Love vs Society and Class: How Love Triumphs in Romantic Comedies by Lindsey

Lindsay Parks

Professor Sinowitz

Romantic Comedy

25 February, 2020

Love vs Society and Class: How Love Triumphs in Romantic Comedies

            Society and class play major roles in romantic comedies as it gives the audience a sense of where the character belongs. Sometimes two characters will fall in love within their social class or at least with one acceptable for their class, like in William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, but sometimes in romantic comedies one will fall in love with someone who is  completely outside of it, just like in It Happened One Night (1934) directed by Frank Capra. Exhibited by Shakespeare through his characters Beatrice and Benedict, even though their circumstances some would argue are untruthful and their love is based on lies, it shows how strong their love is that they can move past that and still love each other in the end. It is love that is what matters in the end, not any other circumstances. Class is just another specification of circumstance and the film It Happened One Night supports and furthers the idea of love conquering said circumstances that is established in Much Ado About Nothing. It Happened One Night supports the theory that it is not class and money that matter most, even though said factors can certainly have a role in what may bring two people together, but it is love that is what matters most. 

In Much Ado About Nothing the two characters are in the same class so they have a different set of circumstances to overcome in order for the argument that love prevails to be validated. The difference in arguments between Shakespeare and Capra is that Capra’s circumstances are more specific to social class. The first way Capra is able to do this is by removing Ellie Andrews from her element and taking her away from the rich and the poor. Thus, she stands out and is perceived as a “a fool and a spoiled brat” (Capra, 37:03). This exposes her to emotions and a sense of being uncomfortable that she has never been exposed to before as she has always been comfortable. She then meets Peter Warne and he is of the opposite class as her, the one in which she has now been thrown into on her own. Warne is able to make Andrew's feel more comfortable in her new setting, in a practically foreign world to her and this is one of the first signs the audience is able to see that there is clearly something more between the two, despite their very different classes. 

One scene that shows the connection between the two is when Warne is teaching Andrews how to hitchhike. Andrew’s, of course, is not exposed to this sort of thing because she has never had to do anything like it within her life; Andrews is out of her normal surrounding. The scene starts out with the camera angle of a medium shot and this is to one, set the scene and show the audience where the two characters are in relation to their surroundings and two, to establish an intimacy and relationship between the characters in the scene. This is because instead of it showing the characters separately in their own shot, they are shown together in this shot symbolizing their connection and that they are already in some sense tied to one another. Also within this shot, Andrews touches Warne’s arm and Warne touched Andrews’ thigh in order to get her attention as he gets ready to show her his technique. This shows how comfortable they are with each other, especially because Andrews is so comfortable with him outside of her normal comfort-zone, and along with the camera angle this sets the rest of the scene up with a sense of intimacy and comfortability. A few moments after this shot, another shot is used to show and not let the audience forget that the difference in classes between the two still exists. Based on the beginning of the scene, if one had not seen the rest of the movie one would not have any idea that they were from different classes, showing how it is their connection, their love that matters. But, the audience having seen the rest of the movie knows this, and so when the scene goes into a long shot with Andrews laying on the fence while Warne does all the work, it symbolizes their places in society once again. 

After Warne fails to get a car to stop, he walks back to Andrews and sits down, the shot then showing them at equal levels. This is different than most other times in the movie when Warne is towering over her because of his height, but this time he is not, this time he is equal with her. This then contradicts the previous shot that shows their classes matter, by then showing them at equal playing grounds and therefore, symbolizing that their class does not matter here. These shots back-to-back represent how, yes social classes do exist and do shape people’s lives and opinions, but that should not close one off if they find themselves in Andrew and Warne’s position and find love with someone else. This is because, maybe, that was just the circumstance that the two characters needed in order to find love, as if it was meant to be. This idea of fate plays a role as well in the idea that love is what matters most because it provides a reason, a justification, for the audience to use as to why the two characters are in love even though said circumstances may not be right or ideal within societal norms. 

The end of the scene features a deep focus shot where Andrews is in the foreground and Warne is in the background, both in focus. This takes place as Andrews lifts up her skirt to show her bare leg in order to attract the attention of a driver and to make him stop. Warne being in the background while she is doing this symbolizes him supporting her, because she may not have had the courage to do something so risqué at the time if he had not made her feel comfortable and she was not comfortable around him. However, we are once again reminded of their different classes when he has failed to get a car to stop and the first one she sees stops for her. This once again shows the difference in their lives as she is catered to as a higher up and he must work for everything he receives. The scene being set up in this way of sandwiching in content that shows their connection and how nothing else matters with that of symbolization and circumstances of social class shows how the two intertwine and can certainly influence the other, but when it comes down to it the audience is aware that it is not social class that matters, but the love and relationship between Andrews and Warne. 

Another element in the film that supports and extends the idea of love triumphing is the fact that Andrews’ father, in fact, encourages her to find someone she truly loves and not to settle for King Westley, even though he is much higher up in stature. Mr. Andrews in fact encourages Andrews to go after Warne as he tells her “he loves you, Ellie. He told me so” (1:41:15), and he does this as he is walking her down the aisle to a different man. This symbolizes the strength of Andrews and Warne’s love and the fact that even her father does not care who she marries and what class she is from shows how insignificant social class really is when it comes to things, like love, that truly matter. Her father is telling her to ignore class, to ignore the circumstances, and to take a chance for love. Part of what draws Mr. Andrews to this conclusion that “Warne is ok” (1:40:55) is the fact that when he offered Warne the reward, Warne did not want it because Andrews mattered more to him than any amount of money could even though that money is a big deal to him and people in his class because it is a lot. Here, it is his love for her that shows, not his class; yet, knowing his class shows how true his love is for her because the audience knows how important class is supposed to be, but he could not care less about that when it comes to Andrews. 

My discussion of societal class and its role in relationships addresses the larger matter of if love really does conquer all. One of the main barriers between people to this day continues to be social class and what and whom is acceptable or not. Much Ado About Nothing does not focus specifically on social class but it still portrays the idea that love is what matters in the end, not the circumstances. It Happened One Night furthers this idea by focusing on social class and having the different social classes play a large role in the two characters relationship, even to the extent where Andrews is at the altar with King Westley solely because of his status in society. Yet, in the end she runs off to find Warne because what others in society think of you can only mean so much and get you so far, but what make you happy and what you think of yourself is what the love in screwball romantic comedies symbolizes, and that is what is most important in the end. 

Works Cited/ Referenced: 

Adams. It Happened One Night. Culver City, CA: Columbia TriStar Home Video, 1999.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Much Ado about Nothing. London ; New York :Penguin, 2005.