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
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