In the early years of film there were mostly pantomime styled melodrama in silent films.In 1940 films like The Grapes of wrath show the effects of the depression.
The 1950's, began a rise in well-known dramatic actors. Montgomery Clift, Glenn Ford, James Dean, Btte Davis, and Marilyn Monroe were notable dramatic actors.
Dramatic films focused on character relationships and development.
All About Eve (1950) focused on women, and their relationship with men.
Rebel Without Cause (1955) displayed teenage angst.
Films like 12 Angry Men (1957) and Anatomy of a Murder (1959) show the inner workings of a courtroom.
The 1960's brought politically driven dramas focusing on war, such as:
-Judgement at Nuremberg (1961)
-Flashback (1969)
-The Manchrian Candidate (1962)
Sports dramas beame inspirational such as:
-The Hustler (1961)
-Downhill Racer (1969)
During the 1970's, modern dramatic directors made some of their first films.
Francis Ford Coppola directed The Godfather (1972)
-Martin Scorsese directed Taxi Driver (1976), Mean Streets (1973), and musical drama New York, New York (1977).
-Sylvester Stallone created one of the most successful sports drama franchises with Rocky (1976) and also directed the sequel Rocky II (1979).
In addition, in sports drama were films that focused on the struggle of athletics such as:
-Brian's Song (1970),
-The Longest Yard (1974).
In the 1980's, dramatic film put emphasis on highly emotional themes.
-Do the right thing (1989)
-The colour Purple (1985)
These were full character studies of African American culture and history..
War dramas:
-Platoon (1986)- showed the horrors of Vietnam.
-Das Boot (1981) - focused on the German viewpoint of World War II.
Drama, with a sciencefiction edge was a theme when Steven Spielberg directed E.T. (1982), and Riley Scott directed Blade Runner (1982), and also The Accused (1988).
During the 1990's:
Crime dramas- Goodfellas (1990)
Themes of hope: The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Schindler's List (1993).
-Dramas also took a turn with existentialist thrillers such as Fight Club (1999)
-Coming of age was dealt with in Good Will Hunting (1997),
-Race relationships were a theme in American History X (1998),
-Comedy-drama was featured with films like Forrest Gump (1994), Jerry Maguire (1996) and As Good as it Gets (1997).
-child-oriented dramas also became more popular in Disney movies.
20th century to modern day the drama genre has expanded dramatically with an increase in demand of drama films.
Characters
Common characters in Drama films: The protagonist
He/she is the generally the main character in the film. The audience feels sympathy towards this character that always triumphs over the villain. This character also has such as bravery, determination and a desire to overcome evil. This character is often put under trails so that these characteristics can be exposed to the audience. The protagonist us most commonly played by a male character put the use of female characters acting this role in films has increased in the past few years. The protagonist brings a certain presence when entering and leaving the scene and always attempts to solve the problems that occur
Common Characters in Drama films: The Antagonist
The antagonist goes to extreme length to get exactly what he/she wants this could include breaking the law, hurting someone or potentially killing someone. This character primarily looks out for themself and seems to posse little empathy towards any character. There is always a feud between the protagonist and antagonist which makes the antagonist determined to ruin the life of the protagonist.
Common Characters in Drama films: The helper/best friend
This character displays the characteristics of loyalty and trust. The helper always manages to be there for the protagonist and usually aids them throughout the whole film. This character often has moral codes which might have to be broken in order to help the protagonist achieve victory over the antagonist. The helper acts as a best friend to the protagonist and try’s to help as much as possible. If this character is a female and the protagonist is a male then it’s likely they will fall in love by the end of the movie.
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