What Does the Remake of the Film the Father of the Bride Represent - Movie Review Example

22 June Assignment Marriage is a union between two people holding a great amount of value in the lives of not only those willing to committhemselves to each other for the rest of their lives, but also their families. It is thus a union of a number of people, and of utmost importance to society in general. However, the entire idea of being with someone and being married to them has changed over the last fifty years in terms of many cultures around the world. People have become more open to legalizing same sex marriages, giving education and careers more importance, as well as remaining single all their lives. All these aspects have had a great impact on the institution of ‘proper’ marriage which used to be closely followed in those days. This paper helps to thus provide an analysis on how the idea of matrimony in American life has both changed as well as evolved, with the help of comprehending the impact of ‘The Father of the Bride’ both the 1950 and the 1991 version. Both movies have tried their level best to deal with the idea of marriage in American life and how parenthood is the one aspect that makes everything different in terms of children looking at their personal needs when it comes to deciding the partners they need for their lives. Marriage is a very important part of any child’s life. Both these movies have easily shown the same, however in their own different ways. Both movies have been directed and set at least with a gap of fifty years between the two and thus, there are a number of aspects among the two that are similar as well as dissimilar. In the film made in 1950 as well as the one in 1991, the father of the bride has been shown as an old man, with traditional views. He is extremely concerned for his daughter and wants to be completely sure that the man she is going to be marrying will be able to provide a good enough and comfortable life for her. In both the movies, the father is extremely doubting and protective of his daughter and tries his level best to ensure that his daughter is not marrying the wrong man. All this is because according to the dad, the idea of marriage means something that should be conserved and well kept within a harmonious union made by his daughter and another man who is suitable enough; a feat that the father does not yet trust his daughter to make in terms of her choice. In both the movies (even though they are half a century apart, almost) the father feels that his daughter will never be able to grow into a woman and be able to make her own decisions. The idea of getting married in the mind of the daughter is the same in both movies; however, in the earlier movie the daughter wants her father to be able to reconcile with her fiance whereas in the newer remake of the movie, the father is convinced that he will not be able to do so and thus formulates plans in order to wreck the wedding somehow. The daughters have been shown as women capable of understanding the idea of a marriage, however, their wedding day for them has to be something extravagant, and out of the ordinary. In some scenes, in the remake of the film, it is not clear whether as to the daughter wants a grand wedding or simply a time set out for family and friends to come together to be able to celebrate the wonderful journey she will be embarking upon with her new husband. In the old film as well, the father has to undergo a series of shocks as his daughter is set on a grand wedding for over 250 people. This is a depiction of most young American families today as most young girls want a wedding just so they can celebrate something new and exciting; they want the clothes, the food and the grand decor as well as all the fuss that comes along with it, very early in their lives. This idea of being in holy matrimony is not something that was sanctioned in the olden days when people got married out of love for each other. Moreover, most of these weddings end up dissolving because of the hurried manner that they were conducted in. The Father of the Bride is a movie that helps to show the kind of chaos that might reign around a typical American family during the time of their children getting married; especially when their child is their daughter. Both versions of the film help to show the young daughter growing up into a woman, capable of making her own decisions. At least in the old film, the daughter was able to keep tradition as she asked her father to try and sort out any differences that he had with her fiance. She tried to make her father understand how important it was for her that the two saw eye to eye. As opposed to this, in the new film, the daughter was not bothered about whether her family accepted her fiance, but only wanted to know that her family accepted the mere fact that she was getting married to someone she loved. Every father is supposed to be very protective of his children and tried his level best to intimidate the people who might be entering his family through a union of marriage. In the 1950’s film, the father tries his best to make Buckley intimidated of him by having private conversations with him where he talks about old fashioned tradition that he would like the man to follow. He tries to show him his own principles and how they live their lives and that if Buckley wants to marry into the family, he must be able to live up to their expectations. In the 1991 film, the same deal follows, however, as much importance has not been given to old fashioned traditions. The movie is very modern as compared to the old original film, and only looks at the father trying to look for the best interests of his daughter by trying to make sure that the man she is going to be getting married to is smart enough and responsible enough to be able to take care of her. Both the movies fail to show whether or not the father of the bride believes or understands how much their daughters might be loved by the men they want to marry. In this sense, the movie makes a very direct approach to most old fashioned American matrimonial traditions. The directors have not made an effort to show whether or not the father is interested in learning about how much the young couple might be in love with each other because they have grown up in a time where love came in secondary. Most marriages were either arranged or fixed and the couple learned to live with each other and soon enough grew into love with one another. That is why; the fathers find it hard to see their daughters accepting and bringing men into their lives that they barely have known for a long enough time. In conclusion, both films have tried their best to depict the meaning, form and purpose of matrimony in the American culture in their own ways. The 1991 version of the film has put forth a more modern and broader approach towards the same in order to appeal to the younger generation and audience more. In this remake, the director has tried to focus on a number of aspects other than the main idea of being married to someone; like the preparations, the doubtfulness faced on the part of the father as well as his dream to wreck his daughter’s wedding because he feels she is not capable enough to find someone for herself. In the older version of the film, more emphasis has been laid on the way marriage takes place, as well as the traditions one must follow. In this way, the gap between the films easily helps to show the kind of changes the feeling and idea of marriage has undergone within a short period, within American culture. Works Cited Coontz, Stephanie. “What Love Got to Do with It? A Brief History of Marriage.” Public and Private Families: A Reader. Boston: McGraw Hill: 2010 Read More