Why Do Fools Fall In Love is the 116 minute true story of 3 women, from 3 different worlds, all with one thing in common – the same husband. 50’s rock-n-roll icon Frankie Lymon, former lead singer of Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers. Each claiming to be the widow of the long-dead singer/songwriter, the ladies have returned to claim the royalties due to his estate. Director Grevory Nava and Warner Brothers present a biographical film, filled with various elements of film technique such as its narrative form, mise en scene, and cinematography, of the brief and intense life of Frankie Lymon and the women who loved him. In the opening scene, you see a grainy video of doo-wop singers in black and white that are singing “Why Do Fools Fall In Love.” The scene fades, transitioning the music sung by a male group in the 50’s, to the voice of Diana Ross in present time. The scene’s setting is now placed in what appears to be a women’s penitentiary. Mickey – played by Vivica Fox – asks for a lawyer, whom she later explains to that Frankie Lymon wrote the song Diana Ross is turning gold again and is also being used in movies/commercials. “I’m his wife, so I should be getting paid, right?” (Why Do Fools). With news out about a wife of Frankie Lymon coming to claim his royalties, two other women, Zola (Halle Berry’s character), and Emira (played by Lela Rochon), have also surfaced with the same allegation of being his wife. The rest of the movie is dedicated to each female proving who is really married to Frankie Lymon while in court. The selecting and organizing of events tie into what the narrative form does for this film. Why Do Fools Fall In Love uses flashback scenes from each female’s past that interrupts the films present tense to rearrange the chronology of the fabula. This method of selection and ordering influences the way viewers understand events that take place in the film. By changing the order of events – highlighting their past with Frankie before showing their present life – the syuzhet can manipulate how viewers feel about each female. You have Mickey, who was first seen in jail, whose character appears to look rugged; Zola, the glamorous diva; and Emira, the reserved small-town girl – all of which was presented in the exposition. This information was given to viewers in a short period of time and gives the audience somewhat of an understanding as to what each character is like and how their actions are motivated. Another component of narrative form comes from the films use of restricted narration. While occasionally addressing the audience in 1st person, the story unfolds through the events shown in their flashbacks. With each memory relived while in court, we as viewers are gaining identification with the character. The composing of visual details to make up the components of what viewers see in the film applies to the film form of mise en scene. It’s in this element of film where we notice setting; the change in setting through each flashback marks the rise and fall of Frankie Lymon and a turning point in the film where each female finds out how they were a fool for love, in the end, finding a friend in each other. Why Do Fools Fall In Love relies upon an indoor setting (the courtroom) for most of the film, which shows where the present occurrences are happening in the film. Costumes and props are another component of mise en scene; the clothing helps define each of the key actors, as well as, provides information about the current time and place. Props hint at development and symbolize a change in time period. The classic, old-school, vintage Cadillac’s and Chevrolet’s used in the film and the box television with two tuners that display black and white picture both make note of the time period the film is placed in at the time. Make-up and hairstyles also play a role in that they reveal character triats, and signal changes in the characters. Such make-up techniques like the use of 3-dimensional prostheses are added to Vivica’s face in order to evoke weight gain and old age. Or, for instance, when Frankie was strung out on drugs – we notice a change in character. His make-up was made for him to appear distressed and tired; Frankie had a change in demeanor. With costuming and make-up come hairstyles. As opposed to the two-toned hairstyles popular in the 90’s, strawberry blonde hair – such as the wig worn by Halle Berry – or voluminous, soft ringlets that were worn by Emira and Mickey to reveal the change in time period. Love scenes were common in this film, and the cinematography element heightened each one. Slow motion was used for dramatic purposes during the love scene between Frankie and Mickey. This exaggerated the intimacy in the scene. Following the idea of slow motion cinematography, fast motion indicated the speed and anxiety Frankie feels while performing onstage drugged up. Also, while on stage, there were canted/dutch angle shots that signified the loss of control at that moment.
In conclusion, Gregory Nava does a great job in applying different film elements in Why Do Fools Fall In Love. His use of narrative form to explain how the story is structured helped viewers in understanding events and made audiences aware of the current place, time, and characters. Nava directed the film form of mise en scene for visual details that would aid viewers in recognizing what components make up the film through his use of costumes, props, make-up and hairstyles. Nava also had cinematography that engaged audiences and signified particular scenes in the movie.

Works Cited Page
Why Do Fools Fall In Love. Dir. Gregory Nava. Perf. Larenz Tate, Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox, Lola Rochon. 1998. DVD. Warner Bros. Pictures, 1998.