Talk:Melodrama
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Right. I've done what I could to try and expand out the limited and innacurate description of the musical definition of melodrama. It could probably use more work, but it's 4 am, and I should be asleep. Adam Cuerden 03:32, 27 March 2006 (UTC)
THis is simply a terrible ariticle. The defintion of melodrama is too simple, and it doesn't take into account that there are stories that are in between melodrama and high drama. --Unopeneddoor 01:17, 27 July 2006 (UTC)
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[edit] Additional areas unmentioned
The discussion of TV could benefit from some overt mention of the role of melodrama in the programming of such cable channels as Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network (the "woman in jeopardy" theme) and also audience participation in theatrical melodrama (hissing the villain and throwing popcorn). Needs someone with sufficient background to do it justice. Lawikitejana 07:20, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Melodrama in 1950s hollywood cinema
This section definitely needs attention -- it was a pivotal period for baroque narratives in cinema history and has had a huge impact on popular perception of melodrama since Australian Matt 06:44, 19 November 2006 (UTC)
- Yes, but maybe, as you started it, you should do it, cos as it stands this fragment is unrelated to the rest of the article and hardly makes any sense at all. Colin4C 16:01, 19 November 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Spectacle.
Victorian melodrama relied heavily on the effect of Spectacle, a section detailing this and linking in the reasons for this reliance may be useful. I'm currently preparing a paper on this myself, when I've finished I'll gladly start the section.
[edit] Problems with "current use" section
My reading of the text, particularly "Melodrama is ubiquitous on television: it is evident, for example, in a long series of TV movies about diseases or domestic violence, or the large number of hour-long television programs about lawyers, police officers, or physicians." It seems to me that this suggests that any hour-long dramatic program is a melodrama, which is not the case. I'm not entirely sure how to fix the section, but it strikes me as incorrect as it's written. Croctotheface 00:39, 4 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Nonsense?
I have a sneaking suspicion that the last section of this article is just made-up 'original research' nonsense:
- Types of Melodrama in film
- Since the dawn of tragedy, in which there was often an element of otherworldly force (god, gods, or fate) melodrama became the main type of film, together with comedy. In fact, arguably, all films can be either melodramas or comedies. There are many different types of melodramas:
- Patriarchal melodrama a melodrama in which issues of man (male) are discussed, often his relationship with his children, his attempts to make a career etc.
- Matriarchal melodrama usually discusses relationship between mother and her daughter, for example Mildred Pierce.
- Social melodrama attempts to focus on social issues, social injustice etc. for example, Best Years of Our Lives
- Post-modernistic melodrama can be a blend of any type of melodrama, such as films of Pedro Almodóvar.
I cannot find any academic references anywhere to 'patriarchal melodrama', 'matriarchal melodrama' etc etc and am tempted to delete this whole section. What do people here think? Colin4C 20:15, 19 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Telenovelas
I suggest to add some information about the relation between melodrama and telenovela, since melodrama it is a key element of it. -- NaBUru38 19:07, 12 October 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Race Melodrama
The whole section is un-sourced, it looks to me like direct plagiarism from an essay or article, that appears itself to be a little out of date (late sixties? It mentions 'equal rights' and 'Black Power' as if they are recent inventions). The mentioned authors and specific works should at have references. The style is also 'un-encyclopaedic', it's a discursive argument rather than a description. I think it ought to be either removed, or truncated and referenced. Anyone else? Molotov2 (talk) 10:08, 22 May 2008 (UTC)
The style also differs to the rest of the article, which makes me think it's plagiarism. For example, the use of inverted commas as opposed to italics to denote a full title. Molotov2 (talk) 10:12, 22 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Melodrama in Film, and spectacle
The article already covers musical melodrama. I think there ought to be a section, perhaps after the section on opera, covering melodrama in film. Film utilises all the various elements that define melodrama: plot (rather than character) driven drama, musical melodrama, and spectacle. A good example of an epic melodramatic work is Mehboob Khan's Mother India, which is regarded as one of the greatest works of post-colonial Indian film. I'd be happy to add something specifically about Khan's film, which I've studied, but that's really the extent of my knowledge regarding melodrama in film. Molotov2 (talk) 11:09, 22 May 2008 (UTC)
