English Book Club: ‘Love actually’ by Richard Curtis

Love Actually is a 2003 Christmas-themed romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. It features an ensemble cast, many of whom had worked with Curtis in previous film and television projects. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress. Most of the film was filmed on location in London.

The film begins with a voiceover from David (Hugh Grant) commenting that whenever he gets gloomy about the state of the world he thinks about the arrivals terminal at Heathrow Airport and the pure uncomplicated love felt as friends and families welcome their arriving loved ones.

The film then tells the ‘love stories’ of many people: Billy Mack and Joe; Juliet, Peter and Mark; Jamie and Aurélia; Harry, Karen and Mia; David and Natalie; Daniel, Sam, Joanna and Carol; Sarah, Karl and Michael; Colin, Tonyand the American girls; John and Judy; and Rufus.

All the stories are linked in some way, with the exception of Billy Mack and his manager, who are not acquainted with any of the other characters, but Billy appears frequently on characters’ radios and TVs, his music video twice providing an important plot device for Sam’s pursuit of Joanna; the pair also cross paths with the other characters in the closing Heathrow scene.

Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is an English screenwriter, producer and film director, who was born in Wellington, New Zealand to Australian parents.[1] One of Britain’s most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known primarily for romantic comedy films such asFour Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Notting Hill and Love Actually, as well as the hit sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Vicar of Dibley.

He achieved a first-class Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature at Christ Church, Oxford. At the University of Oxford, Curtis met and began working withRowan Atkinson. Collaborating with Rowan Atkinson in the Oxford Revue, he appeared alongside him at his breakthrough Edinburgh Fringe show. As a result of this, Curtis was commissioned to co-write the BBC Radio 3 series The Atkinson People with Atkinson in 1978, which was transmitted in 1979. He then began to write comedy for film and TV.

First with Atkinson, and later with Ben Elton, Curtis then wrote the Blackadder series from 1983 to 1989, each season focusing upon a different era in British history.

Atkinson played the lead throughout, but Curtis remains the only person to have been a writer for every episode of Blackadder. The pair continued their collaboration with the comedy series Mr. Bean, which ran from 1990–1995. Curtis had by then already begun writing feature films.

After much hype and anticipation, the Red Nose Day special of ‘Love Actually’ aired as part of Comic Relief on Friday (24 March) night. Picking up 14 years after the film, fans found out what became of some of their favourite characters, as creator Richard Curtis gathered together the likes of Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Martine McCutcheon, Bill Nighy and Liam Neeson for a mini-reunion…

Since its launch in 1988, Red Nose Day has become something of a British institution. It’s the day, every two years, when people across the land can get together and do something funny for money at home, school and work.There’s a fantastic night of TV on the BBC, with comedy and entertainment to inspire the nation to give generously. Comic Relief spends the money raised by Red Nose Day to help people living tough lives across the UK and Africa.

The English Book Club will meet again to coment this book on saturday April 29nth.

Here you can see the trailer of ‘Love actually’ sequel.