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
b) un individuo o un gruppo di persone scopre il
mostro o l'alieno e cerca, solitamente invano, di
allertare le autorità, che non ci credono: ad es., in
L'invasione degli ultracorpi, c'è un momento di
"scoperta" quando i corpi delle persone, che sono
l'esatto duplicato di quelli reali, vengono scoperti
quasi per caso (si veda il video in basso a destra);
in L'esorcista, la dodicenne Regan inizia ad
assistere a strani fenomeni;
(watch video below left);
b) an individual or a group of people discovers
the monster or alien and try, usually in vain, to
alert the authorities, who don't believe them:
e.g., in Invasion of the body snatchers, there is
a moment of "discovery" when the bodies of
people, who are the exact duplication of real
ones, are discovered almost by chance (watch
video below right); in The exorcist, 12-year-old
Regan starts witnessing strange phenomena;
c) le persone che riconoscono il pericolo cercano
di convincere gli altri, compresi gli scienziati, che
è necessario un intervento urgente, ma non
vengono creduti, la suspense aumenta col passare
del tempo e il pericolo si fa più forte: la comunità
scientifica inefficiente si contrappone alla
saggezza dell'"uomo comune" (spesso adolescenti
in film per teenager come Nightmare - Dal
profondo della notte (di Wes Craven, USA 1984);
d) alla fine viene riconosciuto il pericolo, le forze
si uniscono e il mostro o la forza aliena viene
solitamente sconfitta: ad esempio, in L'invasione
degli ultracorpi la polizia è finalmente convinta a
bloccare le strade e l'F.B.I. viene avvisato.
c) the people who recognize the danger try to
convince the others, including scientists, that
urgent action is necessary, but the are not
believed and the suspense increases as time
presses on and the danger becomes stronger:
the inefficient scientific community is
contrasted with the wisdom of the "common
man" (quite often adolescents in teen movies
like A nightmare on Elm Street (by Wes
Craven, USA 1984);
d) eventually the danger is recognized, forces
are joined and the monster or alien force is
usually defeated: e.g., in Invasion of the body
snatchers the police is finally convinced to
block the roads and the F.B.I. is alerted.
Video 1 Video 2
La struttura narrativa alternativa, la trama "oltre il
limite", mostra i limiti e i pericoli della scienza
quando i suoi esperimenti causano gravi danni alla
comunità. È il caso di film come Frankenstein (di
James Whale, USA 1931, e i suoi innumerevoli
remake e sequel, tra cui la parodia di grande
successo Frankenstein Junior di Mel Brooks,
USA 1974), Il dottor Dr. Jekyll (di Robert
Mamoulian, USA 1931, e i suoi remake, tra cui
quello famoso di Victor Fleming, USA 1941) o La
mosca (di David Cronenberg, USA 1986 e i suoi
seguiti). Anche in questo caso, la storia si sviluppa
20
The alternative narrative structure, the overreacher
plot, shows the limits and dangers of
science when its experiments cause great harm
to the community. This is the case of such
movies as Frankenstein (by James Whale, USA
1931, and its numberless remakes and sequels,
including the highly successful parody Young
Frankenstein by Mel Brooks, USA 1974), Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hide (by Robert Mamoulian,
USA 1931, and its remakes, including the
famous one by Victor Fleming, USA 1941) or
The fly (by David Cronenberg, USA 1986 and