Film Genre: From Iconography to IdeologyThis is a concise evaluation of film genre, discussing genre theory and sample analyses of the western, science fiction, the musical, horror, comedy, and the thriller. It introduces the topic in an accessible way and includes sections on the principles of studying and understanding "the idea of genre"; genre and popular culture; the narrative and stylistic conventions of specific genres; the relations of genres to culture and history, race, gender, sexuality, class and national identity; and the complex relations between genre and authorship. Case studies include: 42nd Street, Pennies from Heaven, Red River, All That Heaven Allows, Night of the Living Dead, Die Hard, Little Big Man, Blue Steel, and Posse. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
42nd Street action films actors Alien Altman Arthur audiences auteur Blue Steel Body Snatchers Bordwell camera characters Cheyenne Chris civilisation classic comedy context conventions cowboy critics Dallas depict directors dominant Don Siegel Douglas Sirk Dracula Dunson emphasises example fantasies film genre film noir film's filmmaking Ford's frontier gangster film gender genre films genre movies genre's Heaven Allows Hollywood horror film Howard Hawks icon iconography ideology Indian John Ford John Wayne John Woo Johnny Kathryn Bigelow kill Lang's Little Big Living Dead male masculine Matt McClane Megan melodrama mise-en-scène monster musical myth mythic narrative national cinema Night parody Peckinpah Pennies from Heaven popular culture production numbers provides Red River rides Ringo Robert romantic Scarlet Street scene science fiction sexual Shane social society Stagecoach stars story studio system style suggests Thelma & Louise town traditional vampire viewers visual wagon West western hero zombies