Subverting the Conventional: Combining Genre in Kelly's Donnie Darko

Genres and Genre Film. After reviewing the discussion of genre in Chapter 8 of Film: From Watching to Seeing, demonstrate your understanding of one selected genre using a feature-length film.

With the large variety of interests that flourish within the society, it is no shock that genres exist, especially in film, as the definition of entertainment differs from person to person. A genre is a category of films that are characterised by similarities in the narrative elements and conventions found within the films. Genres are extremely useful to both film producers and audiences as it helps them narrow down the target audience and search for films that are in their range of interests. No one wants to watch a political drama overrun with teenagers or go into a cinema with the intentions of watching a romantic comedy, only to receive blood and gore instead.

“If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all,” remarks Kathy Selden about movies after first meeting silent film star Don Lockwood in the beginning of Singin’ in the Rain (Singin’ in the Rain 17:38). While Kathy was slightly off base when saying that all movies are the same, movies belonging to the same genre often do share certain conventions which author Bernard F. Dick discusses in his book Anatomy of Film and Tim Dirks confirms in his assessment of the genre for the American Movie Classics Company. What do one of the best musicals ever made and the newest musical to receive raving reviews have in common? With 64 years separating Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and La La Land (2016), the advancements in film technology are apparent, but the

Billy Wilder’s work today remains masterful and memorable. From his skilled screenwriting to his directing, Wilder holds a key position in cinema history. Wilder’s stylistic and thematic elements are recognizable and give off a complex reflection of his American and European cultural influences. I think that Billy Wilder should be considered an “auteur” even if he is not already considered one, for his personal film style and the mere fact that his cynical vision allowed him to create many admirable films across a number of genre boundaries throughout his career. However, film critics tend to disagree and believe that Wilder was too cynical, while also complaining about the lack of

Genres of film generally possess certain traits that define our fundamental understanding of the genre’s structure. These are referred to a genre convention. The genre of drama within film lends itself to a few fundamental ideals (Grant, 2007:10). Firstly is the concept of a grounded and realistic setting, which in essence relates to characters dealing with conflicts that could be experienced in our reality. The second ideal presents itself through the characters dealing with their conflicts, both internal and external, in what is generally quite an emotional and intense manner (Grant, 2007:21). This can also feature a growth in character, as well as a shift in status or power dynamics between characters in a film. Finally, another important ideal of the drama genre is the way in which addresses a social issue that is prevalent in society (Right Direction, 2014), such as abuse, addiction and

Two genres which have always been Hollywood staples are science-fiction and the western. The genres can be seen in films made as early as Le Voyage Dans la lune (Georges Melies 1902) and The Great Train Robbery (Edwin S. Porter 1903). On the surface the two genres are very different, however if one looks closely at them they are similar in many ways. Both genres usually feature uncharted frontiers, strong silent protagonists, frightening savages (played by either space aliens or Native Americans) and damsels in distress. The formula for these two genres was established many decades ago and in recent years it takes a film that defies and

Viewers of films usually expect certain aspects to be included in the film for instance love, war, and crime. The expectations of the viewers and their attitude at the end of the film usually define the genre, to which the film will fall. In most cases, the purpose of the films and the attitudes developed by the audience as the plot of the film grows, will help shape the genre to which the film will be categorized. Even though these expectations exist, it would be unfounded for the film to follow an individual ideal like communicativeness and knowledge that defines the genre. The shifts in these genres between combat and romance, for instance, are used to facilitate the conceptualization of the purpose and the representations used in the film.

Development and adaptation of the western genre has occurred throughout the twentieth century in relation to the shift in context, this is still relevant. Stereotypes of a western genre and the context are determined by the time in which the film is being produced. The time in which they were produced determine how social construction, gender ideas, values and attitudes, the setting and SWAT codes are demonstrated. I have chosen to present this speech by looking at the film studied in class, and a film of my choice and how the difference in context has changed in the tie of these two films.

In the film industry, directors have control over the entire production process and shape the film to fit their vision (Creativeskillset.org, 2015). In 1954, François Truffaut took this notion, applying it one step further, in his essay entitled ‘A Certain Tendency in French Cinema’, by saying that directors have complete creative control over the film’s production and that the director is the sole creator. (Nelmes, 2012). Developing this newfound term, auteur theory, coming from the French word ‘author’, François Truffaut came to this conclusion after studying the filmography of famous directors including the works of Alfred Hitchcock and Jean Renoir (Acu.edu.au, 2011). François Truffaut noticed that many elements

How does your chosen film adhere to or diverge from the generic convention at play within the genre of the chosen film?

After comparing and contrasting observations, the discussion could then shift to trying to critically understand the film as a cultural reflection of the period by discussing the historical context. Examining why the American western was so popular to film audiences and producers during the mid-to-late 20th century may help explore whether these films reflected a certain zeitgeist. Some questions that the movies raise are: How does the western reflect 20th century politics? Which 20th century values are portrayed within these films? Do these films help contribute to a consensus of support around America’s status as a

The term Auteur seems to bless a privileged group of filmmakers with an almost messiah-like legacy. Men such as Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford and Fritz Lange are believed to inhabit the ranks of the cinematic elite, and not surprisingly most critics are more than willing to bestow upon them the title of Auteur. By regarding filmmaking as yet another form of art, Auteur theory stipulates that a film is the direct result of its director's genius. With the emerging prominence of auteur based criticism in the 1950?s, the role of the director became increasingly integral to a film's success. However most would argue that this form of criticism didn't reach its apex until 1960s, when Andrew Sarris released his

The producers will develop a test and the audience will tell the producers whether it is something they want to see or they are not going to see. This can affect the next text to be produced in an attempt to conform to the audience demands. Looking at the development of different types of genres and the development of films within the same genre, it’s possible to look at similarities and differences and identify changes in society and audience ideologies and tastes.

Genre theory is used to study films and put them into a classification so that audiences know what type of film it is before they see it. Genres are categories based on the story of the film, sometimes the actors and actresses, or even the directors. All films fall under a genre or sub-genre category. Romantic Comedy is an example of a genre which is light-hearted, humorous story involving people in love, sometimes overlapping with subgenres such as screwball comedy teen comedy, or gross-out comedy. ( Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, table 4.1). This paper will focus on the romantic comedy genre and movie Rocky. It will take a better look at the specific conventions of this genre and how this movie fits the gangster genre.

According to film theorist Thomas Schatz, “a genre approach (to film) provides the most effective means for understanding, analyzing, and appreciating the Hollywood cinema (Schatz vii).” His approach to film is strongly supported by theorist Edward Branigan’s and the narrative representation of character interaction (Branigan), and André Bazin’s arguments that the objective reality pressed against audience interpretation.