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[Schatz, Thomas, 1948- . Hollywood genres : formulas, filmmaking, and the studio system / Thomas Schatz. 0877222223 : series Philadelphia : Temple University Press, c1981.]
Schatz, Thomas. Hollywood Genres: Formulas, Filmaking, and the Studio System. Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1981.
Thomas Schatz seeks to understand, appreciate, and analyze Hollywood cinema through
an in-depth look at the genres that overwhelmed it for much of the twentieth-century.
An understanding of the many factors that drove films to be centered
on the topics that they were then lends to a more comprehensive picture of what
the film industry and American culture were during the studio period. Schatz
divides his book into two main parts: a theoretical look at genre film-making followed
by case studies of six dominant genres characteristic of the Hollywood studio system.
The genre that Schatz explores that is most relevant to "The Philadelphia Story" is
the one on The Screwball Comedy (Chapter 6, p. 150-185). Schatz outlines the general
convention of the screwball comedy, often characterized by portrayals of the American
elite and social and sexual tensions between the sexes- usually between a frustrated
man and woman from different backgrounds who fight their way through fast-paced and
witty dialogue only to realize that they are destined for each other. The themes in
screwball comedies usually deal with class issues and romantic or sexual ones.
Schatz notes the
huge popularity of these films during the Great Depression. He mentions "The
Philadelphia Story" specifically in order to discuss a variation of the archetypal
screwball comedy that became popular in the 1940s: the divorce-remarriage variation.
In these films the screwball couple have already been joined together in marriage
but then something goes awry and the movie is spent reconciling this differences.
"The Philadelphia Story" is a prime example for this sub-genre, with the relationship
between Tracy Lord and C.K. Dexter Haven occupying its plot and manifesting itself
in typical, and highly entertaining, screwball manner.
an in-depth look at the genres that overwhelmed it for much of the twentieth-century.
An understanding of the many factors that drove films to be centered
on the topics that they were then lends to a more comprehensive picture of what
the film industry and American culture were during the studio period. Schatz
divides his book into two main parts: a theoretical look at genre film-making followed
by case studies of six dominant genres characteristic of the Hollywood studio system.
The genre that Schatz explores that is most relevant to "The Philadelphia Story" is
the one on The Screwball Comedy (Chapter 6, p. 150-185). Schatz outlines the general
convention of the screwball comedy, often characterized by portrayals of the American
elite and social and sexual tensions between the sexes- usually between a frustrated
man and woman from different backgrounds who fight their way through fast-paced and
witty dialogue only to realize that they are destined for each other. The themes in
screwball comedies usually deal with class issues and romantic or sexual ones.
Schatz notes the
huge popularity of these films during the Great Depression. He mentions "The
Philadelphia Story" specifically in order to discuss a variation of the archetypal
screwball comedy that became popular in the 1940s: the divorce-remarriage variation.
In these films the screwball couple have already been joined together in marriage
but then something goes awry and the movie is spent reconciling this differences.
"The Philadelphia Story" is a prime example for this sub-genre, with the relationship
between Tracy Lord and C.K. Dexter Haven occupying its plot and manifesting itself
in typical, and highly entertaining, screwball manner.
belongs to The Philadelphia Story (1940) project
tagged film genres hollywood studio_system
by belferea
...on 10-APR-08
Graves, Mark A., 1963- . Blockbusters : a reference guide to film genres / Mark A. Graves and F. Bruce Engle. 0313330948 (alk. paper) series Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2006.
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1995 .G663 2006
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1995 .G663 2006
Blockbusters: A Reference Guide to Film Genres, by Mark A. Graves and F. Bruce Engle, is a book that outlines all the different genres of film, their respective places in film history, and the most notable films of each genre. In chapter 7 dedicated to Musicals, Graves and Engle differentiate between six subcategories of the musical: The Backstage Musical, The Revue, The Showcase or Star Vehicle, The Screen Adaptation, The Dance Musical, and The Animated Musical. The Showcase or Star Vehicle, described by Graves and Engle, is a film that’s purpose “is to showcase the talent of a musical personality whose success has already been achieved in radio or through recordings.” As an example of such musical films, they refer to A Hard Day’s Night, the first film by The Beatles, an already established musical group that was using film to further launch their career. They also go on to discuss the history of musical film in the 1960’s claiming that the large-budget musicals, such as Mary Poppins (1964), were now becoming rare and were instead being replaced by “smaller-budget films [that] exploited the popularity of rock-and-roll music.” A Hard Day’s Night is a prime example of the popular musical that started emerging in the 1960’s.
To make a valid argument that A Hard Day’s Night was the first film to successfully unite the popular cultures of film and music, and therefore the first true rock and roll film, I must be able to claim what the popular culture of film was at the time of its release. According to Blockbusters: A Reference Guide to Film Genres, the musical of the 1960’s was often infatuated with the new emergence of the rock and roll popular culture of music. A Hard Day’s Night therefore, has a subject matter very representative of its time in film history, but as I have learned from my other sources, portrayed the pop culture of music in a way that was unique (showing a day in the life of The Beatles rather than The Beatles acting as other fictional people in a fictional story in the same way Elvis did). Consequently, this source is instrumental to my thesis, as it supports the claim that A Hard Day’s Night was not only representative of music’s pop culture, but also film’s pop culture of the sixties.
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tagged dlf_fall_2006 tagging facets social_research genres
by winkler4
...and 1 other person
...on 08-NOV-06
"Includes 450 topics (e.g., amnesia, butlers, football, lookalikess) and major series, with a narrative discussion of each and a list of films (selective for subjects, complete for series) by date. Primarily English-language sound films and television movies. No index. A 2nd ed. [THIS] in paperback adds about 100 thematic categories."(Balay, Guide to reference books, 11th ed, 1996)
"Essays by scholars on 18 individual genres (e.g., screwball, comedy, Western, film noir), covering development of the genre, themes, notable films, influential directors and stars, etc., and including bibliographic overview, checklist of readings, and a selected filmography. Index of names and titles."(Balay, Guide to reference books, 11th ed, 1996)