Pretty Woman Opening Analysis - Character and Characterisation

Before anything is shown on the screen (before the fade in), there is piece of dialogue: "no matter what they say, it's all about the money." This already gives the audience the plot of the film, and about how money has a key role in the film. It then fades in to a group of hands, with somebody doing a magic trick with pennies. This is foreshadowing events that will happen, where a lot of money is in one hand, and another hand penniless. This could represent the different characters that will be introduced and how different people's situations can link together. The man performing the magic trick then says "penny for the ear, how much for the rest?" This then sets up the plot again as he is intending that he would buy a woman, which if you watch the whole movie is actually what happens, but is presented in a more romantic way, therefore this action is setting up the plot for the audience. 

Everybody in the party is talking about someone named 'Edward', but without him being shown to the audience. This shows that he is very important character. This is then confirmed as it cuts to a man, so the audience knows that this is whom everybody has been talking about. He is upstairs and not in the party atmosphere, and is on the phone to his girlfriend, which shows that he can easily get into a relationship, however he splits up with her over the phone and seems unemotional about it. This scene is important as it tells the audience that he is now free and single, which shows that a new relationship may blossom in this film. There is then a shot of him looking down at everyone in the party. This shows that he is the most important person there and is perhaps the leader of the party and the reason everybody is here. 

He then goes downstairs and has a conversation with a woman, and she says that she got married but she couldn't wait for him, showing that even though she is married, she would still go for him. This tells the audience that he is an attractive person and can easily get into a relationship. This is important for the audience to know, as he is obviously a love interest. 

He leaves the party and takes someone else's car, even though the man who owns the car is telling him not to and to be careful with it. This shows that he doesn't listen to anyone and can take any car he wants, because he is rich and important. He is seen struggling to drive, which shows that he is not used to it and probably has someone to drive for him. This again shows how wealthy his character is. 

The opening continues and there are lots of shots of Edward travelling to Downtown LA, showing that he is moving away from his wealthy life. In the streets, there is shot of another group of hands, dealing drugs. This is a mirror shot of the shot used for the magic trick. This exaggerates the differences between each culture and the audience wonders how they will be linked. The song played over the top in the soundtrack while he is driving says the lyrics “over you”. This emphasises to the audience that he is single and any new relationship won’t be seen as him cheating on his girlfriend, which is important because the audience need to be on his side. Sirens are also heard which shows that this is a dangerous area to be in.

It cuts to a shot of a hotel, but some of the letters are not lit up, which shows that this is a rough area and not where wealthy people live. The letters ‘HO’ are lit up however, which is a visual joke as it represents the person who is about to be shown and that it is her job.

An alarm clock goes off, which is unusual at nighttime, which shows that she works off hours, again telling the audience of her job. The camera pans in her room and some photos are shown where some faces are ripped off. This suggests that her relationships have not been successful and that perhaps she has been heartbroken. This tells the audience that this is probably how she ended up on the streets and the situation she is in. The song that plays over the top of this scene has the lyrics “wild one” which shows that she is wild and different to the man previously shown at the beginning of the film. She is seen colouring her boots in black where fabric has faded, which shows that she is poor and cannot afford a new pair.

However horrible a prostitute is and is represented, this character is also shown as honest. This is because she is looking for her money to pay the rent, which shows that she cares about paying it, even though the money has gone. She is also seen as respectable because she disapproves her friend using drugs, who spent the rent money on them instead of the rent. This shows how much she cares about rent, which puts the audience on her side. A woman on the street says “she’s new” which shows that she is not used to the life of a prostitute and that there is still time or her so be rescued from this life. This sets up the plot of the film and how the two different lives that have been shown will link together in some way to create a romantic story. 

From writing this I learnt about how visual codes and how characters are represented in a romantic comedy. This could help with my own opening of a movie if I choose this genre or a similar one.