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Film genres: features, functions, evolution

This Interactive workshop aims at exploring the origin of genres, their functions in cinema and their evolution, with particular emphasis on the latest developments. We first ask why we need genres at all and examine the variety of classification criteria that can be used. Then we focus on the specific features of genre films, analysing their conventions and their narrative structures. We then explore how different agents (from producers to audiences, from critics to film scholars) have used and still use genres, and highlight their economic, sociocultural and communicative functions. Finally, by taking a historical perspective, we explore how genres have evolved in the course of time and how modern cinema extensively use genre mixing and hybridization, thus pointing to the future of this important but complex category of film analysis. Part of the www.cinemafocus.eu research materials.

This Interactive workshop aims at exploring the origin of genres, their functions in cinema and their evolution, with particular emphasis on the latest developments. We first ask why we need genres at all and examine the variety of classification criteria that can be used. Then we focus on the specific features of genre films, analysing their conventions and their narrative structures. We then explore how different agents (from producers to audiences, from critics to film scholars) have used and still use genres, and highlight their economic, sociocultural and communicative functions. Finally, by taking a historical perspective, we explore how genres have evolved in the course of time and how modern cinema extensively use genre mixing and hybridization, thus pointing to the future of this important but complex category of film analysis. Part of the www.cinemafocus.eu research materials.

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I generi cinematografici: caratteristiche, funzioni, evoluzione

Film genres: features, functions, evolution

cinemafocus.eu

tanto e così bene nell'interpretare personaggi

"generici" che possono finire per essere scelti per

interpretare essenzialmente lo stesso personaggio

iconico in una serie di film, a volte durante tutta la

loro carriera. Altri, pur mantenendo una sorta di

"persona sullo schermo" riconoscibile, possono

essere in grado di interpretare ruoli diversi, o

almeno variazioni all'interno dello stesso ruolo di

base. L'"immagine" che attori e attrici portano con

sé può essere associata a un particolare genere

cinematografico in cui hanno costruito la loro

reputazione (sebbene possano aver interpretato

con successo ruoli molto diversi in altri generi

cinematografici): John Wayne (si veda il video in

basso a sinistra) e il western, Cary Grant e

Marilyn Monroe e la commedia, Humphrey

Bogart e il film poliziesco, Sylvester Stallone (si

veda il video in basso a destra) e il film d'azione...

Ciò non significa che attori e attrici non possano

interpretare ruoli completamente diversi, o che

possa essere loro chiesto di interpretare un

personaggio che è, psicologicamente e

socialmente, l'opposto (o almeno molto diverso)

del ruolo generico a cui sono principalmente

associati.

Actors and actresses can specialize so much

and so well in playing "generic" characters

that they can end up being "cast to type", i.e.

chosen to play essentially the same iconic

character in a number of films, sometimes

throughout their whole acting career. Others,

while retaining some sort of recognizable

"screen persona", may be capable of playing

different roles, or at least variations within the

same basic role. The "image" that actors and

actresses carry with them can be associated

with a particular film genre in which they first

built their reputation (although they may have

successfully played quite different roles in

other films genre): John Wayne (watch video

below left) and the western, Cary Grant and

Marilyn Monroe and the comedy, Humphrey

Bogart and the detective movie, Sylvester

Stallone (watch video below right) and the

action movie ... This does not mean that actors

and actress cannot play completely different

roles, or even expressly cast "against type", i.e.

asked to play a character who is,

psychologically and socially, the opposite of

(or at least quite different from) the generic

role they are primarily associated with.

John Wayne

Sylvester Stallone

STOP AND THINK

UN MOMENTO PER RIFLETTERE ...

Refer to the above list of genre conventions we

Fai riferimento all'elenco sopra riportato delle have just made. Watch the videos below and try to

convenzioni di genere. Guarda i video qui sotto e prova make a list of the conventions that seem most

a fare un elenco delle convenzioni che sembrano più relevant to assign each film to a particular genre. In

rilevanti per assegnare ogni film a un particolare other words, what are the essential features that

genere. In altre parole, quali sono le caratteristiche would make you decide on a possible film genre in

essenziali che ti farebbero decidere di volta in volta di each case?

assegnare un film ad un possibile genere?

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