I watched Elizabeth on the TV the other night. Again. It must be the third or fourth time that I have seen the film. It never ceases to amaze me. It is the ultimate political thriller and still manages to rack up the tension even though you know she survives and thrives in the final [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Genre'
Elizabeth – The Ultimate Political Thriller
March 18th, 2010 · No Comments · Film Narrative, Genre
Tags: cate blanchett·elizabeth·period drama·political thriller
Westerns – Part 5 – Rebirth
February 3rd, 2010 · No Comments · Cinematography, Film Criticism and Analysis, Film Directing, Film History, Film Narrative, Genre
The western as a genre was dead until 1989 but was revived by, of all things, a made for TV mini series directed by an Englishman. That series was Lonesome Dove, a four part drama, that rekindled an American love for the western. It was made for the small screen but it had epic ambitions [...]
Tags: clint eastwood·dances with wolves·gettysburg·glory·gods and generals·into the west·kevin costner·lonesome dove·open range·robert duvall·tommy lee jones·unforgiven·westerns
Westerns – Part 3 – Easterns
February 3rd, 2010 · No Comments · Cinematography, Film Authorship, Film Criticism and Analysis, Film Directing, Film History, Film Narrative, Film Sound, Genre
John Ford’s westerns have influenced so many directors throughout the world so it was not so much of a surprise when “westerns” started being made outside the Hollywood system.
The most famous mutation of the traditional western was the spaghetti western. These were films made largely in Europe (Spain being the most believable location to double [...]
Tags: fistful of dollars·kurosawa·once upon a time in the west·segio leone·sergio corbucci·spaghetti westerns·the great silence·the magnificent seven·westerns
Westerns – Part 2 – John Ford
February 2nd, 2010 · No Comments · Cinematography, Film Authorship, Film Criticism and Analysis, Film Directing, Film History, Genre
Westerns have been around since the era of silent film. They have been the staple of early cinema and early TV. I can remember watching many western series on the box during the sixties such as Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, Rawhide and many more.
But the western started to become more of an art form in cinema [...]
Tags: cheyenne autumn·fort apache·John Ford·my darling clementine·she wore a yellow ribbon·the man who shot liberty valance·the searchers·westerns
Westerns – Part 1
February 1st, 2010 · No Comments · Film Criticism and Analysis, Film Narrative, Genre, Screenwriting
I haven’t really posted anything about genres so far so I thought I would start with one of my favourite genres – the western. Genres are a way of categorizing films that have a loose set of similar characteristics. They are inevitably vague with flexible boundaries but include sets of conventions that recur in many [...]
Tags: american dream·cowboys·Genre·Hollywood·John Ford·westerns
Old Boy – Asian Extremism
July 25th, 2009 · No Comments · Film Authorship, Film Criticism and Analysis, Film Directing, Film Narrative, Genre
To pigeonhole it, I suppose you might call it a revenge thriller. You have to admire its bravado and confidence in the cinematography and acting.
Starship Troopers
July 4th, 2009 · No Comments · Cinematography, Film Criticism and Analysis, Film Special Effects, Genre
This film has always intrigued me. I am drawn to it like a moth to a flame. It is quite intoxicating in a very strange way.
Its origins are from a book by the acclaimed science fiction author, Robert Heinlein, but, after seeing the film, you might think it came from a comic book or graphic [...]
Tags: bugs·cross genre·paul verhoeven·robert heinlein·starship troopers·teen movie·totalitarianism
Manhunter vs Red Dragon
June 19th, 2008 · No Comments · Film Criticism and Analysis, Film Directing, Film Narrative, Genre, Screenwriting
Many people have read the books by Thomas Harris that introduced the serial killer, Dr Hannibal Lecter, to an unsuspecting world. Who can forget Anthony Hopkin’s performance in Silence of the Lambs when that story was transferred to the silver screen.
However, his first appearance was several years earlier in a small but pivotal cameo role [...]
Tags: Anthony Hopkins·Brian Cox·CSI·forensic criminal investigations·Hannibal Lecter·Manhunter·Miami Vice·Michael Mann·Red Dragon·serial killer·Silence of the Lambs·Thomas Harris
The Best Epic film? (Part 2)
June 9th, 2008 · No Comments · Cinematography, Film Narrative, Film Special Effects, Genre
As you can see from the first part of this I am a fan of the old style epics which are usually historical stories with universal themes involving large scale conflict, and where no expense is spared, either on the costumes, settings or numbers of extras to fill the screen. However, apart from Gladiator and [...]
Tags: best epic film·braveheart·curse of the golden flower·dances with wolves·gladiator·hero·kagemusha·last of the mohicans·lord of the rings trilogy·ran·star wars·the matrix trilogy·troy
The Best Epic Film? (Part 1)
May 10th, 2008 · No Comments · Cinematography, Film History, Genre
One of my great passions in movies is to watch epic films. You know the ones – grand scale, sweeping visuals and action and heroic stories. A good epic film needs the big screen to fit in the cast of thousands and the panoramic view of the action. There have been many epics made over [...]
Tags: action·battles·cast of thousands·Charlton Heston·El Cid·epic films·Kirk Douglas·scale·Sergei Bondarchuk·Spartacus·War and Peace·Waterloo