'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason' Opening Analysis

Another favourite romantic comedy of mine is ‘Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason’. The 2004 film, directed by Beeban Kidron was a sequel from the 2001 film ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ (both based on Helen Fielding's novels).

The rom/com has both similarities and differences to ‘The Holiday’. ‘Bridget Jones’ also uses a voice over from the main character (Renée Zellweger’s Bridget) narrating her life, however, this is combined with both dialogue and background music.

I again thought the voice over was very effective, which urged me to tell my group to do one, although ours is of both characters.

Most the titles in the opening do not start till later, at 4.30, after a scene from Bridget’s mother’s Christmas party and her fantasy which leads to the explanation of her current situation. The titles in the opening are in handwriting like font, portraying her diary.

 

As they appear, we are introduced to Bridget working, parachuting out a plane. This shows her progression from the previous film ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ when, after her mother’s Christmas party, we saw her home alone, smoking and drinking, singing along to Celine Dionne’s All By Myself mirroring her single life.

The titles continue as she carries out her every day morning routine.

In the fantasy like scene, lots of cross fades are used to show the passing of time, which I also used when editing my opening sequence.

Another very effective opening, we get an insight into Bridget's life (work, family and love) and the setting she's regularly in.

Analysis of 'The Holiday' Opening Sequence

A film that inspired me would have to be 'The Holiday', the American film written and directed by Nancy Meyers, is an absolute classic and favourite romantic comedy of mine. To help the making of my opening sequence coursework I analysed ‘The Holiday’ opening.

The first thing that strikes me when watching is the simplicity of the titles, simple yet formal and effective. I chose to do this also in my opening, due to the similarity in the setting and storyline of both.

Throughout the opening we see the main characters (Jack Black, Cameron Diaz, Eli Wallach, Jude Law and lastly Kate Winslet) in setting which reflect them and their daily life style (for example Jack Black at work writing music for a film and Kate Winslet working at her work Christmas party). This gives the audience an insight of each character and their personality and introduces them us.

The music fades in and out of the scenes with Kate Winslet voicing over her and Shakespeare’s views on love, what she says reflects each relationship foreshadowing their future (for example at 1.32 she says ‘love is blind’ at this point we see Jack Black with his current girlfriend, who we later find out cheats on him. And at 1.53 when we see Cameron Diaz and her current partner she says ‘love fades’, they later break up in the film). At the end of the introduction scenes of the characters and after Kate Winslet's (playing Iris) character insight the music slowly fades out as her voice over stops and dialogue beings.

The opening is effective, it shows the audience the genre through the couples and voice over about love (set up to make us question how they will end up) and introduces setting, characters and relationships.