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[1]Sometimes we go to films because we like their stars.1 The fact that Sandra Bullock or Tom Cruise plays the protagonist is often enough to attract their fans, whatever the film is about.2 Movie buffs may choose a film on the basis of its director (“I’ll see anything Martin Scorcese makes”), and a few directors, like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron, have become famous enough to be box-office draws for the general public.3 Very frequently, however, people choose to go to the movies to see a certain type of film. Types of films are commonly referred to as genres (pronounced “zhan-rahz”).4

[2]The word genre is originally French and simply means kind or type.1 It is closely related ot another word, genus, which is used in the biological sciences to classify large groups of similar plants or animals; a genus usually consists of several species.2

[3]Scientists can usually place plants or animals within a single genus with confidence, since a living thing’s DNA will determined what category it belongs to.1 Defining film genres lacks that sort of scientific precision.2 Instead, genres are convenient terms that develop in an informal way.3 Filmmakers, industry decision makers, critics, and viewers all contribute to the formation of a shared sense that certain films seem to resemble one another in significant ways.4 Genres also change over time, as filmmakers invent new twists on old formulas.5 Thus, defining the precise boundaries between genres can be tricky.6

[4]A genre is easier to recognize than define.1 The Western, the musical film, the action picture, the horror movie, the comedy, the romance—all these are genres.2 The popular cinema of most countries rests on genre filmmaking. Germany has its Heimatfilm, the tale of small-town life.3 The Hindi cinema of India produces devotionals, films centering on the lives of saints and religious figures, as well as mythologicals derived from legend and literary classics.4 Mexian filmmakers developed the cabaretera, a type of melodrama centering on prostitutes.5

[from Bordwell/Thompson, Film Art, 7E, p. 108]

1

A “genre” always refers to a type or kind of film.
A)True
B)False
2

The biological “genus” of a living creature can be determined by scientific method.
A)True
B)False
3

Film genres sometimes overlap; that is, one film might have features of two different genres.
A)True
B)False
4

Hindi cinema specializes in stories about prostitutes.
A)True
B)False
5

Which of the following is not typically identified as a film genre?
A)the Western
B)the comedy
C)the cabaret
D)the musical
6

    The precise boundaries between genres can be tricky.
    The boundaries of the compound were defined by a barbed-wire-topped fence.

In these sentences, “boundaries” refer to
A)dividing lines
B)differences
C)similarities
D)characteristics
7

Which of the following groups of people does not contribute to the identification of film genres?
A)directors
B)critics
C)scientists
D)audiences
8

The main point of the passage from this textbook might be expressed the following way:
A)Science is more trustworthy than art.
B)The best way to choose favorite films is by genre.
C)Countries like India, Mexico, and Germany do not produce comedies.
D)Genres in film are difficult to define.





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