Paul's Rom-Com Festival

Rose at 6:38 in the dark of morning. Rain pattered invisibly outside. I tried opening my Notes document for chapter 19, but did not get far. Other things supervened.

Tonight: program 11 of Paul's Rom-Com Festival. It's the 1990 movie Pretty Woman with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. It's another in the top drawer of the genre. There are many things to like about the movie, but next time you see it, pay attention to how the character of the hotel manager is portrayed. He is the only character, apart from the two lead roles, who undergoes a character-change in the course of the story. This makes his subplot--the change from disdain for hooker Vivian Ward to acceptance and even respect and love--an important one for the meaning of the movie.

For the record, here are the films of Paul's Rom-Com Festival so far, in chronological order of release (and viewing):

• It Happened One Night (1934) starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Story by Samuel Hopkins Adams; screenplay by Robert Riskin. Directed by Frank Capra.
  
• Born Yesterday (1950) starring William Holden and Judy Holliday. Screenplay by Albert Mannheimer based on the play by Garson Kanin. Directed by George Cukor.
• The Apartment (1960) starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. Screenplay by I.A.L. Diamond and Billy Wilder. Directed by Billy Wilder.
• Annie Hall (1977) starring Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. Screenplay by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman. Directed by Woody Allen.
• Tootsie (1982) starring Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange. Story by Larry Gelbart and Don McGuire; screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal (and other uncredited writers, including Barry Levinson and Elaine May). Directed by Sydney Pollack.
• Splash (1984) starring Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah. Screenplay by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandell. Directed by Ron Howard.
• Baby Boom (1987) starring Diane Keaton and Sam Shepard. Screenplay by Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer. Directed by Charles Shyer.
• Moonstruck (1987) starring Cher and Nicolas Cage. Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley. Directed by Norman Jewison.
• Working Girl (1988) starring Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford. Screenplay by Kevin Wade. Directed by Mike Nichols.
• When Harry Met Sally (1989) starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. Screenplay by Nora Ephron. Directed by Rob Reiner.
• Pretty Woman (1990) starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. Screenplay by J.F. Lawton. Directed by Garry Marshall.

I'll update the list as we move forward with the festival.