1. “Genre Film: A Classical Experience” By Thomas Sobchack

2. Genre – a traditional definition Category or form of film distinguished by subject matter, theme, and techniques

3. A Genre Film...... Provides an experience of an ordered world.... Provides an experience of an ordered world. 1.has a fixed plot 2.obvious iconographies 3.clearly defined, yet shallow, characters 4.predictable, cathartic ending

4. Artistic Excellence? Originality?NO Conformity!!!YES!!! Must follow a previous model

5. Literary source: Dracula Nosferatu (1922) Dracula (1931) Horror of Dracula (1958) Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

6. Q: What if a film’s original, unique? A: It ain’t no genre film! This is a “fiction film”. Ex: Citizen Kane

7. 1. PLOT is Supreme What happens is important, not why What happens is important, not why All scenes must advance the plot All scenes must advance the plot Nothing extra can be introduced at random Nothing extra can be introduced at random Keep it moving forward to build for the end Keep it moving forward to build for the end

8. 2. ICONOGRAPHIES Visual “shorthand” to speed audience comprehension (costumes, props, settings, familiar plot situations)

9. What are the iconographies for the following genres? CostumesSetting Props, images Plot Motifs Western Horror Sci-Fi Musical

10. 3. Recognizable CHARACTERS Again, they’re pre-packaged to speed comprehension. What do we know about these characters?

11. 3. CHARACTERS (cont.) Typecasting is good in a genre film-- faster John Wayne Vincent Price Jason Statham

12. 3. CHARACTERS (cont.) Familiar, less individualized characters help us easily assume their roles Familiar, less individualized characters help us easily assume their roles they’re unrealistically one-dimensional they’re unrealistically one-dimensional They have a clear, simple purpose in the story They have a clear, simple purpose in the story They never have to come to terms with themselves They never have to come to terms with themselves We get to live in a simple world through them  find evil in life, and destroy it = We get to live in a simple world through them  find evil in life, and destroy it =

13. 4. Achieve CATHARSIS catharsis (n.) emotional release experienced due to witnessing artistic expression

14. 4. Catharsis (cont.) Individualvs.Group Apollonian urge to individuate (without penalty) Group of misfits IIIIWarIII Dionysian urge to sink into the herd (group wins!) Must band together

15. 4. Catharsis (cont.) Hero must serve the group by providing law and order law and order stability stability survival survival

16. Other genre molds for CATHARSIS IndividualGroup Detective film Cops commit violent, anti-social acts w/o punishment Restore order in the end Swashbuckler Indiana Jones breaks laws, shoots people, etc. Forgiven because he restores order, protects people; returns to ordinary clothes/setting Musical Star is born Show must go on despite personal tragedy; wedding (social regeneration)

17. 4. CATHARSIS (cont.) By “being” these simple characters for 2 hours, genre films help us release the daily tension between individuation and submission to the group. CLIP: Spiderman

18. Q: What is Anti-genre? A: When the predicted ending does NOT occur This produces anxiety or agitation, not catharsis!

19. Bottom-Line: Genre film must be a strict adherence to form that opposes experimentation, novelty or tampering with the given order of things (conservative). Why? Because it allows the audience to safely identify with the genre characters, satisfies catharsis