Love Actually is a 2003 rom-com, written and directed by Richard Curtis. The film is shown through ten separate stories of varying individuals, many of whoms path interlink as the film progresses. The ensemble cast is composed of predominantly British actors (of which several have worked with Curtis before). Set in London, the film begins five weeks before Christmas, a commonly chosen time for a romantic comedy to be set.
Richard Curtis is an experienced director, having previously directed many popular rom-coms, including Four Weddings and a Funeral as well as the Bridget Jones films.
As the plot progresses, the relationships between the characters develop and the film is shown through each of the 10 major characters. The opening scene shows families reuniting in Heathrow airport. The camera cutting between various shots of people hugging could be used to symbolise the multiple relationships that are had throughout the film between the ten characters.
The contrast is brightened during the first scene consisting of families reuniting at an arrivals lounge in Heathrow airport. Harmonious, angelic-like non-diagetic sounds replace the diagetic noises at the start of this scene. These two effects combined give an extremely serene feel, making the whole scene quite relaxed. The camerawork is used to give off a handheld-esque feel, as if someone at the airport was recording the families reuniting, due to the focusing of shots, quick cuts and pans. However, the camera is more likely to be positioned on a tripod, based on the steadiness of the shots.
The serene atmosphere is broken only by the sound of Hugh Grant’s voice, performing a monologue over the scene. In this he relates the on-scene events to the calls made by the passengers of United States Airline flight 175, during the tragic events of 9/11. He states that the overall consensus of people nowadays is that we live in “a world of hatred and greed”, where really “love actually is all around”, as proven by the calls of love, not hate, during 9/11.
The next scene fades in from black, depicting Bill Nighy as Billy Mack, an artist covering The Troggs “Love Is All Around” as “Christmas Is All Around”. He appears to be a very laid-back character, shown through his Hawaiian shirt and general attitude, such as when he comically messes up the lyrics.
The movie was released in November, just a month before Christmas. The timing of this release was crucial as it tied in with the advertising and marketing campaign. The above poster shows the ten characters in front of several Christmas trees, this along with the red ribbon (slightly framing the poster) gives an extremely festive feel.
The positive reviews and ratings are essential, especially the keywords such as "magical", "deliciously Christmassy" and "warm" as these are the feelings that the audience will relate to Christmas, and what they want from a film during this time of year.
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