SOM Film Lesson Library
Film Genre
Student Activities
Lesson 1:
Introduction
to Film Genres
Lesson 1 Glossary
catharsis – a feeling of release or relief
cinematic conventions - a convention is a usual way of doing
things; cinematic conventions are techniques shared by filmmakers,
a common style of presenting a story
genre – a type or category
paranoia – distrust of others, a fear or suspicion
Prohibition - referring to the 19th Amendment in which the sale of
alcohol was forbidden by U.S. law
propaganda - information, often shaped or distorted, to promote a
policy, idea, or cause
sod-buster – sod refers to land; a sod-buster was a somewhat
derogatory term for a farmer/rancher of the American West in the
19th Century .
Activity A: What Is a Genre?
Genre is a category used to identify
literary and other works of art,
including film. Films within a
specific genre share common
characteristics in content (or
subject) and technique (or style
of presentation).
Three Genres, Three Movies Bills
Genre: Horror Film
“The Mummy” (1932, Karl Freund, d.)
Genre: Gangster Film
“The Public Enemy”
(1931, William A. Wellman d.)
Genre: Western Film
“Shane” (1953,,George Stevens d.)
Screening 1A: Trailers from Two Thrillers
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=75587&content
TypeId=130&category=trailer
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi921764121/
Activity B: Three Elements of All Film Genres
Narrative Elements:
• characters & conflict
• setting
• theme
Social Issues & Historical Influences:
• current events
• social values
• mass audience expectations
Cinematic Conventions:
• images
• soundtrack
• narrative structure
Narrative Elements of the Western & Gangster Genres
Western Film
• Characters & Conflict: A restless loner or idealist vs. a
power-hungry bully or lawless gang
• Setting: American West/Southwest in the mid 19th to early
20th century
• Theme: Justice, even in the wild West, ultimately prevails.
Gangster Film
• Characters & Conflict: An ambitious and/or arrogant self-made loner
vs. society and the law
• Setting: Modern cities or rural towns/ roadhouses, 1920s – 1930s
• Theme: Crime does not pay.
Narrative Elements – The Western
Character type: A restless or rebellious loner
The Virginian
(Victor Fleming, d., 1929)
Shane
(George Stevens, d., 1953)
The Searchers
(John Ford, d. 1956)
Movie Still: Stagecoach (John Ford, d., 1939)
Setting: American West/Southwest in the
mid 19th into the 20th Centuriy
Narrative Elements – The Gangster Film
Character type: A rebel against society
“The Petrified Forest,” (Archie Mayo,
d., 1936)
“Little Caesar” (Mervlyn LeRoy, d.,
“Angels with Dirty Faces,” (Michael
19312)
Curtiz, d., 1938)
Movie Still: Little Ceasar, (Mervyn LeRoy, d., 1930)
Setting: Cities or lonely road houses, 1920s - 1930s
Cinematic Conventions of the Western & Gangster Genres
Western Film
• Images: open spaces and long-shots of the land, frontier
towns, barroom brawls, high-key light
• Soundtrack: gunshots, horses galloping,
• Narrative Structure: climatic shoot- out or hero to the rescue;
hero often departs at the end of the film
•.
Gangster Film
• Images: night scenes, deep shadows, low-key light, montages of
violent actions
• Soundtrack: gunshots, screams, fast, punchy dialogue
• Narrative Structure: climatic shoot-out, criminal often dies as film
ends
Cinematic Conventions—The
Western
Screening Activity 1B: “Two Whiskeys” from Shane
Cinematic Conventions—The
Gangster Film
Screening 1C: “Five Kegs” from The Public Enemy
Activity C: A Brief History
of Film Genre
Screening 1D: Film Genre, an Original SOM Mini-Documentary
(approximate running time: 10:00)
Add video link here.
Film Genres – Key Points
 Each genre has its own distinctive characteristics that include both the
film’s content and cinematic conventions.
Content = the film’s subject and its intended meaning.
Cinematic Conventions = the film’s narrative structure and style, how
the story is told
 Identifying a genre’s distinguishing characteristics is necessary in order to
fully comprehend the story and its intended meaning.
 Genre is an expression of cultural values, reflecting social issues and
concerns at the time the film was produced.
 Genres change as society changes. Often, new genres develop in
response to historical and cultural events as well as technological
innovations.
Lesson 2: Enrichment—
Historical /Cultural
Influences on Genre
Lesson 2 Glossary
Gulf War Syndrome - an illness contracted by soldiers who
fought in the Gulf War in 1991. GWS symptoms include
headache, loss of muscle control, joint pain, birth defects, and
memory problems.
Great Depression – a period in American and world history
when stock markets crashes, banks fell, and unemployment
rose to staggering heights, resulting in many people losing their
homes.
Korean Conflict – a war between Communist forces in North
Korea and non-Communist forces in South Korea which
occurred in Korea from 1950 to 1953.
Prohibition – The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,
Prohibition forbade the manufacture, sale, and distribution of
alcoholic beverages. Prohibition was in effect in America from
1919 to 1933.
Activity A: The Real Vs. the Reel Public Enemy
FBI Mug Shot of John Dillinger
Source: http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/dillinger/dillinger.htm
FBI’s Famous Cases: John Dillinger
During the 1930s Depression, many Americans, nearly
helpless against forces they didn't understand, made
heroes of outlaws who took what they wanted at gunpoint.
Of all the lurid desperadoes, one man, John Herbert
Dillinger, came to evoke this Gangster Era, and stirred
mass emotion to a degree rarely seen in this country.
Dillinger, whose name once dominated the headlines, was
a notorious and vicious thief. From September, 1933, until
July, 1934, he and his violent gang terrorized the Midwest,
killing 10 men, wounding 7 others, robbing banks and
police arsenals, and staging 3 jail breaks -- killing a sheriff
during one and wounding 2 guards in another. . . .
On July 22, 1934, FBI agents put an end to John Dillinger’s
reign of crime when he was shot and killed near the
Biograph Theater in Chicago. Dillinger’s story has been told
and retold ever since.
Source: http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/dillinger/dillinger.htm
Screening 2A, Part 1: FBI Hunts John Dillinger
Screening 2A, Part 1: John Dillinger Shot Dead
Historical Influence on Art
REAL—John Dillinger
REEL – Humphrey Bogart
in “The Petrified Forest”
Foreword from the opening credits of The Public Enemy
Activity B: The Spy Thriller of
the Cold War
Editorial Cartoon—“I’ll Bury You”
St. Louis Post Dispatch, 1961
Spy Film Genre – Then and Now
Genre is not fixed. Because genre is an expression of cultural values, the genre will
change as society changes. Often, new genres develop in response to historical and
cultural elements.
Spy Film Genre – Then and Now
Audience
Expectations:
Democracy prevails.
Audience
Expectations:
Democracy prevails.
Storyline: Communism vs.
Democracy, often set in
Russia or China
Storyline: Muslim Extremists
vs .U.S. secret operatives,
often set in Middle East
Historical Context:
1950s Cold War Era
Historical Context:
2000s War on
Terrorism
Movie Review, 1962
With the air full of international tension, the film "The Manchurian
Candidate" pops up with a rash supposition that could serve to
scare some viewers half to death—that is, if they should be dupes
enough to believe it, which we solemnly trust they won't.
Its story of a moody young fellow who was captured by the
Communists during the Korean campaign and brain-washed by
them to do their bidding as a high-level assassin when he gets
home to America is as wild a piece of fiction as anything Alfred
Hitchcock might present, but it could agitate some grave imaginings
in anxious minds these days, especially since it is directed and
acted in a taut and vivid way.
Presumably it was intended as a thriller with overtones of social and
political satire—a deliberate double-barreled shot at the vicious
practice of brain-washing, whether done by foreign militarists or by
fanatical politicians working on the public here at home. That was
the evident purpose of the novel of Richard Condon, on which it is
based.
Film review by BOSLEY CROWTHER. NEW YORK TIMES, OCTOBER 25, 1962
Movie Review, 2004
Rather than a paint-by-the-numbers remake of the 1962 John Frankenheimer film,
director Jonathan Demme's 2004 version of "The Manchurian Candidate" is a reenvisioned, revamped and contemporized take on the classic political thriller. . . .
In this “The Manchurian Candidate,” U.S. Army Major Ben Marco (Denzel Washington)
has terrible dreams. His nightmares involve images of events from his time spent as
part of 'the lost patrol' in the Kuwaiti desert. By day, Marco remembers the heroic
actions of Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Schreiber) as Shaw fought off an ambush and
saved the patrol, and earned himself the Medal of Honor. By night, Marco's mind plays
tricks on him and a whole slew of different and much more frightening images race
through his mind.
When a member of his old patrol comes to him looking disoriented, asking questions,
and babbling on about his own weird dreams, Marco realizes he's not alone. He also
realizes the psychiatrists are wrong: it's not Gulf War Syndrome. Something terrifying
did happen during his time spent in the Kuwaiti desert. Now it's up to Marco to figure
out what really happened during those unaccounted for days in the desert.
http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aamanch072904.htm
Spy Thriller – Then and Now
1962
2004