Barry Keith Grant’s
"Approaching Film Genre”
Presenter
Jason Ward
1/15
A 300-word Summary 1/5
• Approaching Film Genre states that genre
criticism did not start with film but rather
Aristotle’s distinction between comedy and
tragedy. Grant describes how genre films are
criticized for being lowbrow, formulaic, massproduced, conservative and oppressive, but
also express the spirit of the age and can be
read as representing sites of ideological
struggle. He describes the evolution of film
genres as part of the Hollywood industrial
system, which sought to maximize profits for
minimum risk.
2/15
A 300-word Summary 2/4
• This production line process lead to
repeated character traits, story lines,
setting, objects and props that could be
used interchangeably like machine parts.
From the beginning, certain types of films
were grouped together by producers and
audiences. Because of the systematic and
collective way in which it was produced,
film emerged as a truly communal art form.
3/15
A 300-word Summary 3/5
• The setting, stories, themes, and even the
believability of a film are all determined by
genre, as are its iconography. Icons are
described as objects or characters within
films which gain meanings from their
repeated use across many different films.
Grant explores the significance of
iconography to express meaning within the
film and across different cultures.
4/15
A 300-word Summary 4/5
• Through iconic casting genre films give the
audience what they expect by casting an
actor renowned for playing good guys as a
hero or can subvert this expectation by
having him/her play against type as a
villain. A film’s iconography might also
extend to a genre film’s characteristic use
of mise en scene or tone, its recognizable
attitude, or predictable conclusion.
5/15
A 300-word Summary 5/5
• Grant also problematizes the ways in
which a certain film might be considered a
particular genre and looking at Noir
considers the argument that, despite the
frequent use of similar iconography, plots,
protagonists, and ideology, it might not be
a genre but rather a style that can appear
across many genres.
6/15
Discussion Question 1: Genre films have been
dismissed as “industrial products of capitalist
economy,” do you think this is true and does this
mean they are no longer works of art that are worthy
of study?
• I agree that most films are industrial products of capitalism
because films are made to make money. However, I do
not think we should dismiss a film as a lesser work of art
because of how it was made or even how it turned out. All
films are worthy of study because of how they shape our
reality and what this says about us in various times and
places. Furthermore, the distinction between high and low
art reflects the outdated prejudices of the previous century
when the unwashed masses went to the ‘pictures’ or
music halls, while the educated upper-classes read books
or went to the theatre
7/15
Discussion Question 2: Do you agree with the
argument that Noir is a style rather than a genre?
Why / Why not?
• I think it could be regarded as both. There are enough
distinctly Noir films to convincingly argue that there
was definitely a Film Noir period from 1941 until 1958.
However, aspects of the Film Noir style do appear,
even now, in films that are not really Noir such as
Mullholland Drive (2001) or Sin City (2005).
8/15
Discussion Question 3: Grant lists the
iconography of the western, vampire film and
gangster movie. What would you consider the
iconography of a Rom-Com?
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A couple who start off hating each other
Beautiful locations
Fashionable music and clothes
A clownish or cynical man and a repressed or troubled
woman
A love triangle
A wedding
A love rival
A best friend
Restaurants
References to other romantic comedies
9/15
MCQ 1: Why did the motion-picture industry move to
Hollywood?
a. Cheap labour and land and better locations and
weather
b. Most of the original studio owners and producers
already lived there
c. It was closer to Pacific and therefore easier to
reach the Asian market
10/15
MCQ 1: Why did the motion-picture industry move to
Hollywood?
a. Cheap labour and land and better locations
and weather
b. Most of the original studio owners and producers
already lived there
c. It was closer to Pacific and therefore easier to
reach the Asian market
11/15
MCQ 2: In which type of film from the 1950s did the
hero typically combine masculine prowess with
technology to win the elderly scientist’s lovely
assistant or daughter?
a. The western
b. Sci-fi
c. The rom-com
12/15
MCQ 2: In which type of film from the 1950s did the
hero typically combine masculine prowess with
technology to win the elderly scientist’s lovely
assistant or daughter?
a. The western
b. Sci-fi
c. The rom-com
13/15
MCQ 3: What is Bordwell’s argument about Film
Noir?
a. It is an overrated genre because of a couple of
great films but most Noirs are formulaic and dull.
b. It is not a genre but a style. You don’t choose to
make or see a Noir film like you would a Western.
c. It encourages immorality because of its typical
subjects: murder, theft and betrayal.
14/15
MCQ 3: What is Bordwell’s argument about Film
Noir?
a. It is an overrated genre because of a couple of
great films but most Noirs are formulaic and dull.
b. It is not a genre but a style. You don’t choose
to make or see a Noir film like you would a
Western.
c. It encourages immorality because of its typical
subjects: murder, theft and betrayal.
15/15
Thank you!
• Any Questions?