Unit 1 Genre Analysis

Francesca Crowther-Smith
Level 3 Nationals Unit 1
Introduction to Media and Textual Analysis
AO 1 - Investigate and explain how different
genres have developed

Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale 1935)

The film Frankenstein has many typical conventions of a horror genre such as dark scary lighting, the haunting and atmospheric music, the settings, costume, camera angles. It also contains monsters, corpses, mad professors and there are scenes of 

grave digging, there is also many murders throughout the film some of which are quite brutal. I think that the dialogue also adds to the horror feel of it as there are many loud noises such as the monsters groaning noise, the murder victims screaming before they die.

I agree that you could argue that the film Frankenstein would also fit into science fiction genre as it is based on a scientific experiment and has many experimental themes. the lightening, electricity, the doctors are all aspects that would be included in a sci-fi film.

I also think that it could fit into a comedy genre as there are many slapstick moments in the film. The audience in the 1030's would probally not find the film comical, I think they would of found it extremely frightening, where as the audiences today would of found it quite funny as they are used to seeing horror films and spoof horror films that contain similar comical moments.

The film Frankenstein was created by universal studios and was produced by James Whale it was loosely based on the novel by Mary Shelley. It was created in 1935 at a time of recession in America. this meant that all the film studios had to cut back on the amount of genres that they were making and instead stuck to only one genre. universal chose to just release films from the horror genre. The actor who played the monster in Frankenstein was called Boris Karloff he played many roles, all in horror films.

From a modern day viewpoint I think that the film is not very scary and I personally find it more of a comedy film than a horror. I think that the reason this is is because nowadays there are a lot of horror films that contain comedy aswell and there are also spoof horror films that contain similar slapstick humour much like what we see in Frankenstein.

The links to the social environment are when Frankensteins monster is in the woods and comes across the house of the blind man. the interaction between the blind man and the Frankensteins monster is interesting as it is a contrast to how everyone else acts towards the monster. everyone else is afraid of the monster and assumes that he is a nasty evil person, whereas because the blind man cannot see he can't judge the monster on his appearance, instead he welcomes him into his home and looks after him as he has no friends and wants to make friends with people. this is an interesting scene and shows how two people interact with each other. The technological environment is present when the professors are trying to bring life to the dead corpses. these scenes contain technical jargon and a technology set and props, the costume that the people wear are also technological and help to set the scene and add to the theme.

I think that the audience of the 1930's would of enjoyed the film as it would have been very well made and produced for that time. They would of been impressed by the camera angles, acting quality, special effects, lighting, variation of settings and interesting storyline. I think they would of found the film very scary and been slightly terrified by the thought that life could be created in such a way, as the audience of that time would probably of believed that it was possible. The lighting, costume and acting would of been very scary in those times.

The benefit of genre to audiences is that they know what they like and many people base the decision of whether to watch a film or not on what genre it is. people tend to stick to what they know, so if people watch a horror film and enjoy it then they will probably go to watch other film

s of the same genre and stick to just a few genres. people don't tend to experiment and try different films much as if they like horror then they would be better of watching a horror film as there are familiar typical conventions that they enjoy rather than trying something new as there is always the risk that they may not like it.

The benefit of genre to producers is that it is cost affective. in the 1930's there was a recession so to save money the studios produced films of only one genre. this meant that they only needed costumes, props, scenes of the same genre which saved them money, they could also use the same actors on different films over again. this saved them money as they did not have to buy different props for different genres. It is also good as the studios became specialists of the particular genre, meaning that the films they produce should be better each time as they can improve on the film.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (Kenneth Branagh 1994)

The merchandise for the film is different as most people when they think of Frankenstein think of the original Frankensteins monster not the recent one in Branagh's version. Alot of people know ideas of the story and have a rough knowledge of the story.

I think that the film looks very different visually as there have been advances in technological equipment since the making of James Whale's version of the film. In the new version there are noticeably improved camera angles, lighting, colouring, costume, acting. The way in which the film has been shot is also different as you can tell there has been alot more attention focused on making sure the film flows. The music has been thought about and the way in which it accompanies the film. there is alot more detail in the new film I think this is because the director wants the audience to understand what is going on better and it gives the film a storyline feeling. The new version feels more well rounded with a beginning a middle and an end. there are also alot more scenes and locations in the new version. I think all of these factors together show that the new version of the film had a bigger budget and better technology. I think that the film deffinatly fits into the horror genre as it still contains the same conventions such as fire, music, monsters, tradegy, murder and corpses. the scenery, costume and story lines are that of a horror film. However I think that the audience of today would not find the new version of Frankenstein as terrifying as the audience of the 30's would of when they watched Branagh's version as they were not used to watching such films and have not built up a tolerance for horror movies like the audience. Although it could be argued that the film fits into the science fiction genre as it contains science experiments theory's of how life is created. The whole experiment of creating a monster is to do with science and therefore the film would fit into the science fiction genre.

The narrative has changed as there are more complex story lines in this version and there are more characters, more locations. For example there is alot more of a history to Victor Frankensteins character, a love interest, he also has a friend in this film, you see him go through university, forms a friendship and falls in love with his adopted sister. I think that this change in the narrative reflects a shift in cultural attitudes as nowadays people prefer to watch films about romance. they also like to be visually stimulated by different locations, costume, and they enjoy following different characters and there story lines to see how they end up. In todays world we have the technology to film movies in alot better quality and alot quicker and easier than when they first filmed James whale's version as the technology would of been very basic, this explains why there film was very good for the time that it was filmed. But nowadays with technological change the quality of the film is much better. Most films reflect current affairs, they normally feature story lines that discuss issues relevant to today. For example in 1994 on the 26th of August - Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire carries out a pioneering operation to give a man a battery-operated heart. This shows what the people of the early 90's were achieving scientifically at that time so when the film came out in that year the audience may of believed that this method of creating life was possible as they were aware of what scientists were trying to achieve at this time. This method of featuring story lines close to that of the current news adds to the atmosphere and the audiences reactions of the film. In Frankenstein we as the audience feel empathy for the monster as we see him through his life and we know that he didn't ask to be created and his appearance means that people are scared of him and therefore it is very difficult for him to form relationships with anyone and hard for him to fit into society. I think the film features topics of how peoples appearances can affect the way they live there lives and how they fit into society. Personally I think that Branagh's version of the film does make it so that the audience feels sadness towards the victims of the monster much more than they do watching james Whale's version of the film, I think that this is because the latest version has built up the characters personality much more so therefore when one of them dies the audiences feels more of a connection to them. The face of the original Frankenstein is iconic and is recognized throughout the world as it is featured on hallowen masks each year, the story of Frankenstein is spread through the years through word of mouth. 

I think that audience expectations have changed over time as people are used to watching films as it is an old pastime and the people of today have grown up watching a broad variety of films from different genres. people are much more critical nowadays compared to in the 1930's, they also have more of a knowledge of film. 

People also have a tendency to stick to what they know. this means that they will stick to genres they know and like, which in turn means that it is difficult to gain new audiences. People nowadays have a better knowledge of the conventions of different genres. So they have certain expectations of what will be in the film, locations, story lines, characters. Actors normally feature in the same genre of films. for example Helena Bonham-Carter started a relationship with Kenneth Branagh the director of Frankenstein during the filming. She appeared in several of Branagh's films afterwards, this is a pattern that she repeated with her now partner Tim Burton. Helena has starred in a number of his films. She normally plays the role of mysterious attractive pre 20th century women. So therefore when the audience watches the film they have expectation related to Helena's previous acting roles, they expect that she will play a certain role. The story has been passed around for generations, I personally knew of the story as I have studied it in English lessons. This means that you have an idea of what the story is about.

Progress in technology means that there are now much better quality equipment used in filming, making the overall quality of the film better. The changes in technology mean that better picture quality, better music, clearer dialogue, lighting and special effects all add to the look of the film. This all means that the atmosphere of the film is improved so the audience feel more involved with what is happening in the film. I think that people with an interest in technology will watch the film but I think that this will be equal to the amount of people that watched the film for that reason in the 30's.

The Fall of the House of Usher (Roger Corman 1960)

House of Usher is an American horror film about a haunted mansion. The film features four main characters Roderick played by Vincent Price, Philip Winthrop played by Mark Damon, Madeline Usher played by Myrna Fahey. Philip goes to visit his fiance at her mansion home. He is not welcomed by Madeline's brother Roderick who wishes for Philip to leave as soon as possible as he says that the house is haunted and that the Usher family is doomed. Roderick forbids Madeline to leave the house and go back to Boston with Philip as he thinks she is ill. the film keeps the audience guessing as to whether the Usher family are really ill or whether it is just Roderick poisoning there minds. It turns out that the house is just situated on pit and that the tremors are the house shaking and there is no curse. Madeline suffers from a form of narcolepsy.

Style and Visual Language

The film House of Usher is typical of a horror genre as it features such conventions as a haunted mansion, dead land, Hero, villain and victim, Curse, odd daily routine. All these things tell the audience that it is from the genre horror and not from comedy or a thriller. American International Pictures (Turned into Metro Goldwyn Mayer) the studio chose to just create horror films as it was cheaper. for instance they re-used shots in different films and they also shot what was easily available, for instance in this film the crew heard that there was a house on fire up the street so they went out and shot it to use in this film.

Content 

The iconography used which is now cliched is the cross, bible, mist, mansion, lightening, curse etc, these things are all now cliched and tend not to scare the audiences of today as we have seen them so often that they do not have the same effect.

Audience 

The benefits for the producer and audience for casting Vincent price is that they know how he works, they will also attract fans of his who have seen previous films that he has been in. the audience would of enjoyed the mystery of what is going on in the house, they would of enjoyed trying to work out if it is really a curse or if it is just the older brother roderick, the film keeps the audience guessing until the end which I think the audience would also of liked as the things that happen in the film could be explained by natural occurrences and coincidences

Witchfinder General (Michael Reeves 1968)

Witch finder general is a 1968 british horror film directed by Michael Reeves and starring Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy and Hilary Dwyer. The screenplay was by Reeves and Tom Baker based on Ronald 

Bassets novel of the same name. Made on a low budget of under 100,00 pounds. the movie was co-produced by Tigon British Film Productions and American International Pictures. the story details the heavily fictionalized murderous witch hunting exploits of Matthew Hopkins, a 17th century English lawyer who claimed to have been appointed as a "Witch-Finder General" by parliament during the English civil war to root out sorcery and witchcraft.

The film was retitled The Conqueror Worm in the united states in an attempt to link it with Roger Corman's earlier series of Edgar Allan poe-related films starring Vincent Price although this movie has little to do with Poe and only briefly alludes to his poem. It was the end of the hippy ideal, and the rise of anti-authority. It was a Horror with something to say it challenged why we exept such violence. The film was Censored by the BBFC… long screaming bits (censors not certification) the original lead role was Donald Pleasance (ineffectual and ludicrous authority figure) but AIP wanted Vincent Price. The director had to rethink role, and so the script was changed.

The Wicker Man

The Wicker man is a cult classic film which was released in 1973, Starring Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee and Britt Eckland. This british thriller/horror tells the story of a devout christian policeman who is called out to a remote scottish island regarding the whereabouts of a young missing girl named Rowan. As the film progresses it appears that the residents of the island have shunned any practices of christianity in favour of pageinism. During his stay on the island Sergeant Howie (Woodward) is outraged by the villagers strange practices on the island which include children dancing naked, an open orgy in the street and young men losing their virginity to the islan whore played by Britt Eckland. The island is led by Lord Summerisle played by
Christopher Lee.

The Wicker Man was written by Anthony Shaffer. The film was originally hated by the studio which made it and only released as a shortened supporting feature and its master tapes are beleived to of been destroyed. Ithink that the reason for this is because they felt that the focus on other religions and the lack of christianity may not of appealed to what at that time was a majority of christian people. I think that the studio feared what a christian country would of made of the film and were scared of bad press. I think that the film now has such a cult following as in today's society people have a lot more curiosity and freedom as there is more diversity when it comes to religion.

I personally enjoyed watching a film which focused on the unusual and strange behaviour. It was interesting to watch a film that mostly makes the audience feel quite uncomfortable. There was a good twist in the storyline at the end which I found interesting. I also think that the musci to the film was very memorable and just as unusual as the film. I agree that the film fits onto the horror genre as it includes the final scene where the policeman is used as a sacrifice for the villagers and is burnt to death against his will in the giant wickerman. This scene is quite iconic and the villagers calm behaviour and emotions at this point at to the feeling of uncomfort and therefore places the film into a horror genre. Although it is not a film that i myself would have chosen to watch

The Shining - Stanley Kubrick (1980)

The Shining is an adaption of the famous horror novel by Stephen King. The main Character Jack Torrance is played by Jack Nicholson. His wife Wendy is played by Shelley Duvall. The son Danny is played by Danny Lloyd.

The structure of the film is linear and the Narrative structure contains the typical conventions such as Exposistion, Complication, climax and resolution. In terms of Elipses the film shows the home life of the son danny and the mother. The next part is the interview of jack Torrance at the Overlook hotel. We see the manager tell Jack about the previous caretaker getting cabin fever and murdering his wife and two daughters. The other Important part of Elipses is when they are at the hotel and it closes for the snow storm. All of these things are important to the overall Narrative structure and set up the fact that the mum is the main carer of their son danny, this also establishes the characters in the film. The hotel has a history of horror, murder and madness.

The "Deux ex Mashina" of the film would be when jack discovers his wife looking through his writing and the feel of the film changes as we as the audience see a different side to his character, this contiinues when the wife has the baseball bat and is walking up the stairs trying to defend herself against jack. Up until this moment in the film we have had suspicions that jack could be capale of murder but this is only confirmed when we see his character turn in this scene.

The "Maguffins" of the film include such things as the picture at the end of the film where you see jack in what looks like "the gold room" in the overlook hotel and the date on it says 1921. this creates doubt as to the linear construction of the film. It creates an open ended narrative. This creates publicity as it has the audience guessing what the explanation is for this and possible endings for the film. For example there are many discussions and alternative endings on you tube. Other Maguffins in the film include the scene in the maze where the young boy Danny stops and re traces his steps in order to hide his footprints from his dad Jack. Another Maguffin is when Wendy is locked in the bathroom and Jack is trying to kill her. As Jack see's that Wendy is probaly hiding in the bathroom he repeats the 3 little pigs story. This is called intertextuality and is a reference to other texts. Then when Jack breaks through the door with the axe he sticks his head through the door and quotes 'Heres....Johhny!" this is taken from an american talk show 'The tonight show" this is also intertextuality and is used to add a comical bizzare moment in the film. Other bizzare elements in the film are the rabbit blow job scene in the hotel room, and when Jack first shouts at Wendy for distrating his attention away from the writing.

I think that the use of Steady cam in the film is key to the overall style of the film which Stanley Kubrick created. The fact that the camera is constantly moving helps to denote such feeling is suspense, unease. discomfort and also space in other scenes, this utilises modern technology. I also liked the colours used in the film as they are very vivid and memorable, for example the colour of Danny's clothing and the trike when they are going over the coloured carpet is interesting as it think it was used to create vivid memorable images for the audience. The use of symetry is also a good technique as it creates order in the hotel which contrasts with the madness that unfolds.  Stanley Kubrick also has a disregard for traditional conventions. the film is popular amongst audience.

The exposistion would be where Jack is in the interview at the hotel and his character along with the hotel is introduced, also when the characters of wendy and there son is introduced.  The Complication is when we see Danny has the shining. another one would be the stairs scene where jack becomes violent, another would also be where it is said that jack has always been the caretaker. the climax would be when jack goes looking for wendy and danny and wants to kill them, it reaches the climax where wendy and danny run  into the bathroom and danny escapes through the window but wendy is not able to and jack tries to break into the room. the resolution would be where wendy and danny make it into the snow vehicle and drive out of the area to safety.

In the scene where Wendy reads Jacks writing and the tables turn as Jack becomes angry and Wendy tries to defend herself with the baseball bat, she is backing away from jack and walking up the stairs crying. this scene was put in to create meaning that Jack has become crazy and his behaviour has become violent and Wendy is more and more afraid of him.  The setting of the scene is good as it is on the large stairs and in the room that wendy was told not to go in by jack as it is the room that he writes in.  whilst Wendy is walking backwards up the stairs the scene is quite tense as the audience are afraid that she may fall over on the stairs. The contrast between the symetrical stairs and the room surrounding  contrasts with the chaos that is unfolding and the lack of organisation in the  violence that is taking place. The meaning is to show just how violent and threatening jack can become and how Wendy has to defend herself is an insight into the events yet to come in the film. The sound in the scene also makes it interesting as it is the sound of wendy crying and the action of her swinging the bat repeatedly at Jack adds to the meaning as she is desperatly scared and trying to defend herself.

 

 The Exorcist- William Peter Blatty (1973)

The Exorcist is an american horror film that was adapted from the novel of the same name. The film became one of the most profitable horror films of all time. The Exorcist was released in America on the 26th of December 1973 receiving mixed reviews from critics. Some of which thought it was set to be a classic horror film and the scariest film ever released, while others thought it was nothing more than a religious porn film. In the United Kingdom the movie was included in the "video nasty" phenomenon of the early 1980's. Although it has been released uncut for home video in 1981. When re-submitted for classification to the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) after the implementation of the video recording act 1984 it was refused a release and no video copies were to be sold in the UK. The film was shown on terrestrial tv for the first time in 2001 on channel 4

I think that the regulation of film is important still today as there are more directors that try and explore new horror themes and push the boundaries of what they include in a film, normally the more controversy that they use in the film then the more publicity and speculation that the film will receive and hopefully the higher number of people who will watch the film as a result. I think that is important for the Classification of films to different ages as some things are not suitable for younger viewers to watch as they may find it more offensive or disturbing for them to watch. Although as more and more people decide to download films of the internet they often are not restrained by regulations and are able to watch films that may not be suitable for there age group. Nowadays and present throughout the history of film there has always been a culture of directors trying to include subjects in horror films to cause offense, such as discussions on religious practices in the wickerman and the exorcist.