HOLLYWOOD MELODRAMA IN EUROPEAN FILMS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HOLLYWOOD MELODRAMA IN EUROPEAN FILMS - Essay ExampleAfter 1960, European movie theater took itself to a new level by addressing to new and better class audiences. It also started deviating from the paradigm set by Hollywood regarding classical narrative cinemas. Melodrama get-go appeargond in Hollywood during the era of pre- Hollywood silent cinema. During those times, it was equated with the subcategory of womans film which invited female criticism on womens subaltern status. During the decade from 1970- 1980, European cinematic discourse took a different turn. It paved the way for revalorization of the affective. Through her works, Linda Williams led the way. This new way required placing of emotions in a free category. She is also credited for taking the melodramatic genre beyond family melodramas or women centric stories. As compared to European movies, the melodramatic movies of Hollywood contained semiotic, psychoanalytic or ideological structures. Melodramatic movies, in opinion of (LANDY, 1991, p. 19- 20) carried different interpretations. Groups supporting different film movements differ in opinions. In most parts of the Western Europe, as swell as in Hollywood, realist melodramatic movie gained popularity. Society and social issues were the chief subjects of these movies. Melodrama, as a theatrical genre of Hollywood emphasizes more on subjectivity of emotions over social commentary. Everything related to emotions is externalized and presented in form of gestures (Deleuze and the cinemas of performance powers of affection, 2008, p. 71). Music has played one of the most important roles when it comes to theatrical melodramas of nineteenth century. This tradition has remained unaltered even in twenty -first century. Thus, present day melodramatic movies bear subtle impression of traditional functions and conventions of music (Reay, 2004, p. 6). Conventions of Hollywood melodrama In European movies Since 1920, European cinema has set for an enterp rise to have an individual identity and disassociate itself from Hollywood. Though the goal was achieved to a certain degree by countries like Germany, France and Italy, European cinema could never come out fully from Hollywood domains (Dyer and Vincendeau, 1992, p. 8). Chief notions of melodramas in Hollywood are- art is primarily used for criticism, domestic tragedy is a sub- genre of melodrama, virtuous characters suffer throughout the discourse it s worth noticing that, degree or possibility of suffering does not depend on individuals nature. Also, absolute happiness portrayed through characters are not practical in certain cases as in real life sufferings are inevitable. Lastly, the main character represents the constitutional population having similar problem. He or she stands for a whole mass seeking to change the course of actions or an entire system. Before ceasing its existence, melodrama in European film was deeply influenced by generic iconographies of Hollywood. Gener al subject matters, perceived from a broader point of view were considered for producing melodramas. Hollywoods influence could then be felt in European cinemas as the producers and directors made use of conventional Hollywood devices like peplum files, historical swashbucklers, scriptural epics and exotic adventure. All these were modifies and conditioned according to