Cinema Genre

Genre or type is a core concept in both film production and the historyof film. Genres play a key role in how moviegoers perceive and rate films andis likely ... » 

Genre or type is a core concept in both film production and the historyof film. Genres play a key role in how moviegoers perceive and rate films andis likely to determine a films production values and costs. Written in aclear engaging jargonfree style this volume offers a cuttingedgetheoretical overview of the topic of genre as practiced in British Americanand French film criticism. Organized by a series of simple but fundamentalquestions the book uses numerous examples from classic Hollywood cinema thewestern drama musical comedy and film noir as well as some morecontemporary examples from European or Asian cinema that are so often neglectedby other studies in the field. How do we characterize genre and what are itsvarious functions? In what ways does genre give a film its identity? How dogenres emerge? What is the cultural significance of genre and how does itcirculate within and across national boundaries? Informative and userfriendlyMoines book is accessible to general readers and adapts easily to a wide rangeof teaching approaches. «