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Lew Crippen · 06-06-2003, 10:01 AM

Doug, not an attempt to change your views on screwballs, but I’ll make a couple of observations—which may well be incorrect, as it is just some of my unformulated thoughts:

Characters in Screwball Comedies don’t really ever develop—they are types and stay true to the types throughout. The guy remains who he is at the beginning—his main change is coming to the realization that he loves the girl (something we all knew from the first reel) and, at the end accepting that he loves the (inappropriate) girl. So he does not really change.

The girl only really changes at the beginning when she meets the guy. And (of course) falls instantly in love. Unlike the guy, she knows this immediately and is determined to force a conclusion.

Now in The Lady Eve it may well seem that Eve’s character changes a lot, but I would contend that she remains constant after falling for Hopsie. Although she seems to revert back to her hard-hearted self after being treated badly, in fact she has never changed at all, as evidenced in the easy reconciliation we see at the end.

And the remainder of the cast, stereotypes all, have no need for any character development (and there is none).

This lack of character development is not unique to Screwballs—I would submit that the characters remain constant in ‘film noir’ as well. We know at the beginning who all of the characters are and expect them to not change during the course of the film. A weak one will fold, the femme fatale will betray the protagonist, he will remain constant despite being betrayed, and so on.

Now this may not help you like the films any more than you do already, but as we know how the film is going to end, there is not a lot of point in worrying about the mechanics of the conclusion—the whole point is to enjoy the ride along the way.

As to L’Avventura, I agree that it is a difficult film. It is one that I deeply love and come back to again and again. I don’t pretend that I know everything that Antoonioni is trying to say or do, but it is a film that I understand a bit more every time I see it.

06-06-2003, 10:01 AM	#513 of 3711
Lew Crippen Member Location: Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexíco Join Date: May 2002 Local Time: 04:43 PM Local Date: 09-07-2008 Posts: 11,402	Doug, not an attempt to change your views on screwballs, but I’ll make a couple of observations—which may well be incorrect, as it is just some of my unformulated thoughts: Characters in Screwball Comedies don’t really ever develop—they are types and stay true to the types throughout. The guy remains who he is at the beginning—his main change is coming to the realization that he loves the girl (something we all knew from the first reel) and, at the end accepting that he loves the (inappropriate) girl. So he does not really change. The girl only really changes at the beginning when she meets the guy. And (of course) falls instantly in love. Unlike the guy, she knows this immediately and is determined to force a conclusion. Now in The Lady Eve it may well seem that Eve’s character changes a lot, but I would contend that she remains constant after falling for Hopsie. Although she seems to revert back to her hard-hearted self after being treated badly, in fact she has never changed at all, as evidenced in the easy reconciliation we see at the end. And the remainder of the cast, stereotypes all, have no need for any character development (and there is none). This lack of character development is not unique to Screwballs—I would submit that the characters remain constant in ‘film noir’ as well. We know at the beginning who all of the characters are and expect them to not change during the course of the film. A weak one will fold, the femme fatale will betray the protagonist, he will remain constant despite being betrayed, and so on. Now this may not help you like the films any more than you do already, but as we know how the film is going to end, there is not a lot of point in worrying about the mechanics of the conclusion—the whole point is to enjoy the ride along the way. As to L’Avventura, I agree that it is a difficult film. It is one that I deeply love and come back to again and again. I don’t pretend that I know everything that Antoonioni is trying to say or do, but it is a film that I understand a bit more every time I see it. ¡Time is not my master!