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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

delle circostanze. Il primo film di James Bond,

che oggi non avremmo difficoltà ad attribuire al

genere "spy story", non fu affatto descritto così

quando fu stato lanciato per la prima volta.

Agente 007, Licenza di uccidere (si veda il

trailer in basso a sinistra), il primo film di un

ciclo di enorme successo, fu semplicemente

presentato nei manifesti come "Il primo film di

James Bond", con l'eroe che occupava solo una

piccola parte del poster, a fianco di un numero

di belle ragazze; il secondo film, A 007, dalla

Russia con amore (si veda il trailer in basso a

destra), fu presentato come "James Bond è

tornato", ma una parte del poster aggiunge

"Sean Connery nella parte di James Bond", più

l'ormai già familiare gruppo di belle ragazze e

un tocco di esotismo con una piccola immagine

di Istanbul - chiaramente, lo sforzo era quello di

stabilire un personaggio per dar vita a un ciclo, e

anche, dopo il grande successo del primo film,

di legare indissolubilmente il personaggio con

l'attore (Sean Connery) che lo impersonava.

Nessun accenno ai generi.

when it was first launched. Dr No (watch the

trailer below left), the first film in what would

soon become a most successful cycle, was simply

presented in posters as "The first James Bond

film", with the hero occupying only a small

portion of the poster, alongside with a number of

beautiful girls; the second film, From Russia with

love (watch the trailer below right),was similarly

presented as "James Bond is back", but a portion

of the poster adds "Sean Connery as James

Bond", plus the (already familiar by now)

glimpse of beautiful girls and a touch of exotism

with a small image of Istanbul - clearly, the effort

was to establish a character in order to give rise

to a cycle, and also, after the huge success of the

first film, to inextricably link the character with

the actor (Sean Connery) impersonating it. No

mention of genres at all.

Agente 007, licenza di uccidere/Dr. No (di/by

Terence Young, GB 1962)

A 007, dalla Russia con amore/From Russia with

love (di/by Terence Young, GB 1963)

Non molto tempo dopo, sulla scia del successo Not much later, in the wake of 007's success,

di 007, fu lanciato un altro eroe/spia: Harry another spy-hero was launched: Harry Palmer

Palmer (interpretato da Michael Caine) che, per (played by Michael Caine) who, in many ways,

molti versi, potrebbe essere considerato l'antitesi could be considered the antithesis of Bond: a sort

di Bond: una sorta di alternativa "al ribasso", of downbeat alternative, wearing glasses and a

con gli occhiali e un squallido impermeabile. dreary raincoat. And yet, if we look at one of the

Eppure, se osserviamo una delle locandine che posters advertising the first film in the cycle (The

pubblicizzano il primo film del ciclo (Ipcress - Ipcress file - watch the trailer below), we find

si veda il trailer qui sotto), scopriamo che è that it is described as "The most daring

descritto come "La più audace storia di "sexpionage" story you will ever see": the fact

"sexspionaggio" che si sia mai vista": il fatto che that "sexpionage" is printed in inverted commas

"sexpionage" sia scritto tra virgolette è is clearly a sign that a new term was being

chiaramente un segno che si stava coniando un coined, possibly a new genre (although it didn't

nuovo termine, forse un nuovo genere (anche se turn out to be so), with a hint at both the "spy"

non si è poi rivelato tale), con un accenno sia and the "sex" components of the story, which

alla "spia" che alla componente sessuale della were already established as trademarks of the

40

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