John Dougill writes: > Sorry for crossposting this, but I'm interested to see if I can get another > angle from this list. I'm trying to gather some thoughts on Drama as a > genre, but interestingly I've found that there isn't much written in the > reference books to genre on Drama. The Virgin Encyclopedia ignores it in > its genre section, which seems pretty typical, and all of the academic > books I have on genre don't deal with it either. The Western, the gangster, > film noir, action, SF, horror, spy films, road movies, romance - loads and > loads and loads galore on those. Yet a large number of films are > categorised under Drama and virtually no writings. I wonder why? Perhaps > it's because the characteristics of Drama are not so tightly defined > compared to the other genres, or perhaps there isn't so much depth for > critics to get their teeth into. Anyway, I would have thought someone > would be able to find patterns in Drama worth writing about, particularly > on a psychological level, but the only angle I've been able to find so far > is through Jospeh Campbell and the Hero's Journey.....anyone know of other > ideas about Drama? I think that there's a problem of terminology here. "Drama" as a term can mean many things. In some places (TV GUIDE a long time ago, some video stores, some movie guides), "Drama" means "not comedy" (almost the reverse of the original distinction of "comedy" as "not tragedy"). But as some of the replies to this post have already suggested, "Drama" could be conflated with "Melodrama," a term that is almost as wide-ranging. Of course, it could also mean "filmed plays" (eg., A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, GLENGARRY GLENN ROSS, etc.). Your own description suggests an identification of this term with what some have called the "Social Problem Film," but it also seems to overlap with Melodrama (among others): > Drama is an unusual genre in terms of popular cinema. As well as trying to > entertain, the films try to make people think. They present life's > problems, both small and large, and show how people cope with them. > > The focus of drama is on the human character. It often takes the form of a > crisis of some sort, such as unemployment, discrimination, relationship > troubles, or dying. A common subject is that of illness. Characters who > cope successfully with suffering not only give a positive message of hope > but show the strength of the human spirit. It is such a common 'recipe' > for stories that critics talk of films with 'Disease of the month'. > > Conflict and change are crucial to drama. The heroes search for a way > through a world of crisis, and in their fight against hardship they win the > sympathy of the audience. In a sense they act as our representatives and > suffer on our behalf. > Here's part of the problem, I think. A great many films deal with *personal* crises of one kind or another, but those are not always linked to a larger problem. For example, Bette Davis' blindness and fatal illness in DARK VICTORY has most of the elements you describe but while it is like many "disease of the month" TV movies, the film does not really deal with the illness as a social issue (unlike, say, the wrestling with bureaucracy in LORENZO'S OIL or similar films). The original version of A STAR IS BORN also has many of these features but does not really deal with alcoholism as anything more than a fatal character flaw, unlike films from THE LOST WEEKEND through CLEAN AND SOBER. Forrest Gump's problems (mental retardation, physical disability) are almost allegorical in nature, unlike the examples above. Despite its melodramatic elements, the film is often if not always comic and satirical in tone, verging on the tradition of picaresque literature. In addition, the "conflict and change" that you cite are essential elements of many narratives, "drama" or otherwise. They are also key components of the "classic Hollywood narrative." Even the most mindless "entertainment" film (eg. THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY) usually has at least the pretense of such a structure. For resources, if you start by looking under "film narrative," "film genre," and related terms, you'll find a great deal more to draw on. Bordwell's NARRATION IN THE FICTION FILM, and Chatman's STORY AND DISCOURSE and COMING TO TERMS are good places to start. Also see THE HOLLWYOOD SOCIAL PROBLEM FILM, by Peter Roffman and Jim Purdy, among others. There is a new article on FORREST GUMP in the current edition of CINEMA JOURNAL too. Good luck! Don Larsson ---------------------- Donald Larsson Minnesota State U, Mankato [log in to unmask] ---- To sign off Screen-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF Screen-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]