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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

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

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