The document summarizes the representations of several characters in the film The Longest Ride: - Luke is a bull rider who is seriously injured but recovers and continues riding despite health risks. He meets and falls in love with Sophia. He eventually promises to stop riding and opens a museum with Sophia. - Sophia is a college student studying art who meets Luke at a bull riding event. She develops a bond with Ira and is concerned with Luke's safety. She marries Luke and helps run the museum. - Ira is a retired soldier found by Luke and Sophia after a car crash. His story is told through letters revealing his relationship with his late wife Ruth. He befriends

3. s
A bull rider who was seriously injured a year before the
film begins. He recovers, mostly, and gets back in the
ring but is told to stop bull riding or he could die.
He meets Sophia at one of his competitions.
He carries on riding and, later on in the film, he is
injured again yet carries on riding.
He then promises to never ride again as he wants to be
with Sophia forever.
Luke then wins all of the paintings at an auction and
becomes very wealthy. He saves his family ranch and
opens a museum with Sophia.
s
A retired ex-soldier found by Sophia and Luke after he
crashed his car. Inside his car was a box of letters from
his wife who passed away.
The story of Ira and his wife, Ruth, is told through the
letters and flashbacks of when Ira was a soldier in
WW2.
He can’t have children after being shot at war.
He and Sophia talk a lot about their relationships.
He dies later on in the film and brings Sophia and Luke
together at his auction.
He states in his will that whoever buys Daniel’s painting
of Ruth will win all of the paintings.
s
An art lover living at a sorority house with an internship
secured in New York City.
She meets Luke at one of his competitions she is
dragged to by her sorority sister.
She develops a strong bond with the man her and Luke
saved from a car accident.
She is hurt that Luke doesn’t care about his wellbeing
and carries on riding despite the fact that he could injure
himself.
She carries on her studies at college and marries Luke,
running the museum dedicated to Ira with him.
S
Ira’s wife who passed away in her sleep.
She wants a big family with Ira who proposed to her
before going to WW2.
She is shown through flashbacks based on Ira’s love
letters they wrote to each other whilst he was away at
war.
She was a teacher and her and Ira wanted to adopt a
boy in her class after she was concerned about his
family life but they were not allowed.

4. » White American
» Male
» Young adult
» Bull fighter = aggressive and
strong (stereotypical of
modern men)
» Professional bull fighter 
well paid
» ‘Soft inside’ = falls in love with
a girl because she’s “not like
the rest”
» Sacrifices his career for a
relationship with Sophia and
healthy future
» Career vs. love
» Working class family = lives
on a ranch with his mom and
when he becomes rich from
auction he pays to save it
» Heterosexual
» White American
» Female
» Young adult
» Part of a sorority = girly and
stereotypical
» Goes to college  has money
for education  middle class
family
» Wants to pursue her career
and realises that she may not
be with Luke forever because
of this
» Career vs. Love
» Heterosexual
» White American
» Male
» Shown elderly and young
» Went to war = patriotic and
brave (stereotypical of men of
that time period)
» Working class
» Problems with marriage as he
went to war
» Career vs. Love
» Heterosexual
» Mixed race Austrian
» Immigrant to America
» Female
» Shown as a young adult as
she died in old age so isn’t
shown much throughout the
film but talked about
throughout
» Teacher = caring and wanted
to be around children as Ira
couldn’t have any
» Working class
» Heterosexual

5. • McRobbie:
» Shown as strong and aggressive as his profession as a
bull fighter is very ‘manly’
» Saves Sophia from a fight with her ex-boyfriend which is
when they fall in love and becomes his hero moment
» However, he does become quite sentimental and soft
when he falls in love withy Sophia which is not common
of male characters
• Cohen:
» Typical young adult as he is aggressive and can been
seen as quite scary to older or younger generations but
people of a similar age look up to him
» Although he is seen as aggressive because of his
profession, he is polite and nice to those around him so
as person he is not negatively represented
• Propp:
» Is seen as a hero at the start as he saves Sophia from a
fight with her ex-boyfriend and saves Ira from car crash
• Levi-Strauss:
» Only challenge he faces is his career vs. love and health
» He overcomes this as he chooses his relationship with
Sophia and a healthy future which shows he is a ‘sucker
for love’
• McRobbie:
» Not shown as weak but is ‘saved’ by Luke and is
interested in education and a career in art which could be
perceived as girl-y
» She is seen as the leader of her relationship with Luke
quite often as she breaks up with him and decides when
she wants to be with him
• Mulvey:
» Not shown as a virgin or a whore but there is a sex scene
which shows she isn’t a virgin and some talk with her
sorority sister about sex
» Lots of conversations about Luke and her relationship
• Cohen:
» Very polite and is in education so not demonized
» She develops a strong relationship with elderly Ira and
they get on well which challenges the idea that young
adults scare the elderly
• Propp:
» Can be seen as the victim but then does save Ira which is
heroic
• Levi-Strauss:
» Battles career vs. love as she wants to be with Luke but
realises they are very different people so it may not be
possible
» She eventually gets both showing that she is determined

6. • McRobbie:
» Is saved by Luke and Sophia when he crashes his car so
is shown as the victim which contradicts that men are
always the hero
• Cohen:
» Not represented negatively but is shown as weak and
very elderly as he is frail and alone
• Propp:
» Seen as the victim as he is dying (does eventually die but
this isn’t shown) and is saved by the heroes of the film
(Sophia and Luke)
» However, he is shown going to war which is heroic and
brave so changes throughout the film and his character
component is based on his age – the younger he is in the
film, the more heroic he seems to be
• Levi-Strauss:
» Also battles his ‘career’ (war) vs. his love for Ruth
» Wins Ruth back so overcomes the challenge
• McRobbie:
» Not shown as weak as she chooses what she does in life
and is the dominant character in her relationship with Ira
as she decides what she wants from him
» Not seen when she is elderly so only know her as a
young adult
» Very nice and sweet so some people may view her as
weak
• Mulvey:
» Not shown as a virgin or a whore
• Cohen:
» Isn’t demonized as she is shown as being kind and polite
» Gets on well with everyone but isn’t shown as elderly so
don’t know what she was like all her life
» Spoken about a lot by Ira so is loved and cared for and
spoken about nicely
• Propp:
» Can be seen as the victim as she is left by Ira when he
goes to war and dies later on in the film
» She also can’t have a family as Ira is unable to have kids
but she wants them so may been seen as a victim again
• Levi-Strauss:
» Doesn’t have many battles to face other than that with Ira
when he goes to war

7. Actors
Costumes
Dialogue
Body
language
All of the actors in the film are attractive and fairly well-known which attracts an audience. The 2 main characters in The Longest Ride are
teenagers who the primary audience would be able to relate to as they may be the same age and going through similar situations (university,
relationships, ex-boyfriends, etc.). The actors chosen are very ‘typical’ looking and the 2 main characters have been in similar films aimed at
similar audiences before and since The Longest Ride. They are represented as typical teenagers simply by their looks and age so that they are
relatable to an audience yet realistic and ‘glamorous enough’ to be in the film business.
The actors’ costumes are also relatable to an audience as they are typical of the time period and activities shown (jeans and t-shirt when at
university, cowboy boots and hat when at bull fights, war uniform when in the earlier time period, etc.). Costumes are very important when
creating representations because they help to define a character’s personality and interests. Luke wears a cowboy hat and leather jacket which
represents his ‘bad boy’ bull fighter style and personality, similarly a young and old Ira is shown in a shirt and braces which represents his
character as being smart and traditional and from an older generation.
The dialogue of a character can also determine their personality and what they are like as a person. If the character uses swear words then the
audience immediately thinks they are bad and probably a teenager as this particular age group are represented through society and the media
as being this way. Teenagers, like Luke, Sophia and young Ira and Ruth, are often portrayed as having a poor language and use slang words in
their everyday speech, however, Sophia speaks in a very sophisticated way suggesting she is educated and may come from a upper class
family. Luke uses terms that are often found in his profession and way of life (the use of ‘darlin’’ for example). Ira and young Ruth use
vocabulary common of the time period they are shown in and grew up which represents where they are from.
Body language can show how a character feels about another and often leads to other scenes. For example, a key scene is when
Luke teaches Sophia how to bull ride and his body language shows clearly that he is attracted to her. Similarly, when Sophia and
Luke are broken up, Sophia often has her arms folded or turns away from Luke as a defence mechanism. Even if an audience didn’t
see the film, just by looking at her body language they would spot unhappiness and tension between the two characters. The
characters’ body language easily portrays their mood and relationship with other characters and is a key part of representing their
character.

8. In The Longest Ride, the characters are very stereotypically represented as strong, brave men and girly girls.
However, both genders (the main representation type) are represented in even amounts. On the other hand, race is
not evenly distributed in the cast as there is only 1 main character of a different ethnicity than the rest of the cast.
Despite this, the character’s (Ruth) race is not focussed on in the film. The characters in the film are all heterosexual
which is typical of romance films because homosexual relationships are still seen as controversial in Hollywood. All
of the characters are of a similar class as they are mainly working class. However, Sophia is at university which
could suggest she is from a middle class family.
In the film, white actors dominate the screen but this isn’t focussed on in the film and isn’t seen as an important
representation, even in the earlier time period around the war. This is because actors of different ethnicities and
races are expected to be seen in films so it is not an issue looked at by an audience.
These representations have been created by the audience because they are typical of films of the romance genre
and are popular with audiences. The characters are very relatable to the intended audience of the film which could
be why they are represented in certain ways. If an audience can relate to a film then they are more likely to enjoy it
and to respond to it.