• Film Genres are identifiable types, classifications or groups of films that have similar, familiar or instantly-recognizable patterns, syntax, filmic techniques or conventions - that include one or more of the following:

settings (and props), content and subject matter, themes, mood, period, plot, central narrative events, motifs, styles, structures, situations, recurring icons, characters, and stars.

Many films are considered hybrids - they include several film genres.

Genres History

• By the end of the silent era, many of the main genres were established: the melodrama, the western, the horror film, comedies, and action-adventure films. – Musicals were began with the era of the Talkies. – Science-fiction films weren't generally

popularized until the 1950s.

• One problem with genre films is that they can become stale, cliché ridden, and over-imitated. – A traditional genre that has been

reinterpreted, challenged, or subjected to scrutiny may be termed revisionist.

Examples of 14 Film Genres• Action (Disaster): Stories whose

central struggle plays out mainly through a clash of physical forces.

–Air Force One–Jurassic Park–Lethal Weapon–Return of the Jedi (also Science Fiction)–Speed (also a Thriller)–Titanic (also a Love story)–The Terminator–Twister

Adventure: Stories whose central struggle plays out mainly through encounters with new "worlds."

– Apollo 13

– The Deep

– Get Shorty (blend of Gangster, Love, and Crime with a twist)

– Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (also an Action picture)

– Robinson Crusoe

– Water World

Comedy: Stories whose central struggle causes hilarious results.

– Ace Ventura, Pet Detective (also Adventure)

– French Kiss

– Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (also Fantasy)

– My Best Friend's Wedding

– When Harry Met Sally

– Working Girl (also Love Story)

Coming-of-Age Drama: Stories whose central struggle is about the hero finding his or her place in

the world.

– American Beauty

– The Breakfast Club

– The Graduate

– The Lion King

– Without a Cause

– Shakespeare in Love (also Romantic Comedy)

– The Water Boy (also Comedy)

Crime: Stories whose central struggle is about catching a criminal.

– Basic Instinct

– Fargo

– Ghost (also Love and Thriller)

– Patriot Games

– Pulp Fiction

– The Sting

– The Untouchables

Detective Story/Courtroom Drama: Stories whose central struggle is to find out what really happened

and thus to expose the truth.– A Few Good Men

– The General's Daughter

– Inherit the

– Rear Window

– A Time to Kill

– The Verdict

– Vertigo

Epic/Myth: Stories whose central struggle plays out in the midst of a clash of great forces or in the

sweep of great historical change.– Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid– The Godfather– Gone With the Wind– The Grapes of Wrath– Lawrence of Arabia (also Adventure)– Star Wars– The Ten Commandments

Fantasy: Stories which are animated, or whose central struggle plays out in two worlds - the "real" world and an

imaginary world.

– Alice in Wonderland– Antz– Ghostbusters– Mary Poppins– The Mask– Peter Pan– Toy Story– The Wizard of Oz

Gangster: Stories whose central struggle is between a criminal and society. A cautionary tale, rooted in a main

character who commits crimes.

– Bonnie and Clyde

– Dead Man Walking

– The Godfather (also Epic/Myth)

– Goodfellas

– Sling Blade

– The Usual Suspects

– Public Enemies

Horror: Stories whose central struggle focuses on escaping from and eventually defeating a Monster

(either human or non-human).– Alien

– The Blair Witch Project

– Friday the Thirteenth

– Halloween

– I Know What You Did Last Summer

– Nightmare on Elm Street

– Psycho

– Scream

Love (Romance): Stories whose central struggle is between two people who each want to win or keep

the love of the other.– As Good As It Gets– Casablanca (also Epic/Myth)– Ghost– Notting Hill– Pretty Woman– Roman Holiday– The Way We Were– Wuthering Heights

Science Fiction: Stories whose central struggle is generated from the technology and tools of a

scientifically imaginable world.– 2001 A Space Odyssey– Back to the Future– Blade Runner (also Crime)– ET: The Extra Terrestrial– The Sixth Sense– Stargate– Star Wars (and all the sequels or prequels)– The Terminator

Social Drama: Stories whose central struggle is between a Champion and a problem or injustice in society. Usually the

Champion has a personal stake in the outcome of the struggle.

– A Civil Action– Dead Man Walking– Grapes of Wrath– Kramer Vs Kramer Network– Philadelphia (also Courtroom Drama)– Schindler's List– To Kill a Mockingbird

Thriller: Stories whose central struggle pits an innocent hero against a lethal enemy who is out to

kill him or her.

– The Net– No Way Out– Night of the Hunter– Three Days of the Condor– Wait Until Dark– Witness (also Love Story)