American Film Comedy

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the two films "The Reluctant Debutante," directed by Vincent Minnelli in 1958 and "What a Girl Wants," directed by Dennis Gordon in 2003. The paper discusses the plot, setting and styles of the two films and discusses how these contribute to the comedic portrayal of the cultural clashes between the British and American characters in the films.

From the Paper:

"In "The Reluctant Debutant" Lord Broadbent brings his daughter willingly over to England. He always knew of her existence, and both he and his wife, in however bumbling a fashion, take an interest in the girl's coming out into society and becoming part of their lives. In "What a Girl Wants," the barbed insults of the aristocrats are more cruel than witty, and they lack the glittering, attractive if cruel perfection of the persons involved in the social whirl of "The Reluctant Debutante." Because there is less of a believable cultural difference between nations, and more of an obvious class difference between middle-class America and upper class England, the aristocrats seem cruel. In the earlier film, this sense of social hierarchy is simply not in the film's frame of reference. England equals class and money. America equals culture and democracy."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "The Reluctant Debutante." Directed by Vincent Minnelli. 1958.
• "What a Girl Wants." Directed by Dennis Gordon. 2003

More papers on American Film Comedy:

• Term Paper # 99113 : "African-Americans in Film"
• Film Review # 140068 : "American Beauty" - A Sociological Perspective"
• Research Paper # 70909 : "American Silent Film"

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