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Lily Page Compare Romance Film in America and China
Lily Page 2 As we all know that, film plays an important role in many people's life. With the development of film, there are hundreds of film produced every year. Although the films can be made in different countries, some similarities and differences could be showed in the film. Comparing the romance films in America and China, we can find those similarities and differences from genre, theme, plot and ideology of classic Hollywood cinema.
First, I will talk about the genres. I believe that many people know films can be classified into many different genres. For instance, no matter in America or china, social drama film, war film, gangster film, science fiction film and romance film are what we often see on the screen. Generally speaking, romance films as a common kind of films could be showed to bring us happy and love. Romance films are very popular in the world, especially for women. Some romance films will let us learn something useful after we watch them. In general, we can learn how to deal with the problems when we fall in love with somebody, what is real love and how to show our love to our lover or something else like that. That's all romance films have in common, not only for American and Chinese romance films. However, there's exception. According to our textbook, "Generic categories are generally defined on the basic of subject matter, formal properties, style or affective response". So some American romance films may not just about love. I mean, it can include love and friendship or other
similar genres. For example, a hot film Sex and City, many people think it is a romance film, but some audiences think it is not only a romance film but also a film about friendship, actually a precious friendship among four beautiful girls. While some Chinese films focus on love only. For instance, also four girls' love, the film Hot Summer Days is just talk about love.
Second, "theme is the controlling idea of a film. This idea takes the form of a
Lily Page 3 generalized comment about life". All the other elements of a film (genre, character,narrative and style) are revolve around the theme. Therefore, no matter American or Chinese romance films are frequently reflect the most basic and universal human concern——love. That's the mainly part although there may be other subordinate themes. Both the American and Chinese romance films tell us what love means, what is real love, how to solve problems and so on. Based on the romantic theme, most of American romance films also show the problems about life philosophies, social or cultural changes by exciting ways. I think that's because the different cultures between the east and the west. As America is a highly developed city, so it concludes many open and colorful points, such as commerce and urbanization. Like Sex and City, the director use urban girls and urban background to show its theme, then we think of that the scene is in the city all the time. That's easy for the theme "social changes" coming to our mind. Compared with American romance films, many Chinese directors like to use ordinary way to show its theme. Take the example of Hot Summer Days again, the director use ordinary people and their simple love story to show their loves. The film has no too many other themes but just about four simple loves. We can say that, simple story, simple love.
The function of narrative is using an interesting, attractive way to tell a story. Accorting to what our textbook tell us, we know that" Narrative, story and plot are the basic terms used
when analyzing the narrative structure of a film". So, the similarity of American and Chinese romance films show us close cause-effect relationship and chronological order. We can guess how those romantic protagonists develop their stories and then find the real presentation when we watch it at the end. Usually American and Chinese romance films are also have a major obstacle stands in the way of true love. Even though they have similarities, there is still
Lily Page 4 difference. American films ,or we can say that, Hollywood films have its feature. American romance films follow its classic three-act linear structure. They have set-up( includes hook, key line, inciting incident and turning pont1), development( includes the point of no turn and turning point2) and resolution﹠denouement（includes climax and resolution∕ denouement). Chinese romance films have their usual plot: cause, development, climax and conclusion (just like a writing story). The biggest difference is they are not divided the plots so precise like American romance films and they are divided roughly.
We can easily find that American romance films are full of the ideology of classical Hollywood cinema. I think that's because America is a developed country and it has many big cities such as New York, Washington. So many American romance films' background are happened in those big cities and they have close connection with ideology of classic Hollywood cinema. The ideology of classical Hollywood cinema include property, enterprise and initiative; the work ethic; marriage, family and home; success and wealth, ect. Sex and city is a good example of the ideology of classical Hollywood cinema. The protagonists of Sex and city, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda represent some ideology individually. Carrie is a successful writer so she has property, enterprise and initiative. Although Charlotte thought she had problem with pregnancy, but she still lived with her husband and adopted
child happily. She's good marriage, family and home. Wealthy woman Samantha stands for success and wealth while lawyer Miranda who loss sex with her husband because of her work stands for the work ethic. We can almost say that Sex and city includes all the ideology of Hollywood cinema. Those protagonists of American romance films act the films rather than their real life, real American life. During their acting, they show a open, prosperous and
Lily Page 5 exciting western culture. On the contrary, Chinese romance films pursuit classical and simple feeling. The Chinese directors like to choose ordinary people to act ordinary love stories. Those ordinary actors use simple words and behaviors to reflect a quiet and warm romantic love. That's a typical eastern love.
American and Chinese romance films have their features. Each of them have different genre, theme focus, plot and ideology. In spite of either of them shows us different feelings and visual feast. I believe that with the communication of eastern and western cultures, we can see more outstanding films.。