and Jerry in getting transformed into females. The activity, consisting of body movements and witty conversations, transformed it to a romantic comedy. References 1. Bevan, T., Fellner, E. & J. Cavendish (producers), Maguire, S. (director), (2001), Bridget Jones’s Diary [motion picture], London: Working Title Films. 2. Wilder, B. (producer & director) (1959), Some Like It Hot [Motion Picture], United States: Mirisch Corporation, Ashton Productions. Read More