Screwball comedy is a film genre that first appeared on screens in the early 1930s and lasted until the early 1940s. They were a consequence of the new censorship law of 1934, which limited access to adult content on screen. So they incorporated more comedic and creative ways of symbolizing topics such as sex and homosexuality. Screwball comedies were primarily based on plots that had conflict between social classes as their premise and always had a happy ending which was almost always marriage. This constant maintenance of the status quo of marriage is a major aspect of the feminism depicted in screwball comedies (Heather 26). While advocating marriage, screwball comedies highlighted the changing foundations of marriage and greatly highlighted the growth of feminism in light of a shift in the roles and expectations surrounding this institution. Feminism is motivated by the need to establish equality between the sexes since most feminists attribute women's problems to inequality between the two sexes. Thus, through a set of political movements and social theories, feminists seek to reduce this inequality between men and women. It is important to note that the equality sought by feminists is not only economic and political, but also social. According to Heather Gilmour, the institution of marriage in pre-modern or Victorian times was based on inequality, as the roles to be fulfilled by the two sexes for the success of marriage were essentially different (Heather 26). As roles changed over time due to different circumstances, so did the expectations of marriage and, along with it, the rise of the feminist movement. Goofy comedies like It...... middle of paper ...... you have to be pragmatic and careful when learning lessons from goofy comedies. Works Cited Gilmour, Heather. “Cinema and Video Journal”. Different, except in a different way: Marriage, divorce, and gender in the Hollywood comedy of remarriage. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1998. 26 – 39. Print. It happened one night. Real. Frank Capra. Perf. Claudette Colbert, Clark Gable. Photos from Colombia. 1999. DVD. Shumway, David, R. “Cinema Journal.” Crazy comedies: building romance, mystifying marriage. Texas: University of Texas Press, 1999. 7 – 23. Print. Willett, Cynthia. “Cultural criticism”. Baudrillard, “After Hours” and the postmodern suppression of socio-sexual conflicts. Minnesota: University Of Minnesota Press, 1996. 143 – 161. Print. Woman of the year. Real. George Stevens. Perf. Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn. MGM. 1997. DVD.