Romantic comedies are one of the most popular genres of world cinema. The love in them is beautiful, the heroines are feminine, the heroes are gallant. These films bring a little romance, optimism and good humor to everyday life. In recent decades, many great films have been shot in this genre with the participation of wonderful actors, many of whom have become famous precisely in romantic roles.
Instruction manual
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If we look at the history of the genre of romantic comedy in world literature, then its creator, perhaps, can be considered the great English playwright William Shakespeare. Films based on his plays are still very popular with a wide variety of audiences. Perhaps the most successful adaptation of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy is Kenneth Branagh’s film, Much Ado About Nothing. He is just overflowing with joy, sunlight, fun and energy of young performers, the most striking of which are Kenneth Branagh in the role of Benedict and Emma Thompson in the role of Beatrice.
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Another interesting adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy is Midsummer Night's Dream by Michael Hoffman. Since this is a very typical Hollywood movie production, the director relied on numerous special effects and a considerable number of stars not only in central, but also in relatively small roles. Perhaps the main success of the film was a very unusual interpretation of the image of the Fundamentals. In the performance of the subtle and intelligent Kevin Klein, the narcissistic fool suddenly turned into a true romantic who is hurt by the rudeness of life and is irresistibly attracted by the romance of the magic forest.
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The Oscar-winning film "Shakespeare in Love" is a very free and not very plausible interpretation of Shakespeare's biography. However, thanks to the brilliant wit of the genius Tom Stoppard, who came up with this funny and at the same time sad, but very romantic story, all the inconsistencies of the storyline quickly cease to be noticed. The role of Shakespeare in the film was played by the handsome Joseph Fiennes, but he was eclipsed by two beautiful ladies who rightfully won the Oscars for their work - Gwyneth Paltrow (Viola) and Judy Dench (Queen Elizabeth I).
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Another romantic comedy based on a classic storyline is Oliver Parker's How Important It Is to Be Serious. This is a film adaptation of the most famous comedy of the witty Oscar Wilde. The main roles in the film were played by brilliant English actors - Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, Frances O'Connor and Judy Dench, as well as American Reese Witherspoon.
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The largest master of contemporary romantic comedy is rightfully considered a British screenwriter, and more recently, director Richard Curtis. His slightly sad and very bright films about how people, one way or another, find their happiness, take first place in all ratings of romantic comedies. The main roles in a series of films based on the scripts of Richard Curtis were played by the main screen smoothie Hugh Grant. Their tandem (of course, with the participation of other wonderful actors) presented the audience with such unforgettable films as “Four Weddings and One Funeral”, “Notting Hill”, “Bridget Jones's Diary” and “Real Love”.
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In the world of fairy tales, which unexpectedly came to modern New York, the action of yet another wonderful romantic story “Enchanted” unfolds. This is a funny Disney self-parody, telling about how fabulously cartoon characters are trying to get used to in the modern world and, of course, find true love in the finale. The opening of the film was the charming Amy Adams in the role of the beautiful and childishly naive Princess Giselle.
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I would like to end this short excursion into the world of romantic comedy with Woody Allen’s wonderful film “Midnight in Paris”, the main character of which is young writer Gil Pender (Owen Wilson), who unexpectedly falls into the past during night walks in Paris, where he meets his idols Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dali, Louis Bunuel. One of the main roles in the film was played by a true Frenchwoman Marion Cotillard, who three years earlier became famous for her brilliant performance of the role of Edith Piaf in the film "Life in a Pink Light".
