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
essendo il risultato di un processo in cui diversi genres and several cultural forms meet.
generi cinematografici e diverse forme culturali si However, there also needs to be a particular
incontrano. Tuttavia, è necessaria anche una conjunction of historical circumstances for an
particolare congiunzione di circostanze storiche identifiable filmic formula to become
perché una formula filmica identificabile possa established. The industrial conditions relating
affermarsi. Anche le condizioni industriali relative to cinema also enter into this conjunction."
al cinema entrano in questa congiunzione". (Nota (Note 7)
7)
L'avventura del Poseidon/The Poseidon adventure (di/by Ronald Neame, USA 1972)
14. La fine dei generi?
14. The end of film genres?
Abbiamo già accennato a come il genere western We have already mentioned how the western
abbia subito radicali modifiche dagli anni genre underwent radical modifications from the
Cinquanta in poi, e sempre più nei decenni 1950s onwards, and increasingly so in the
successivi. Questo è stato un momento particolare following decades. This was a particular time
nella storia del cinema, con diversi drammatici in the history of cinema, with several dramatic
cambiamenti che si sono verificati nell'arco di changes taking place within the span of just a
pochi anni: il caso Paramount (1948) ha vietato few years: the Paramount case (1948) banned
l'"integrazione verticale" delle compagnie the "vertical integration" of film companies,
cinematografiche, che controllavano la produzione whereby they controlled film production and
e la distribuzione dei film attraverso la proprietà distribution through the ownership of theatres;
dei teatri; il progressivo indebolimento del the progressive weakening of the selfcensorship
system known as Hays code (1968);
sistema di autocensura noto come codice Hays
(1968); l'avvento della televisione con la sua the advent of television with its fierce,
concorrenza spietata e devastante; e, come devastating competition; and, as a partial
parziale conseguenza di tutto ciò, il crollo del consequence of all this, the collapse of the
"sistema degli studi", che per decenni aveva studio system, which for decades had
controllato il lavoro di tutti i professionisti con il controlled the work of all professionals with its
suo rigido sistema contrattuale - il che a sua volta strict system of contracts, which in turn paved
ha aperto la strada all'emergere di un gruppo di the way to the emergence of a group of young
giovani registi (i cosiddetti "movie del cinema"), directors (the so-called "movie brats"), like
come Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Robert Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Robert
Altman, Francis Ford Coppola, Brian DePalma e Altman, Francis Ford Coppola, Brian
altri, esperti di storia del cinema, spesso usciti da DePalma and others, well-versed in the history
studi accademici, e allo stesso tempo portatori di of cinema, often coming out of academic film
una profonda conoscenza dei generi
studies, and at the same time possessing a
cinematografici classici (che, paradossalmente, profound knowledge of classical film genres
avevano visto in televisione da ragazzi). Allo (which, paradoxically, they had grown up
stesso tempo, le "teorie dell'autore", nate in watching on television). At the same time, the
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