Klika (Klikova), Deborah ORCID: 0000-0001-9883-2646 (2023) The bind in film comedy. In: Screenwriting Research Network (SRN) conference 2023: Gender and the Female Gaze, 20th - 23rd Sep, 2023, Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Analysing the nature of the midpoint (MP) in film comedies, this paper posits that plots dealing with a discordant relationship necessitate that the MP initiate a ‘bind’ for the main character/s between a ‘want’ (often a tangible goal) and their ‘need’ (flaws they must face). By attempting to master the bind, rather than confront their need, the character suffers what I term ‘cognisant dissonance,’ in that they become aware of the incongruity, yet lack the cognition to confront the issue, underpinning the comic tension in the second half of Act Two in a feature film. This paper will explore the nature of the bind in female protagonists in film comedy and how that might differ from the bind that the male characters confronts. To that end I will use The Devil Wears Prada and Bridesmaids along with The Apartment and Tootsie as case studies of the bind and analyse the difference in behaviour of characters in each film as they attempt to maintain both their need and want, resulting in behaviour that arises from such tension. I will touch on The Proposal as a film where both protagonists are caught in a bind and how they each deal with the resulting tension. This paper responds to the theme of the conference in its analysis of the female character caught in a bind, and which may result from the male/social gaze, and how the character then responds.

Item Type:	Conference or Conference Paper (Paper)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	film comedy; The Bind; comic tension; female protagonists
Subjects:	N Fine Arts > NX Arts in general P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences > School of Stage and Screen
Last Modified:	23 Sep 2024 13:43
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/48107

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