Film Genres

Film Genres are categories, classifications or groups of films that have similar, familiar or instantly-recognizable patterns, techniques or conventions that include one or more of the following: setting, content, themes, plot, motifs, styles, structures, situations, characters (or characterizations), and stars. The main genres are the western, crime (gangster), horror, the musical, science fiction and comedy. Other genre categories include action/adventure, thrillers epics (costume dramas), war movies, and the women's picture (melodrama). 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 (from swashbucklers to war movies). Musicals were inaugurated with the era of the Talkies, and the genre of science-fiction films wasn't generally popularized until the 1950s.

All films have at least one major genre, although there are a number of films that are considered crossbreeds or hybrids with three or four overlapping genre types that identify them.

Examples of sub-genres abound: aviation films, biographical films, buddy films, caper films, chase films, disaster films, documentary films, espionage films, experimental films, "fallen" woman films, jungle films, legal films, martial arts films, medical films, military films, parody films, police films, political films, prison films, religious films, road films, slasher films, sports films, swashbucklers, women's "weeper" films and more. Examples of different forms or types of film include: animations, features, serials, or shorts among others.

Certain directors (and actors) are known for certain types of films, for example, Woody Allen and comedy, Alfred Hitchcock for suspense and thrillers, John Ford with westerns, or Errol Flynn for classic swashbuckler adventure films.

1. What are film genres?

2. What are the main film genres?

3. When were the main genres established?

4. Do all films have only one major genre

Topical Vocabulary

Genres Жанри

Feature film художній фільм

action adventure пригодницький фільм

cartoon мультфільм

A-picture фільм 1 -ої категорії

B-picture фільм 2-ої категорії

musical мюзікл

blaxploitation експлуатація "чорної" теми

sexploitation експлуатація сексуальної теми

thriller , chiller, shocker фільм жахів

horror film, slasher фільм жахів

cowboy picture, western вестерн ковбойський (теле)фільм,

detective детектив

documentary документальне кіно

epic епічний твір

film noir "чорне" кіно

gangster film бойовик

melodrama, tearjerker мелодрама

women's picture мелодрама

women's "weeper" film мелодрама

newsreel фільм-хроніка

prequel попередня серія

sequel продовження

remake рімейк фільма

sci-fi наукова фантастика

screwball comedy ексцентрична комедія

romantic comedy романтична комедія

parody film фільм-пародія

crash-&-burn бойовик з великою кількістю вибухів

independent незалежне кіно

art-film незалежне кіно

experimental незалежне кіно

serial серіал

silent німе кіно

travel-film, travelogue фільм про подорожі

disaster film фільм-катастрофа

whodunit детективний роман, фільм

buddy picture фільм про друзів

biographical біографічний фільм

teen picture фільм про/для підлітків

shoot'-em up бойовик

adult film, X-rated film фільм для дорослих

caper film трюковий пригодницький фільм

educational film навчальний фільм

instructional film навчальний фільм

training film навчальний фільм

A. Read the definitions below, and then match them with the types of films on the left.

an action film	Any non-Russian film.
an adventure film	An amusing film full of songs and dancing.
a cartoon	Also called an animated film. It is made by pho­tographing drawings rather than using live actors.
a comedy	In this type of film, excitement is -generated from action sequences.
a documentary	A film dealing with life in the western part of the US in the times of the wars with the Red Indians, or one with cowboys, rustlers, sheriffs, etc.
a drama	A film where the main aim is to terrify the audi­ence.
a disaster film	In this type of film, the focus is more on human relationships rather than action.
a foreign film	Producers aim this film mainly at young people and children.
a historical film	A very dramatic film where tension and sus­pense is deliberately maintained and is a central feature of the plot.
a horror film	A film to do with some aspect of war.
a juvenile film	The action of this film is set in the future, it often deals with the space travel, robots, etc.
a love story	In this film, love and romance are the key element.
a musical	А film describing travels.
a science-fiction film	The characters of this film get involved in a series of events which are unusual, exciting, and perhaps dangerous.
a thriller	A film which shows some aspect of human or social activity, or gives information about a partic­ular subject.
a travelogue	A film dealing with major disasters, such as earthquakes, large fires, aircraft crashes, etc.
a war film	A funny film which sets out to make the audi­ence laugh.
a western	A film dealing with real events in history.

B. Read the description and try to guess the genre of the movie.

- Fast-paced exciting narrative of some dangerous or bold undertaking.

- Film based on life story of actual person.

- Animated picture.

- Story involving criminal investigation.

- Narrative about effects on characters of natural or man-made catastrophe.

- Film based on facts and historical records.

- Long episodic, large-scale story with heroic characters.

- Fanciful departure from known realities.

- Melodramatic narrative film about a violent, criminal antihero, esp. popular in the Depression era.

- Films with strange frightening events that threaten characters, esp. those emphasizing bloodshed or supernatural forces.

- Sensational story emphasizing emotional content over characterization.

- Story told in large part through musical productions, esp. song-and-dance numbers.

- Short documentary account of current events.

- New version of an old film.

- Light comedy involving love interest.

- Film depicting effect of science on society, esp. future society or other planets.

- Continuation of the story or characters depicted in the earlier film.

- Motion picture without sound.

- Film produced with sound.

- Sentimental melodrama.

- Documentary motion picture showing and describing travels.

- Narrative set in lawless, 19^th century American frontier.

C. Look through the list below. Match the film titles on the left with the types of film on the right. Types of films can be used more than once.

1. comedy

2. action film

3. animated film (cartoon)

4. western

5. historical film

101 Dalmatians 6. drama

7. musical

Frankenstein 8. horror film

Gone with the wind 9. thriller

10. science-fiction