London and
New York, 2007
132 pp
by
DEJAN
OGNJANOVIC
This book is another one in the long and
precious series 'Short Cuts' by Wallflower, made up of short guides to various
aspects of cinema. The series includes titles like CRIME FILM: Investigating
The Scene, SHAKESPEARE ON FILM: Such Things as Dreams Are Made Of, WAR CINEMA: Hollywood
on the Front Line, THE NEW HOLLYWOOD: From Bonnie and
Clyde to Star Wars, FILM NOIR: From Berlin to Sin
City, THE HORROR GENRE: From Beelzebub to Blair Witch and dozens of
others.
The
high standards established in the previous books are met in this one as well.
No big surprise since the author, Barry Keith Grant, is the professor of
Popular Culture and Film at Brock University and is one of the leading
authorities on film genre – among other things, he is the editor of the three
huge volumes of the indispensable FILM GENRE READER. No wonder, then, that he
provides this highly readable, informative and authoritative introduction to
all issues pertaining to the question of genre.
Mr.
Grant opens the book reminding us that the term genre has at least three major
meanings: 1) it refers to a particular mode of film production, 2) it is a
convenient consumer index announcing the kind of content to be expected in a
given film, and 3) it is a critical concept, mapping out the taxonomy of
popular film and pop culture in general. Then he goes on to analyze the term on
the level of the generic system (the relation of individual genres to each
other and to Hollywood production in general), individual genres (defining
individual genres and their common elements) and individual films (reading
specific films in their generic context).
Genre
as a concept is placed in its context within the popular culture and its origin
is found in the classical studio system from 1920ies to 1950ies., with their
economy of expression (through recognizable iconography and conventions) as the
key factor in their market value. The studio system provided a stable context
for filmmakers to work with consistency and to be creative and expressive
within the given confines. The key elements of genre are recognized in
conventions, iconography, setting, types of stories and characters, stories and
themes. These are all illustrated with examples from well-known genre films.
Never
losing itself in abstractions and definitions, this guide constantly goes back
to examples, providing minute case studies to elaborate a given concept: thus,
film noir, the musical and horror film are among those singled out to
illustrate the application of various theoretical tools in their understanding.
Special place is given to analysis of genre and its role in society: genre is
basically seen as a modern myth in which gathering in front of the cinema
screen has the same purposes that in previous centuries gatherings around the
fire were used. Of course, these shared dreams, hopes, fears and values are
liable to be abused, and Mr. Grant pays due attention to various ideological
uses of generic stories.
The
common complaint implied in the dichotomy: genre vs. art is explained and
convincingly negated by the case study of John Ford and his use of the western
genre conventions for his idiosyncratic style. It is even better supported by
the case studies of Howard Hawks, as another 'genre director' who managed to be
an 'author' at the same time, and of Fritz Lang and his peculiar use of genre. The
chapter on gender and genre provides a very interesting modern reading of such
action classics as DIE HARD and BLUE STEEL and the book concludes with a brief
chapter on the genres outside of Hollywood: Italian 'spaghetti western', Hong
Kong action films, Japanese samurai and monster movies, etc. Sadly, the book is
limited to Hollywood's genres, and not enough space is given to their influence
on film genres in Europe and Asia, which is merely hinted.
If
you're theoretically inclined, this book provides an invaluable essence of all
varieties of approaches to genre and its meaning. At the same time, FILM GENRE
is a clear, easily understandable, well-supported account of what a genre means
and how it accomplishes what it set out to do. Because of that, it can serve as
an eye-opener to any genre film buff out there who may not have wondered about
the possible ideological readings of his or her favorite entertainment. No
entertainment is innocent and no genre film is 'just for fun': Barry Keith
Grant's books reminds us of the uses and abuses of generic iconography and of
hidden meanings inherent to our favorite genres. That's why it is strongly
recommended to every student of popular culture and to every cinemagoer who
doesn't leave their brain at the box office.
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