Drama film

Drama film

A drama is a film that depends mostly on in-depth character development, interaction, and highly emotional themes. In a good drama film, the audiences are able to experience what other characters are feeling and identify with someone.

This genre could be especially useful by challenging the ignorance from stereotypes or any other overly simplistic generalizations by bringing it down to a more personal and complex level. As well, such movies could also be therapeutic by showing how characters cope with their problems, challenges, or issues, and to the extent the viewer can identify with the characters with his or her own world.

This film genre can be contrasted with an action film, which relies on fast-paced action and develops characters sparsely.

List of dramatic films
• Titanic (1997)
• Traffic


Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about law, crime, punishment or the legal profession. Types of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films.

It is widely believed by most practicing lawyers that legal dramas result in the general public having misconceptions about the legal process. Many of these misconceptions result from the desire to create an interesting story. For example, conflict between parties make for an interesting story, which is why legal dramas emphasize the trial and ignore the fact that the vast majority of civil and criminal cases in the United States are settled out of court. Legal dramas also focus on situations where there is an obvious injustice or ones in which either the plaintiff or defendant is very interesting and unusual. As a result, things such as the insanity defense occur far more often in legal drama than in real life. Finally, legal dramas often focus on areas of the legal process which can be portrayed dramatically, such as oral arguments, and ignore areas which are less easily portrayed, such as researching a written legal brief.

An incomplete list
Television shows that fall into this category include:
• L.A. Law
• Matlock
• The Practice
• Boston Legal

Romance film
The romance film has as its central plot the beginning, obstruction and eventual, though often tragic, fruition of romantic love. A common derogatory term for such films is "weepy" since they can reduce the audience to (willing) tears by playing on themes of noble self-sacrifice or cruel fate.

Examples
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Perhaps the most famous romance film of all is Casablanca where Rick Blaine, a bitter and cynical man following the end of an affair with Ilsa Lund, meets Ilsa again in Casablanca. Ilsa's husband, Victor Laszlo, is an important Resistance leader from Czechoslovakia with a massive price on his head and is being hunted by the occupying Nazis. Rick eventually chooses to help the couple escape, regardless of his own feelings for Ilsa, with whom he earlier reconciles.

Romantic drama film
A romantic drama film is a film that seriously studies the romantic nature of relationships between people. Common themes include the characters making decisions based on a newly found romantic attraction. The questions, "What am I living for?" or "Why am I with my current partner?" often arise.

The appeal of these films is in the dramatic reality of the emotions expressed by the characters. The following is a list of recent romantic drama films.
• Before Sunrise and its sequel Before Sunset
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• My Life Without Me
• Somewhere in Time

Historical drama film
The historical drama is a film genre in which stories are based more or less accurately upon historical events and famous persons.

Some well-known historical dramas are:
• Barry Lyndon
• A Night to Remember
• Gandhi
• Gladiator
• Gone with the Wind
• The Madness of King George
• A Man for All Seasons
• Schindler's List
• Spartacus
• Tora! Tora! Tora!

Docudrama

It has been suggested that Drama Documentary be merged into this article or section.

A docudrama or docu-drama is a type of work (usually a film or television show) that combines elements of documentary and drama, to some extent showing real events and to some extent using actors performing set pieces to take dramatic liberty with events.

Docudramas of note
• The Battle of Algiers (1966)
• Brian's Song
• Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks
• The Company of Strangers (1990)
• Supervolcano (BBC, 2005)

TV series that utilize a docudrama style
• America's Most Wanted
• The E! True Hollywood Stories