History of Film Genres - Essay Example

Although that is the truth of the situation in the entertainment industry, the reality of the film-making world is that all of these films are actually categorized per genre. These genres include but are not limited to historical subject, intended impacts, formal criteria, subject matter, and finally, film style. Films generally classify their type of film per genre. By doing so, the movie aficionados and film buffs are given a chance to fully grasp and understand the evolution of our society via films.

The slow but sure evolution of film, from the silent films to the colored talkies, to the high tech 3-D films that we have in the cinemas today all focus on the changes and development of culture or historical period within which certain films are produced (“The History and Evolution of Genres”). It is through this developmental context that Hollywood managed to produce such a diverse set of films stemming from the Western hero in the 1940's and 50's which eventually evolved into group heroism as explored in the 1960's and 70's.

This group heroism exposed the shift in our society from the open land, pioneering work place of man towards the more organized group of working people in corporations and companies. Eventually, the increase of interest from within our society in the urban crime and international espionage era of the 1970's and 1980's gave way to the current trend of police/detective and spy / thriller genres (“The History and Evolution of Genres”). As seen in the above listing of film genres, one can note that films are composed of various forms which are identifiable by type.

This means that the film categories or classifications can be done based upon a specific criteria. These criteria could be based upon films that have recurring/similar/familiar/instantly recognizable patterns, syntax, film techniques/conventions. content and subject matter, themes, mood, period, plot, central narrative events, motifs, styles, structures, situations, recurring icons based upon influence on society, stock characters, or even film stars. Some of these films could even by hybrid type and therefore employ the use of several genres in one film, this is what is known as a hybrid film in Hollywood (Dirks, Tim “Main Film Genres”).

Historically, one of the most popular film genres includes are epic films such as The Ten Commandments, Quo Vadis, and Gone with the Wind. These types of films cater mostly to audiences that have a keen interest in costume dramas, historical dramas, war films, medieval romps, or period pictures. Although epic films have been known to share the elements of an adventure film due to their shared need for a vast, panoramic backdrop, epics still tend to stand under its own spotlight due to the uniqueness of the production values.

These production values include but are not limited to: . an historical or imagined event, mythic, legendary, or heroic figure, and add an extravagant setting and lavish costumes, accompanied by grandeur and spectacle, dramatic scope, high production values, and a sweeping musical score (Dirks, Tim “Main Film Genres”). Although the epic and war films share certain contexts when it comes to the story being told due to the lavish budgets, costumes, and settings, these two particular genres tell two different stories.

While the epic can tell the story of an imagined event or heroic war figure, the war film depicts the cold-hearted brutality and heart breaking real life events