Notions of genre : writings on popular film before genre theory / edited by Barry Keith Grant and Malisa Kurtz.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Grant, Barry Keith, 1947- editor.

Kurtz, Malisa, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Film genres.

Motion picture plays--History and criticism.

Motion picture plays.

Motion picture authorship.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

vii, 294 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, 2016.

Summary:

Much of the writing in film studies published today can be understood as genre criticism, broadly speaking. And even before film studies emerged as an academic discipline in the 1970s, cultural observers within and beyond the academy were writing about genre films and making fascinating attempts to understand their conventions and how they speak to, for, and about the culture that produces them. While this early writing on genre film was often unsystematic, impressionistic, journalistic, and judgmental, it nonetheless produced insights that remain relevant and valuable today. Notions of Genre gathers the most important early writing on film genre and genre films published between 1945 and 1969. It includes articles by such notable critics as Susan Sontag, Dwight Macdonald, Siegfried Kracauer, James Agee, André Bazin, Robert Warshow, and Claude Chabrol, as well as essays by scholars in academic disciplines such as history, sociology, and theater. These writings address major issues in genre studies, including definition, representation, ideology, audiences, and industry practices, across genres ranging from comedy and westerns to horror, science fiction, fantasy, gangster films, and thrillers. The only single-volume source for this early writing on genre films, Notions of Genre is an invaluable resource for scholars and students of film genre, film history, film theory, cultural studies, and popular culture. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I Comedy 11

Chapter 1 Comedy's Greatest Era / James Agee Agee, James 14

Chapter 2 Silent Film Comedy / Siegfried Kracauer Kracauer, Siegfried 34

Chapter 3 Uncle Sam's Funny Bone / Allen Eyles Eyles, Allen 39

Chapter 4 Whatever Happened to Hollywood Comedy? / Dwight Macdonald Macdonald, Dwight 53

Chapter 5 The Evolution of the Chase in the Silent Screen Comedy / Donald W. McCaffrey McCaffrey, Donald W. 60

Chapter 6 From Kops to Robbers: Transformation of Archetypal Figures in the American Cinema of the 1920s and '30s / Carolyn, Harry Geduld Geduld, Harry 70

Part II The Western 77

Chapter 7 The Psychological Appeal of the Hollywood Western / Frederick Elkin Elkin, Frederick 80

Chapter 8 The Western, or the American Film Par Excellence / André Bazin Bazin, André 93

Chapter 9 The Olympian Cowboy / Harry Schein Schein, Harry 103

Chapter 10 The Changing Cowboy: From Dime Novel to Dollar Film / George Bluestone Bluestone, George 115

Chapter 11 Sociological Symbolism of the "Adult Western" / Martin Nussbaum Nussbaum, Martin 125

Chapter 12 Puritanism Revisited: An Analysis of the Contemporary Screen-Image Western / Peter Romans Romans, Peter 133

Part III The Fantastic 149

Chapter 13 Supernaturalism in the Movies / Parker Tyler Tyler, Parker 152

Chapter 14 Reflections on Horror Movies / Robert Brustein Brustein, Robert 159

Chapter 15 A Brief, Tragical History of the Science Fiction Film / Richard Hodgens Hodgens, Richard 171

Chapter 16 The Imagination of Disaster / Susan Sontag Sontag, Susan 186

Chapter 17 Extrapolative Cinema / Ivor A. Rogers Rogers, Ivor A. 202

Chapter 18 Even a Man Who Is Pure at Heart: Poetry and Danger in the Horror Film / R. H. W. Dillard Dillard, R. H. W. 211

Part IV Crime and Punishment 223

Chapter 19 The Gangster as Tragic Hero / Robert Warshow Warshow, Robert 226

Chapter 20 Evolution of the Thriller / Claude Chabrol Chabrol, Claude 232

Chapter 21 Toward a Definition of Film Noir / Raymond Borde Borde, Raymond, Etienne Chaumeton Chaumeton, Etienne 242

Chapter 22 Paint It Black: The Family Tree of the Film Noir / Raymond Durgnat Durgnat, Raymond 252

Chapter 23 Introduction to The Gangster Film / John Baxter Baxter, John 273.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781477311080

9781477303757

1477303758

1477311084

OCLC:

936687486

Publisher Number:

99969969994