Evolution of Genre Film Essay Analysis You will write an essay of 4 pages in length (double-spaced, 12-point font).
This essay will require you to provide a more in-depth analysis of films viewed, as well as synthesize major ideas, movements, and figures covered in class.
Evolution of Genre Film Essay Analysis Essay Prompt
The goal of this essay is to track the development of a particular genre across multiple periods in film history (silent era, pre-WWII, and/or modern cinema). The overarching goal of this essay is to make specific connections between early cinematic movements/genres and the later films they influenced.
Your essay should be structured around an argument that makes broad claims about the function(s) and goal(s) of the genre.
You should combine independent research and analysis of two specific genre films (from two different time periods) to define the conventions of the genre you select.
Evolution of Genre Film Essay Analysis and Guiding Course Concepts
You should examine how these genre films reflect (or have an impact on) the era in which they were produced by discussing the FILM 111 fundamental question: “How does the history of film affect our cultural, social, and/or political reality?” and guiding course concepts: 1. Art and Life; 2. Literacy (Visual/Narrative); 3. Ideologies (Social/Political/Economic/Artistic); 4. Technology and Innovation.
Recommended Genres Encountered in Class:
Horror (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – 1920, The Mummy – 1932)
Western (The Great Train Robbery – 1903, Stagecoach – 1939)
Gangster (Scarface – 1932)
Musical (The Jazz Singer – 1927)
Science Fiction (A Trip to the Moon – 1902)
