The Secret Life of Romantic Comedy

The secret life of romantic comedy offers a new approach to one of the most popular and resilient genres in the history of Hollywood. Steering away from the rigidity and ideological determinism of traditional accounts of the genre, this book advocates a more flexible theory, which allows the student to explore the presence of the genre in unexpected places, extending the concept to encompass films that are not usually considered romantic comedies. Combining theory with detailed analyses of a selection of films, including To Be or Not to Be (1942), Rear Window (1954), Kiss Me Stupid (1964), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) and Before Sunset (2004), the book aims to provide a practical framework for the exploration of a key area of contemporary experience - intimate matters - through one of its most powerful filmic representations: the genre of romantic comedy. Original and entertaining, The secret life of romantic comedy is perfect for students and academics of film and film genre.

ISBN 0719076749   Pages 200 ISBN13 9780719076749 (What's this?)   Volumes 001 Publisher Manchester University Press   Weight (grammes) 408 Imprint Manchester University Press   Published in Manchester Format Hardback   Height (mm) 216 Publication date 01 Feb 2009   Width (mm) 138 Library of Congress PN1993   Spine width (mm) 23 DEWEY 791.43617   Academic level Undergraduate, Postgraduate DEWEY edition DC22

		List of illustrations
1		The theory of romantic comedy		18
		Romantic comedy and laughter		19
		Happy endings, forgotten middles and the ideology of romantic comedy		24
		The space of romantic comedy		30
		The Sydney issue		38
		Genres and films		45
2		Comic negotiations		55
I		Laughter, love and World War II: To Be or Not to Be		55
		Love and the invasion of Poland		59
		A table for three: the love triangle		62
		Lubitsch meets screwball royalty		66
		That great, great Polish actor		72
		Performing love, performing war		75
II		Romantic comedy in no man's land: Kiss Me, Stupid		81
		Romantic comedy in the 1950s		82
		Satire and comedy		85
		Moral standards and character identification		89
		Climaxing in Climax		91
		Bang, bang		96
		Comic combinations		100
3		Romantic comedy on the dark side		103
I		The other thrills of Rear Window		103
		Look at me		105
		Society calling		111
		It started with a kiss		118
		The neverending story		124
II		The space of comedy and beyond: Crimes and Misdemeanors		128
		Love, faith and the comic space		131
		More...

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