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
e accettare un genere, ci deve essere una serie di
caratteristiche ricorrenti, o convenzioni, che si
possono trovare in ogni specifico film che si
ritenga appartenere a quel particolare genere.
Tuttavia, ciò non significa che i generi possano
essere trasformati in regole ferree: se un film
"generico" (che può cioè essere assegnato a un
genere) si limitasse a ripetere trame, personaggi,
situazioni, ecc. tipici del suo genere, allora ci
sarebbe poco interesse a guardarlo. Ciò a cui il
pubblico si abitua sono le caratteristiche ripetitive,
ma anche, e allo stesso tempo, alcune variazioni
tra i film. In altre parole, l'industria
cinematografica deve sforzarsi di raggiungere un
equilibrio tra ripetizione e variazione, tra
standardizzazione e innovazione. Un film
"generico" dovrebbe invitare gli spettatori a
guardarlo, da un lato, con la certezza che le loro
aspettative saranno confermate, ma, dall'altro, con
la promessa di qualcosa di nuovo e (relativamente)
imprevedibile. Come nota Altman, "la suspense
dei film di genere è quindi quasi sempre una finta
suspense: per partecipare alle forti emozioni del
film dobbiamo provvisoriamente fingere di non
sapere che l'eroina sarà salvata, l'eroe liberato e
la coppia riunita". (Nota 12)
Ciò significa anche che un film "generico" deve
includere più riferimenti intertestuali, cioè
collegamenti ad altri film dello stesso genere, ma
anche ad attori, registi, ecc. Un musical si riferisce
a tutti i musical che sono stati realizzati in epoche
precedenti (vedi La La Land qui sopra); un film di
guerra suggerisce implicitamente tutte le
connessioni con altri film di guerra che abbiamo
già visto; sappiamo cosa aspettarci nella maggior
parte dei casi quando andiamo a vedere un film
con Tom Cruise; e se si è un appassionato di
Quentin Tarantino, il piacere di guardare il suo
nuovo film deriva sicuramente, non solo dalle
caratteristiche del nuovo film, ma anche dal
ricordo dei suoi film precedenti. Ad alcuni registi
(a partire dallo stesso Tarantino) piace fare
riferimento ad altri film oltre che ai propri lavori
precedenti e giocare con le aspettative del
pubblico. Tutto sommato, al pubblico piace sia la
ripetizione che la differenza: se tutto ciò che
ottenessimo da un film fossero situazioni
ripetitive, presto ci annoieremmo; se, invece, tutto
fosse totalmente nuovo, probabilmente
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must be a series of recurring features, or
conventions, that can be found in any specific
movie which is said to belong to that particular
genre. However, this does not mean that genres
can be turned into strict rules: if a "generic"
film (i.e. one that can assigned to a genre) were
just to repeat plots, characters, situations, etc.
that are typical of its genre, then there would
be little interest in watching it. What audiences
get used to are repetitive features, but also, and
at the same time, some variation across movies.
In other words, the film industry must strive to
achjieve a balance between repetition and
variation, between standardization and
innovation. A "generic" movie should invite
viewers to watch it, on the one hand, with the
assurance that their expectations will be
confirmed, but, on the other hand, with the
promise of something new and (relatively)
unpredictable. As Altman notes, "Genre film
suspense is thus almost always fake suspense:
in order to participate in the film's strong
emotions we must provisionally pretend we
don't know that the heroine will be saved, the
hero freed, and the couple reunited." (Note 12)
This also means that a "generic" film must
include several intertextual references, i.e.
links to other films of the same genre, but also
to actors, directors, etc. A musical refers to all
the musicals that were made in earlier times
(see La La Land, above); a war film implicitly
suggests all the connections with other war
films that we have already seen; we know what
to expect in most cases when we go and see a
Tom Cruise film; and if you are a Quentin
Tarantino fan, the pleasure of watching his new
film certainly derives, not only from its new
features, but also from your recollection of his
previous films. Some directors (starting from
Tarantino himself) like to make reference to
other films as well as to their own previous
work and play with the audience's expectations.
All in all, we enjoy both repetition and
difference: if all we got from a film were
repetitive situations, we would soon get bored;
if, on the other hand, everything were totally
new, we would probably find the film difficult
to understand - but, most importantly, we
would not derive the pleasure that comes from