Romance becomes an adventure

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 17:15:00 GMT

By Sofia Ianuzzi, Lazara Canovas and Katherine Gonzalez/Staff Reporters

photo courtesy of www.photobucket.com

“Casanova” and “Tristan and Isolde” are two of the most popular romantic movies so far this year. These two movies are in an old time period, which makes the story not only romantic but historical as well. Let’s take Casanova for example, who is Casanova? In history he is known as the world’s most famous seducer. Casanova (Heath Ledger) always got the ladies with his charm, but then he meets Francheska (Sienna Miller), the only one who has ever rejected his charm and good looks. But the story doesn’t end there. Casanova tries to get close to Francheska in every way possible, and yes, that means disguising himself! Casanova is in theatres now, rated R for sexual content. “Tristan and Isolde” is a great romance as well. It starts with a young orphan named Tristan (James Franco) who grows up in England. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Irish attack. As a young man, Tristan leads a “guerrilla” (group of soldiers) against the Irish. Believing himself to be mortally hurt, he requests a funeral boat that washes up on the Irish coast. He is found by an Irish princess, Isolde (Sophia Myles). They both fall madly in love, Tristan being unaware that Isolde is promised to a foreign king. Despite their best efforts to end their affair, they eventually can’t help it, and resume their affair. “Tristan and Isolde” is a dramatic romance, also in theatres now, rated PG-13 for intense battle scenes and some sexuality. As much as these two stories attract the girls for their romance, the guys can get a kick out of them too. Not only is there love and passion, but there’s violence and action. Hollywood has begun to change the familiar format of the “chick flick.” “Titanic,” featuring Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet, is the highest grossing film of all time, according to the book “The Top 10 of Everything 2006.” And even though it was a romance, it also had lots of action. Without it, could these movies be as popular as they really are? “People wouldn’t watch it if it doesn’t have any action or exciting scenes because it wouldn’t attract the male audience,” said senior Malanie Munos. Freshman Vanessa Souffrain didn’t think the movies would be that popular because if there weren’t scenes where the guy fights for the girl then there would be no story. Freshman Alia Ajami thinks other wise. She said that it doesn’t matter whether there is action or not, the love is what makes the movie what it is. Guys think differently, Santiago Montoya (9th grade) said that “The only reason why I do watch romantic movies is because some of them have action, and it’s nice to take a girl to watch a movie of her choice.” Hollywood will still have its sappy, weepy movies like “Pride and Prejudice”, but making “chick flicks” more acceptable to guys makes dates a lot easier.

The Viper Vibe

Romance becomes an adventure