Compare And Contrast Pirate Radio And Love Actually

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The films Love Actually (2003) and Pirate Radio (2009) are both directed by Richard Curtis. Although both films are directed by Curtis, there are many differences between the two films that distinguish themselves from one another, such as directional style, the time period, and the plot. Love Actually follows the lives of eight couples during Christmastime in London, showing the audience that love can “actually” be found anywhere. Pirate Radio concentrates on a group of rock-n-roll DJs who defy Britain’s government and its ban on rock-n-roll music by playing rock-n-roll music on a ship outside of the British jurisdiction in the North Sea. Despite the drastic difference in their plots, both Love Actually and Pirate Radio do have similarities, …show more content…
Pirate Radio takes place during the 1960s on a ship outside of the British jurisdiction in the North Sea, while Love Actually occurs in the 2000s in London, England. Another difference is that Richard Curtis decides to begin Love Actually with a voiceover, meaning that the film is narrated without an image of the speaker. The voiceover is voiced by Hugh Grant, who reveals to the audience that despite the hatred in the world and the tragedy of 9/11, he sees love everywhere, specifically at the airport. In contrast, Curtis begins Pirate Radio with a verbal narration, which uses words on the screen to convey to the audience what is going on. This verbal narration tells the audience that during the 1960s, the time where this movie takes place, British radio refuses to play rock-n-roll music, which leads to the creation of pirate radio …show more content…
One similarity is Richard Curtis’ decision to use montages in both films. A montage is “tying together two separate but related shots in such a way that they took on a new, unified meaning…” (Baran 124). Love Actually begins and ends with a montage of people greeting each other at the airport and Pirate Radio shows clips of people in Britain dancing and singing to the rock-n-roll music the DJs are playing illegally on the ship. Also, Pirate Radio ends its film with a montage of different rock albums throughout the years. Another similarity between the two films is the use of music and how it effects emotion. “Emotion characterizes the experience of film, as it does the experience of music” (Cohen 249). In both films, music is played that coincides with particular scenes that make the audience feel a specific emotion. For instance, in Pirate Radio, the song “So Long, Marianne” is played after Carl finds his crush, Marianne, in bed with another man. This song represents Carl’s loss of Marianne to another man, and also makes the audience feel sympathetic towards Carl. In Love Actually, the song “All I Want For Christmas Is You” applies very well to the overall plot and theme of the film because this film follows the lives of eight couples during Christmas time, who desire one another and end up falling in love with each another. It is evident that music plays an

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