Pretty Woman

From Free net encyclopedia

For the Roy Orbison song sometimes known as "Pretty Woman", see Oh, Pretty Woman.

Template:Infobox Film Pretty Woman is an American romantic comedy motion picture that was one of the top films at the box office in 1990. The title character, a prostitute named Vivian Ward, was played by Julia Roberts, who received a Golden Globe award for her role. She was also nominated for an Academy Award, Best Actress. Screenwriter J. F. Lawton was nominated for a Writer's Guild Award and a British Academy Award.

1 Overview
2 Music
3 Trivia
4 Primary cast
5 Themes
6 Awards
7 External links

[edit]

Overview

Pretty Woman is the highest-grossing film of the romantic comedy genre, and possibly the most well-known. Set in Hollywood during the 1990s, its themes include the tension between romantic love and social class: the main characters represent utter opposites in social class and wealth, while both working in occupations considered indecent by mainstream society, and yet are given sympathetic depiction.

The male lead is a businessman Edward Lewis (played by Richard Gere). While ruthless in business — he is a "corporate raider" — he is portrayed as intelligent, sensitive, and pensive, unlike the more common stereotype of the 1980s financial titan as coarse and (and often nouveau riche) narcissistic. Asking for directions to his hotel, he meets a prostitute, Vivian. (In the United States, as in much of the world, prostitutes come disproportionately from the lower classes, and Vivian is understood to suffer from financial deprivation and desperation.) Because of her deprived background, she is naive and unaware of social graces, resulting in mild embarrassment for herself and Edward, but good-natured, cheerful, and unpretentious. In contrast to class and occupational archetypes — she's smart, kind, and perceptive. An unlikely love relationship grows between Edward and Vivian, and throughout the movie they struggle with the differences in social class and values.

[edit]

Music

The film features the song "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison, the title of which inspired that of the movie. Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1990. The soundtrack also features "The King of Wishful Thinking" by Go West and "Wild Women Do" by Natalie Cole.

[edit]

Trivia

Possibly due to the controversial subject matter, the movie was heavily edited. Groundbreaking on account of its sympathetic depiction of an occupation thought dishonorable and indecent by most Americans, the film has been described as featuring "a prostitute with a heart of gold".

Various rewrites of the original script portrayed Vivian as hypersexual and a heavy drug user. These traits, detrimental to the otherwise sympathetic portrayal of her, were removed or incorporated into the character of Vivian's friend, Kit. These "cut scenes" have been found in public view, and some were included on the DVD released on the movie's 15th anniversary. One such scene has Vivian offering Edward, "I could just pop ya good and be on my way", indicating a disinterest in "pillow talk". In another, she is confronted by drug dealers outside of The Blue Banana, and rescued by Edward.

Roberts has said that the body on the movie's cover is not her own; her head was pasted on a photograph of her body double, who also appeared in the opening sequence of the film.

Meg Ryan, Daryl Hannah and Molly Ringwald turned down the role of Vivian.

The more recent film, The Princess Diaries, a parallel to the Pretty Woman film, has many of the same supporting cast members and the same lines used in Pretty Woman. Garry Marshall is the director of both films.

[edit]

Primary cast

Richard Gere: Edward Lewis
Julia Roberts: Vivian Ward
Ralph Bellamy: James Morse
Jason Alexander: Philip Stuckey
Laura San Giacomo: Kit De Luca
Hector Elizondo: Barney Thompson
Hank Azaria: Detective (Hollywood Blvd.)
Alex Hyde-White: David Morse
Amy Yasbeck: Elizabeth Stuckey
Elinor Donahue: Bridget
Bill Applebaum: Howard
Billy Gallo: Carlos

[edit]

Themes

This 1990 feature film, based on an original screenplay by J. F. Lawton and directed by Garry Marshall, has become a classic love story that shows its viewers that love knows no boundaries or social status. The story shows that sometimes the people who influence and touch a person’s life are those that are least expected to do so. The personalities and characters of Vivian and Edward best represent this message, because the only thing that the two have in common is each other. Sometimes people learn the most from those who are the most different from them. While Vivian and Edward rub off on each other throughout the entire movie, they also influence each other on a deeper level.

Though there are many aspects of love represented in the movie, one that is most apparent is that fact that love cannot be confined to social class. While everyday society places emphasis on ones social status, the movie shows that two very different people can learn to love and appreciate one another. Because love does not limit itself within a social class, profession, or background, it can bring people who are worlds apart closer together to grow and teach each other about life.

Camera shots and scenes throughout the movie show Vivian and Edward’s interest in one another. The viewer can see that each is unfamiliar with the lifestyle of the other. For example, one of the first shots that the viewer sees Edward’s interest in Vivian is when the camera catches him admiring, yet wondering, about her while she is watching television. The shot shows him sitting on the couch with the light from the television flashing on the curious smile that he has drawn on his face.

Sometimes the person best suited for a person to love is not who the person thinks it is, often times because of each person’s status in society. While Edward may have never chosen or expected that he would fall in love with a prostitute, and Vivian thought that dreams of being with a wealthy and respectable man would come true, the development of characters and the relationship between them demonstrates the transformations in people that love brings.

One of the first transformations is captured in the shot where Edward has been looking for Vivian to take her to dinner and Vivian is sitting on a barstool in the downstairs lounge of the hotel and has just turned around and is facing the camera. She is out of focus and in the background of the shot; Edward is in the foreground, also facing the camera, but looking away from Vivian. This shows that she has changed, as he does not recognize her. The sequence continues with a slow film speed. As Edward turns around and Vivian comes into focus, the audience is shown that he sees Vivian for the first time as the woman she is becoming.

[edit]