factor for the producer, especially in light of the success of these previous
romantic comedies.) Hugh Grant’s role in this film is slightly different in that he
plays the ‘cad’. However, the genre association is still beneficial for the film’s
producers, as they can tap into his existing romantic comedy fan base. Renée
Zellweger was relatively unknown in a romantic comedy context (apart from
Jerry Maguire), but her inclusion in the cast added an intrigue factor. Could this
up-and-coming American actress play the now iconic English Bridget? Since
Bridget Jones’s Diary had been a successful newspaper column, which became
a best-selling novel, even more security was added to the film’s potential
success at the box office.
Romantic comedy has a set of conventions to which most of the examples of
this genre conform. Bridget Jones’s Diary is the story of a single woman living in
London. Both the protagonists, Bridget and Mark, lack a partner at the start of
the narrative. This soon changes when Mark is with Nicola and Bridget is with
Daniel, both the wrong partners and a hindrance to their union. This creates
immense dramatic irony. The two protagonists are not aware of their attraction
to one another, but the audience, through its knowledge of romantic comedy
conventions, can see that Bridget and Mark will end the story together — but
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coursework samples
Quest1ion
how? When they first meet, the two characters do not get on. Mark is rude and
sees Bridget as beneath him. Bridget feels that Mark is dull and does not like his
condescending attitude. This hostility remains until the end of the narrative. The
audience knows that the couple will eventually be together, but tension and
interest are sustained as the pair’s hurdles are overcome. The two characters are
very different; Mark is a highly paid barrister and Bridget has a relatively unprestigious
job in a large publishing house. This social and economic divide constructs
one of the hurdles for the couple and intrigues the audience as to how the divide
will be overcome.
Bridget changes as she tries to make herself more attractive to the opposite
sex. Her attempts initially ‘net’ Daniel, but he proves himself unworthy of her affection.
The audience follows Bridget’s shifts from hope to depression and back again,
to an ending with Mark and hope for the future. The couple overcome their differences,
learn something about themselves along the way and provide a textbook
‘romcom’ ending. Mark has aborted his move to America and has come back for
Bridget. The series of trials which the protagonists within romantic comedies must
undergo is ended successfully when he returns. Perhaps the most prominent of
all romcom conventions is that the couple unite in the end, providing the viewer
with met expectations of the genre and a sense of satisfaction and safety.
The audience is constantly aware of Bridget’s feelings throughout the film
through her diary, which is read as voice-over by Bridget. This allows Bridget’s
character to discuss the conventions of the romantic comedy genre in an almost
self-conscious way. The audience hears how she is lonely, vulnerable, unaware
of her attraction to Mark, let down by Daniel and eventually happy. This effective
use of restricted narration lets us know how Bridget is feeling, which allows us to
empathise with the character.
In the final sequence, conventions are used creatively to generate tension for
the viewer. Bridget is at Mark’s parents’ ruby wedding celebration, and a remark
is made about Mark and Nicola. She is overcome by her feelings and makes a fool
of herself, trying to hide her outburst. She leaves and the audience is in suspense,
waiting for Mark’s response. The tension seems to be released when Mark comes
back from America for Bridget. However, resolution is postponed by the drama of
Mark reading Bridget’s diary and her fears that it has offended him.
Time is compressed in the film and the viewer is presented with a whole year
of Bridget’s life, but the narrative highlights the events relevant to the romantic
comedy storyline. This use of emotional issues and romantic confusions is typical
of the romantic comedy genre. The narrative propels us towards the resolving final
sequence in which misunderstandings are explained and confusions are clarified.
The narrative structure of Bridget Jones’s Diary is almost circular. The
chronology takes us from one winter to the next and allows for a condensed
passage of time in which events directly relevant to Bridget can unfold. We see
her engage with friends, meetings which serve to contribute to the discussions
concerning relationships and allow her opportunity to explain her shifting romantic
situations. Bridget exists in a state of equilibrium at the beginning of the film, but
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AS Film Studies
not one that is characterised by safety. Her recognisable world is shattered by the
untrustworthy Daniel, who represents a disruptive element, but is reordered by
the reliable and caring Mark.
A cause-and-effect model can be used to discuss how narrative works in this
film. Bridget and Mark’s initial conversation at the beginning of the film acts to
separate the characters through a series of misunderstandings. This is necessary
within the romantic comedy genre, because it provides the first of the hurdles
which must be overcome. We see the consequences of each of Bridget’s interactions
with other characters and use our knowledge of romantic comedy conventions
to predict that, although her life may be unfulfilled for a large portion of the
narrative, happy resolution will come.
Bridget Jones’s Diary is, therefore, typical of the romantic comedy genre. It uses
the conventions an audience expects from this genre to create narrative meaning
and engage the audience in the creation of the protagonists’ relationship. Narrative
conventions are used to reinforce our recognition of genre and edit Bridget’s life
experiences so that we are presented with events that we see as relevant to the
genre. As a reworking of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones’s
Diary is a modern-day comedy of manners. Elizabeth and Darcy have become
Bridget and Mark, but modern audiences have the same desire: that the couple
come together in the end.
(1,269 words)