Read complete books and articles on: Film Genres

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16 of the Best Books and Articles on: Film Genres

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

Handbook of American Film Genres » Read Now
by Wes D. Gehring. 412 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

"More genres, 19 in fact, are discussed than in other standard works. The 14 genres considered here by film scholar contributors other than Gehring include the adventure film, the western, the gangster film, film noir, the WW II combat film, the horror film, science fiction, fantasy, the musical...
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"More genres, 19 in fact, are discussed than in other standard works. The 14 genres considered here by film scholar contributors other than Gehring include the adventure film, the western, the gangster film, film noir, the WW II combat film, the horror film, science fiction, fantasy, the musical, melodrama, the social problem film, the biographical film, and the art film. The discussion of fine comedy genres by Gehring himself is far more extensive than in other genre studies, embracing screwball comedy, populist comedy, parody, black humor, and clown comedy. . . . Recommended for both undergraduate and graduate collections." Choice
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2.

Concepts in Film Theory » Read Now
by Dudley Andrew. 242 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

...criticism. After all, film criticism in this...popular narrative genres. Few fine arts...and individual genres, rhetoric has made...contribution to film theory. This...
3.

The Oxford History of World Cinema » Read Now
by Geoffrey Nowell-Smith. 824 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

From its humble beginnings as a novelty in a handful of cities, cinema has risen to become a billion-dollar industry and the most spectacular and original contemporary art form. In The Oxford History of World Cinema, an international team of film historians traces the history of this enduringly...
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From its humble beginnings as a novelty in a handful of cities, cinema has risen to become a billion-dollar industry and the most spectacular and original contemporary art form. In The Oxford History of World Cinema, an international team of film historians traces the history of this enduringly popular entertainment medium. Covering all aspects of its development, stars, studios, and cultural impact, the book celebrates and chronicles over one hundred years of diverse achievement from westerns to the New Wave, from animation to the avant-garde, and from Hollywood to Hong Kong. The Oxford History of World Cinema tells the story of the major inventions and developments in the cinema business, its institutions, genres, and personnel, and they outline the evolution of national cinemas round the world--the varied and distinctive film traditions that have developed alongside Hollywood. A unique aspect of the book are the special inset features on the film-makers and personalities--Garbo and Godard, Keaton and Kurosawa, Bugs Bunny and Bergman--who have had an enduring impact in popular memory and cinematic lore. With over 280 illustrations, a full bibliography, and an extensive index, this is the buff's ultimate guide to cinema worldwide.
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4.

American Film Cycles: The Silent Era » Read Now
by Larry Langman. 400 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Examining 40 cycles or themes and more than 1,000 silent films, the author attempts to discern how the screen reflected contemporary social, political, and national trends during the silent years. The period has been divided into the early silent years (1900-1919), with films of one or two reels...
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Examining 40 cycles or themes and more than 1,000 silent films, the author attempts to discern how the screen reflected contemporary social, political, and national trends during the silent years. The period has been divided into the early silent years (1900-1919), with films of one or two reels dominating for the first 15 years, and the later silent period (1920-1929), known as the Golden Age of the Silents, in which feature-length films dominated. One of the author's goals is to establish the success, and sometimes the failure, of these films to capture the social and political times of their release. Other film books approach the dramas and comedies by genre, not by specific cycles, which makes this work unique.
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5.

Parody as Film Genre: Never Give a Saga an Even Break » Read Now
by Wes D. Gehring, Scott R. Olson. 223 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Parody is the least appreciated of all film comedy genres and receives little serious attention, even among film fans. This study elevates parody to mainstream significance. A historical overview places the genre in context, and a number of basic parody components, which better define the genre and...
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Parody is the least appreciated of all film comedy genres and receives little serious attention, even among film fans. This study elevates parody to mainstream significance. A historical overview places the genre in context, and a number of basic parody components, which better define the genre and celebrate its value, are examined. Parody is differentiated from satire, and the two parody types, traditional and reaffirmation, are explained. Chapters study the most spoofed genre in American parody history, the Western; pantheon members of American Film Comedy such as The Marx Brothers, W. C. Fields, Mae West, and Laurel and Hardy; pivotal parody artists, Bob Hope and Woody Allen; Mel Brooks, whose name is often synonymous with parody; and finally, parody in the 1990s. Films discussed include Destry Rides Again (1939), The Road to Utopia (1945), My Favorite Brunette (1947), The Paleface (1948), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993) and Scream (1996).
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6.

A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film » Read Now
by Richard Barrios. 493 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

It was the most chaotic era in the history of American entertainment, possibly its most dynamic, and in some ways its least understood. In a stunningly brief time, as the Jazz Age roared to a close, the art of the silent film became extinct, thrown over in favor of the unknown, virtually untested...
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It was the most chaotic era in the history of American entertainment, possibly its most dynamic, and in some ways its least understood. In a stunningly brief time, as the Jazz Age roared to a close, the art of the silent film became extinct, thrown over in favor of the unknown, virtually untested medium of talking pictures. Leading the way was a brand new American art form: the movie musical. Taking off like a shot from day one, this new genre instantly became the a quintessential form of American entertainment. Here for the first time is the story of this fabulous, forgotten age when the movies learned to sing and dance. Chronicling the early musical film years from 1926 to 1934, A Song in the Dark offers a fascinating look at these innovative films, the product of much of the major experimentation that went on during the development of sound technology. Illuminating the entire evolution of this new sound medium, Richard Barrios shows how Hollywood, seeking to outdo Broadway and vaudeville, recruited both the famous and the unknown, the newest stars and the has-beens, the geniuses and the hustlers. The results were unlike anything the world had seen or heard: backstage yarns, all-star revues, grandiose operettas, outlandish hybrids--some wonderful, many innovative, a few ghastly. He recalls, for example, such monumental films as the 1927 hit The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson, the first feature film to include both talk and song. Corney, hokey, and repellently manipulative, it was by most accounts, even by 1927 standards, a poor film. Yet, showcasing the spectacular and extremely popular Jolson, it created a new dimension of intensity that silent films could not duplicate, playing to over one million people per week across the country only three weeks after its release. He discusses such memorable releases as The Broadway Melody (winner of the Academy Award for best film in 1929), the first true musical film that established movie musicals as potent and viable entertainment. Barrios goes on the offer in-depth discussions of innovative films such as The Desert Song, and On With the Show!, the first all-color talkie, as well as the more mature musicals of the 1930s including the Warner Brothers' "backstage" musicals of 1933-34 that started with 42nd Street and the Gold Diggers films. And, of course, he talks about the famed Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire collaborations, such as Flying Down to Rio, which, with their sophisticated style and technique, established them as the premier film musical team. Throughout, Barrios highlights the careers of the original great musical stars like Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Busby Berkeley, and Maurice Chevalier, and presents the films of newcomers such as Jeanette MacDonald, Bing Crosby, and Ruby Keeler. The fickle public rushed to see these stars--talking and singing and dancing across the screen--then suddenly turned away. It took the Depression to bring back musicals, bigger and brassier than ever. The triumphs, disasters, and offscreen intrigue are all here in a fascinating story told with a blend of scholarly research, engaging writing, and cogent criticism. With more than fifty photos, extensive annotations, and a discography, A Song in the Dark memorably recovers this vital and unique film heritage.
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7.

Hybrid or Inbred: The Purity Hypothesis and Hollywood Genre History, in Film Criticism » Read Now
by Janet Staiger. 16 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, History, Entire Library

...failures to describe genres by previous critics...method preferred by film scholars when tackling...apparently prototypical genres or examples of genre...Kerr in discussing...
8.

The Aesthetics of Ambivalence: Rethinking Science Fiction Film in the Age of Electronic (Re)production » Read Now
by Brooks Landon, Marshall B. Tymn. 198 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Landon's book is wide-ranging, thought-provoking, and near state-of-the-art. It concerns science fiction film and, toward the end, almost becomes SF itself in its provocative speculations on the future of such film. The first part of the book argues that most criticism of SF film has been inadequate...
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Landon's book is wide-ranging, thought-provoking, and near state-of-the-art. It concerns science fiction film and, toward the end, almost becomes SF itself in its provocative speculations on the future of such film. The first part of the book argues that most criticism of SF film has been inadequate because it is based on literary rather than film-specific standards. The second argues that SF film will soon become either obsolete or be totally transformed through new computer technology. Science fiction can be seen to encompass not only SF in print, film, TV and comic books, but has become all-pervasive in contemporary culture.
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9.

Shadows on the Past: Studies in the Historical Fiction Film » Read Now
by Leger Grindon. 250 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...traditional iconography of genres like the Western or the horror film, most filmed historical...approaching the historical film and its generic elements...explain that...
10.

Screening the Past: Film and the Representation of History » Read Now
by Tony Barta. 279 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Film and television have been accepted as having a pervasive influence on how people understand the world. An important aspect of this is the relationship of history and film. The different views of the past created by film, television, and video are only now attracting closer attention from...
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Film and television have been accepted as having a pervasive influence on how people understand the world. An important aspect of this is the relationship of history and film. The different views of the past created by film, television, and video are only now attracting closer attention from historians, cultural critics, and filmmakers. This volume seeks to advance the critical exploration scholars have recently begun.
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11.

The Cowboy Way: The Western Leader in Film, 1945-1995 » Read Now
by Ralph Lamar Turner, Robert J. Higgs. 245 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Analyzing a sample of 25 films, including such notables as Red River, Shane, Unforgiven, The Wild Bunch, Wyatt Earp, and Dances with Wolves, this work examines traditional leadership theories as reflected in the western film genre. The western vividly portrays a variety of leadership styles, motifs...
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Analyzing a sample of 25 films, including such notables as Red River, Shane, Unforgiven, The Wild Bunch, Wyatt Earp, and Dances with Wolves, this work examines traditional leadership theories as reflected in the western film genre. The western vividly portrays a variety of leadership styles, motifs, and characteristics giving a unique perspective on several traditional leadership theories. The different leadership styles the films exhibit are categorized and described through content analysis. Some of the concepts and underlying theories and styles reveal a universal quality about leadership that transcends theoretical research. As a cultural study that traces the relative popularity of leadership styles, this work provides new insight toward studying leadership effectiveness.
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12.

Dark Cinema: American Film Noir in Cultural Perspective » Read Now
by Jon Tuska. 305 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...DARK CINEMA -ii- DARK CINEMA American Film Noir in Cultural Perspective JON...History and criticism. I. Title. II. Title: Film noir in cultural perspective. III...
13.

Celluloid Wars: A Guide to Film and the American Experience of War » Read Now
by Frank J. Wetta, Stephen J. Curley. 302 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

This easy-to-use guide explores the relationships between film images and the experience of war, showing how films influence war-time behavior and how wars influence films. This unique reference combines essays on the aesthetic and historical aspects of war films with classifications and discussions...
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This easy-to-use guide explores the relationships between film images and the experience of war, showing how films influence war-time behavior and how wars influence films. This unique reference combines essays on the aesthetic and historical aspects of war films with classifications and discussions of films about different wars, a filmography arranged alphabetically with annotations, a bibliography of books and articles dealing with war films, a general guide for film study, along with separate indices to film titles, filmmakers, and subjects.
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14.

The Films of the Eighties: A Social History » Read Now
by William J. Palmer. 336 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...influenced themes and genres of film "texts." Terrorism...film history, certain film genres tend to rise above others...Jarvies confidence in film as American text is...
15.

Songs of Love and Death: The Classical American Horror Film of the 1930s » Read Now
by Michael Sevastakis. 209 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

This book examines eleven horror films in-depth and their relationships to Romantic Gothic literary conventions--mainly, but not solely, found in works dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. To illustrate the use of these conventions in film, Sevastakis analyzes shots from scenes and sequences of...
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This book examines eleven horror films in-depth and their relationships to Romantic Gothic literary conventions--mainly, but not solely, found in works dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. To illustrate the use of these conventions in film, Sevastakis analyzes shots from scenes and sequences of all films discussed. Due to the large quantity of horror films produced during this period, the films in this book have been selected on the basis of their supernatural and preternatural content, and on four conventions predicated on fictional literary models dealing with the villain-hero.
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16.

Women's Film and Female Experience, 1940-1950 » Read Now
by Andrea S. Walsh. 260 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...Stuart Kaminsky noted in American Film Genres: Approaches to a Critical Theory...visual style? Who defines genre, the film critic, Hollywood, the audience, or all of these?...