To Mikhail Gershovich... in reply to a query about genre texts for an upcoming course. Be sure you also obtain a copy of Stanley Solomon's Beyond Formula: American Film Genres. It's an old book...but has many virtues. You could post some of its essays on your website for your students. Published in the 1970s by HBJ, it's now out of print. But you can obtain it in used bookstores. Gracefully written and carefully thought out, the book provides swift and useful insights into about six or seven genres (westerns, war films, crime, musicals, horror, etc.), with short critiques of about more than 40 films. As for tracking genres over time as they change with the culture, do consult John G. Cawelti's article on Chinatown (perhaps the best film of that genre, still--which you can find in Gerald Mast's (et al) Film Theory and Criticism. Good luck. Sounds like a good course you and your students are going to have. Gary Harmon ---- 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]