Within our group we decided that our action film will have romance involved, as a sub-genre to appeal to the female secondary audience. I believe that women appeal more to romance than action due to uses and gratifications theory which states that the audience is active and uses the text for their own pleasure giving them power not the media producers. Women could use the romance within the film to gain their personal identity on what their beliefs of relationships should be like, using the media as a model of behaviour of how they believe couples should act for an ideal couple, this relates to information theory, of people using the media in order to satisfy own interests and beliefs to ensure a sense of security is given through their own knowledge.
I have watched and studied a number of action films with the sub-genre of romance to develop my understanding further and to pick out key points that appear relevant in all of the films that I could possibly suggest to the group to use in our final piece.
Killers
Lionsgate produced this action film, it is about an ex-spy who gave up his career for a woman he met whilst carrying out an assassin and she is left to never know his prior career before their marriage however she soon finds out due to an unexpected break out in their own home when someone attempts to kill the couple, they find out it is one of their family, friends or neighbors and have to escape and her husband is forced back into the career he once loved however now Jen (the wife) is involved in the killing and they must now run from whoever is attempting to kill them.
Representation
Throughout the film, stereotypes are extremely prominent, with the wife being extremely stereotypical and meeting social expectations by firstly being clueless and dependent on her husband to protect her and refusing to harm anybody which reflects women's innocence and purity within film. This is shown on the cover as she still maintains to be posing for someone which suggests that she cares highly about the couples appearance and the way they are perceived to everyone. Furthermore, she is wearing impractical clothing that make her seem sweet and almost basic, as where the costume is concerned she is wearing black and white which suggests simplicity which juxtaposes against her husbands suit which is a more detailed and coloured to suggest that he is more complex. She also appears dependent on her husband due to the body language used as her hands are resting on his body for support, if he left she would fall, symbolizing her love for her husband alongside this, the iconic lifted foot is used to reflect adolescent love to suggest she is so in love with him. The fact that she is dressed in a short skirt and heels and so reliant on a man may appeal to men, this supports the male gaze theory developed by Laura Mulvey, she expressed that women are placed within media for visual pleasure and are there for the use of male characters, this is true as without his wife, the male protagonist would not be in this situation. Furthermore, where props are concerned the male is also shown as meeting stereotypes due to him holding the gun, this shows that he has the power and that he is the most dominant and strong one within the relationship which is reflected again by the use of her body language and representation.
Mr. & Mrs.Smith
Produced by Regency Enterprises, this film is extremely well known and successful, due to its use of comedy and excellent choice of actors. Within this action film , a strong twist has been placed in, similar to most spy films, their jobs are kept secret from their significant other, the two protagonists have been married for five or six years hiding their career from their partner however it is soon revealed that each other are assassins, with each other as their target putting a huge twist on the romance sub-genre included within the film. The use of romance, action and comedy without this film helps intrigue both genders for a more wider audience.
Representation
Within this film I thought that the typical gender roles were altered due to the woman being seen as equal to her husband due to her career as the job requires violence, anger and control which women are stereo-typically not involved in due to their motherhood instincts. I believe the narrative is also shown within the cover/poster as their body language suggests. Both the protagonist's body language are far apart and looking away, to show that they aren't in love like other "normal" couples, the fact their eyes are looking away shows that they believe they are the superior which gives off a childish impression as they are refusing to look at each other. Despite the fact that the woman is presented as equal she is also portrayed in a proactive manner revealing her legs and upper thighs, this could relate again to the maze gaze theory as it would give visual pleasure for both the male character and the audience watching, the use of the prop of the gun along her upper thighs suggests that she will use her beauty and the act of seduction in order to kill her husband showing that she is smart and cunning. The use of her hands being free shows that she has nothing to hide and is able to use them at her will which juxtaposes against her husband as he has a gun in his hand showing that he is doing his job the professional way and is not afraid to show what he is willing to do for his career. Furthermore, he could be using the prop to refer and reinforce his masculinity within both the situation and relationship due to the prop being a phallic shape. The couple show their equality as they are both subtly using their love for each other in order to assassinate one an other alongside both having the same props and body language alongside the costumes worn, as they are both dressed in black which foreshadows death, yet is it the death of each other or something else? These queries make the audience eager to watch the production and find out what happens.
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