Melodrama: Difference between revisions

 

 

It's usually associated with [[World of Ham|everyone acting like a]] [[Large Ham]], but it's actually about specific emphasis on any dramatic situation. This is done by amping up the perceived scale and emotional response on everything. Basically, every little hurdle becomes a mountain, every setback a [[Tragedy]] of Greek proportions, and the official couple will be [[Star-Crossed Lovers]] over the tiniest things, usually thanks to outside interference and [[Poor Communication Kills]].

Note that this isn't the same as stage actors [[No Indoor Voice|speaking loudly]] and [[Milking the Giant Cow|making broad movements]]. That's just a necessity of stage acting. This is when the actors portray the characters (or the characters are written as) being akin to teenager with a very small, [[Soap Opera]] scale world. Every success, kiss, and snub will carry the sting of a legendary story. Essentially, what to us would be a pinprick gains the pathos of a rending wound.

 

 

A [[Sub-Trope]] of [[Rule of Drama]].

 

Contrast [[Dull Surprise]].

 

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* The anime version of ''Heidi'' fall easily into this.

* A lot of [[Shojo]] series, from the 70's to today, have these in spades. In fact, it would be easier to list those [[Shojo]] anime/manga titles in which melodrama ''isn't'' a central element of it. Some examples:

* Melodrama plays a vital role in most [[Yuri Genre]] anime. As with most shojo anime and manga, it would be easier and shorter to list those Yuri Genre shows which ''aren't'' all about melodrama.

* ''[[Death Note]]'', especially the dub. Major plot twists are accompanied by mundane actions and hammy dialogue - see the famous "I'll take a potato chip... AND EAT IT!" scene.

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* Speaking of, ''[[The Legend of the Titanic]]'' (not to be confused with [[Titanic: The Legend Goes On|the one with the rapping dog]]) is heavy on this in the second half.

* The ''[[Star Wars]]'' movies are adventure melodramas.

* [[The Room|Johnny]] would like you to know that "[[Memetic Mutation|you are TEARING me APART, Lisa]]!" It's amazing how much drama Wiseau attempts to put into the minimal amount of things that actually happen.

* ''[[The Wizard of Oz (film)|The Wizard of Oz]]''. Everyone puts intense effort in showing their emotions (worried, happy, frightened, angry...).

* Douglas Sirk did other films, but his most well known are his 1950s Hollywood melodramas, featuring titles such as ''All That Heaven Allows, Written on the Wind,'' and ''Imitation of Life.''

 

== [[Literature]] ==

 

== [[Live Action TV]] ==

* [[Lifetime Movie of the Week|Lifetime Movies of the Week]] are these in spades.

** There was one, called ''Her Married Lover'', which is actually a [[Deconstruction]] of those melodramatic movies.

* Even though it's a reality show, ''[[Extreme Makeover: Home Edition]]'' seems to be chock full of melodrama.

** Reality shows in general are a gold mine for this trope. For example, ''My Kitchen Rules'' makes putting on a dinner party look like an epic tale of love, hate, war and [[Buffy-Speak|other things.]]

* ''[[Scrubs]]'' exists to invert and subvert this trope. The show is about low-ranking, everyday doctors who realistically acknowledge that one third of their patients are old farts about to die and most of their day is spent disimpacting people's bowels. This is in direct contrast to medical dramas such as ''[[House (TV series)|House]], [[ER]]'' and ''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'' where every single patient leads the cast on a roller-coaster of emotional torment and soul-searching. Although it should be noted that the doctors on ''[[Scrubs]]'' have, on occasion, been put on a rollercoaster of emotional torment and soul-searching (by their patients or otherwise) anyway.

* A commercial for mail-order eye contacts had an "overly-dramatic recreation" ("But Mary, our eyes are ''different!''").

 

 

 

== [[Theater]] ==

* [[Takarazuka]] productions.

* ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'' and its sequel ''[[Love Never Dies]]''.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

* One of ''[[Metal Gear]]'''s claims to fame/notoriety (along with the [[Quirky Miniboss Squad|weird bosses]], [[Painting the Fourth Wall|playing with]] [[No Fourth Wall|the fourth wall]], [[Estrogen Brigade Bait|beef]][[Even the Guys Want Him|cake]], [[Ho Yay|homoeroticism]], [[Mind Screw|the creator's desire to mess with players' heads]] and [[Exposition Break|lots of]] [[Final Speech|talking]]). The first ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' alone features several tragic death scenes, conversations about the nature of love, and a [[Big Bad]] who turns out to be a vengeful, hitherto unknown relative of the protagonist.

* A significant number of [[Visual Novel|visual novels]] appear to have no purpose other than to make the player (reader?) [[Tear Jerker|cry uncontrollably]]. See [[Utsuge]] for details.

[[Category:Drama Tropes]]

[[Category:Rule of Drama]]