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40 Knowledae Quest I Film in E

I n my Intioduclion lo Film class. 1ask students about their favorite

BIms. For several years running.I lie women agreed upon The Notebook(2004), while the men agreedupon Goodfellas (1990). Eventually,someone mentions that The Notebookis a chick flick. I ask how they woulddescribe Goodfellas, Students respond

"true crime," "thriller," "mob,"and "gangster film." Thus beginsmy discussion of genre films andhow they operate in the culture.

We understand film genres whenwe choose a movie for a night outor a night in watching television orDVDs. Genre is a way to categorizefilms by similarities in plot, theme,and character types. Hollywood hasheen marketing genre films since

the silent picture era. Today, afilm could be classified as gangster,western, horror, comedy, sciencefiction, historic, action, romance,adventure, or a combination ofgenres. Genre films are createdas popular entertainment andgeared to mass audiences, BarryKeith Grant, a genre film scholar,suggests, "genre movies arethose commercial feature filmswhich, through repetition andvariation, tell familiar storieswith familiar characters infamiliar situations," (l995- "v)

Viewers recognize the plot as aformula and bring alt of theirprevious film-viewing experiencesto hear as they Interpret a newfilm. This is both the magic and

the power of genrepleasure in watchingre presents in a new way ».Story wealready know. We enjoy figuringout the twists and lurns of ihe plot'ausing the formulas and conventiotofthe genre. And we find comfort^when the end ofthe film brings us' '̂narrative closure, when everythiniis back to normal, and we can leathe theater feeling sat isfied withour daily lives. Most Hollywood ^genre films provide the proverbia^**'romantic ending, the mystery solveithe bad guy dead or in jail, thefamily reunited, and the alienaverted as the world spins peacefulon its axis. We expect this optimiatiíoutcome. This is how genre filmsoperate. Genre films are thelifeblood ofthe Hollywood economy

Genre Films asCultural Pedagogy

&ncfuring of Siar-Grosseo ßooers

Bonnie L. MacDonaldbmacdonald@ric.edu

Volume,'in No 4 I Morch/Aoril 2010 41

Developing GenreFilm "Literacy"

But, there is more going onwith genre films than Hollywoodproducers telling us the storieswe want to hear and turning aprofit. A specialized form of visualliteracy develops as a child watchesa narrative genre film. The childlearns to read and interpret thegeneric formulas, codes, andconventions. That literacy becomesmore sophisticated throughouta lifetime. Genre film scholarThomas Schatz describes theconcept of film genre as similar tothe literary concept of grammar. "Ifwe extend these ideas into genrestudy, we might think of the filmgenre as a specific grammar orsystem ol rules of expression andconstruction and the individualgenre film as a manifestationof these rules" (1999, 644).

I like to describe the process ofwatching a genre film as formulatinga series of linked hypotheses. Itgoes something like this: In theopening scene we meet a youngmale and female who are obviouslyfrom different socioeconomicbackgrounds as they board an oceanliner. Their costumes are codedto tell us that they are not of thesame class. His coat is soiled andpatched, and her dress is obviouslyhigh-fashion and expen.sive. He islower-class, and she is upper-class.We have learned how to read thesecostume codes. Our mismatchedcouple has not met at this pointin the film, but we have alreadybegun to wonder if they will meet(hypothesis #l). and if they are goingto fall in love (hypothesis *2). In thenext scene they cross paths hut donot meet, and we learn that they willbe on different decks of the oceanliner. We learn that the female isengaged to be married. Hypothesis*I is closed but hypolhesis *2 isstill open. We now consider the

possibility that fate will force themto meet by accident (hypothesis *3),and maybe then they will fall in love.Note that hypothesis *2, that ourcouple will fall in love, is the onethat we keep open because we knowhow the romantic film genre works.

As the plot unfolds the individualviewer engages in an internaldialog about what will happen tothe protagonists and considersmultiple hypotheses as the storyproceeds through the narrativestages. The film's storyline revealsan answer, closes one question, andopens another question. We arepulled through the narrative by this

"reading" process. We learn to pickup clues about how the story willunfold. We feel as if we are insiders,in collusion with the filmmaker,and we know what will happen inthe end. A specific film invokes anassociation with the genre for theviewer and sets up the structure forthe hypothesis formation process.Typically, as we watch more genrefilms we get better at the process ofunderstanding genre films. In ourexample, a film that begins with aman and woman from two differentsocioeconomic classes suggests thefamiliar plot of star-crossed lovers.

But, there is more going on withgenre films than Hollywoodbuilding a grammar system andaudiences passively receivinga message and interpreting itsmeaning. While grammar in alanguage system is static, grammarin the case of genre films is bothstatic and dynamic (Schatz 1999.642). An individual film bas thepotential to change its genre systemof rules. For example, the releaseoï Rebel without a Cause in 1955signaled a change in the grammarof tbe drama film genre. It wasthe first family drama told fromthe point of view ol the adolescentson. Hollywood discovered a newaudience—teenagers—and a new

subgenre the teenpic was developed.According to Schatz, based uponbox-office results, the .studios andaudience are in a conversationthat gradually modifies thegrammar, "Genres evolve and theytend to evolve quite rapidly due tothe demands of the commercialpopular media" (2004, 692-93).

Mirroring andInfluencing Culture

I like to describe the relationshipbetween the Hollywood studiosand the mainstream audience'shox-otfice response as a culturalfeedback loop. The films mirrorthe culture, and the audiencelearns about the culture tromtbe films. In fact, reiterationsand modifications in genre filmscan indicate bow the mainstreamculture has changed or perhapsnot changed. Rebel U'\fhout a Causewas based upon a headline-makingsocial problem in the mid-1950s—juvenile delinquency. Nicholas Ray,the film s director, based the leadcharacter on an actual case study ofa delinquent imprisoned teenagedsociopath, published in a book bythe same title. In the film we meetJim Stark (James Dean), a teenagerwho has a difficult time fitting inwith his peer group. He representsthe quintessential alienated (white,middle-class, suburban) rebel. Onhis first day at his new high schoolhe meetsjudy (Natalie Wood), whorebels against her father by hangingout with hoodlums, and we meetPlato (Sal Mineo), a misfit who isneglected by his divorced parents.Jim is confronted and challengedby the gang of hoodlums. Over thecourse of one day he tries his bestto become a man. Ray stated in aninterview for Roiling Stone, "Romeoand Juliet has always struck me asthe best play ever written ahoutjuvenile delinquency, ...I wanted aRomeo andJuiiel feeling about Jim andJudy—and their families. Out of this

42 Knowledge Quest | Film in Education

came a conviction about the shapeof the story: Try to follow the classicform of tragedy" (Dalton, 1974)- ̂ ^learn that the root of Jim's problemis that his father is henpecked athome by his wife and unable to teach

Jim how lo become a man. In otherwords, Jim s troubles arise from a

"broken" nuclear family. At the endof tbe film Mr, Stark realizes that heha,s failed his son and assumes bisposilion as head of the family. TheFilm provided insights into the worldot juvenile delinquents, placedblame on tbe weak father / strongmother dynamic and thus, reflectedihe fears and idealized solutions forI he 1955 audience. In Americant ulture in ¡955 ^nd, lo some extent,today there is a shared belief ihatevery family should have a motherand father and that the father bethe breadwinner and authorityfigure. While the genre, based upon;i mythic tale, has changed becausethe slory is told from Jim's point ofview, the ideology of the patriarchalnuclear family has been reaffirmed.

The teenpic genre has branched outand evolved in multiple directionssince 1955- Many changes inAmerican culture have occurred inthe past five decades. Among (hemost striking changes have beenthe rise in the divorce rate and theincrease in single-parent homes. Bytbe 1980s the intact nuclear familyseldom appears in teen films, and( he family is less significant to thenarrative. The adolescent peergroup replaces the nuclear family.Teen protagonists have absent,disinterested, or single parentswho work all the time, providing aplausible situation for the plot. Fore,\ample, in Breakfast Club (1985) ^group of misfit teens who meet inSaturday morning detention attemptto parent each olher. Embedded inthis film is I he familiar star-crossedlovers mini-plot, Claire Standish(Molly Ringwald) is an upper-middle-class, popular, prom-queen

princess, John Bender (Judd Nelson)is a working-class loser from anabusive home. Claire and John arehostile toward each other throughoutmost of the film, but the audiencecan detect tbe sexual attraction.Eventually, Claire kisses John, buthe reminds her ihat she will not talkto him when they return to schoolon Monday, We know he is correct.

While the plot oï Breakfast Clubmay provide a reflection of thecontemporary teen culture inthe mid-1980s, il has anotherinteresting, deeper level ofinterpretation. Once again, a film inwhich teens get into trouble becausethey do not bave the benefit of thetraditional family witb a strongfather and a mother at home makingcookies reinforces the ideology ofthe patriarchal nuclear family. Aquestion arises. Has the genrechanged on the surface level, forappearance's sake, but maintained itsfamiliar, patriarchal, value system?Ye.s, Here we find the culturalsignificance of genre film. Thereis critical way to watch a genre film,seeking the underlying culturalpedagogy, asking our students.

"What is this film teaching?"

Decoding Genre Filmand Cultural Myths

I take a cultural pedagogy approachto film studies because I believethe popular culture is a verypowerful influence on our youth.It is much more than innocententertainment. David Trend inCultural Pedagogy calls on culturalworkers to examine popular culture.

"If culture is the ensembleof stories we tell ourselvesabout ourselves, it is usefulto realize that such stories arenever neutral, but are alwaysconstructed, delivered, andreceived in specific historicalencounters. For this reasonthey are political by definition.A pedagogy of culture entailsanalyzing these stories,tellers, and their times—andencouraging this analyticspirit in others" (1992, 4).

As an educator, it is not possibleto be apolitical. Indeed, it is myresponsibilitj to give my students theability to critically interpret thepopular culture, detect the embeddedideologies, and understand how tobecome socially responsible citizensof a democratic society. One way todo this is to have them question thedeeper meaning of these genre films.

The concept of cultural myths isimportant to this process. A culturalmyth is a belief that is culturallydetermined. It is assumed to be true,normal, and natural. However, acultural myth is, in fact, artificialand arbitrary. It is an ideologicalconstruct. Some of the mostdangerous myths are about romanticlove. Here are just a few: love al firstsight, each person has one true love,love conquers all. love will find away, my love will change him/her,love is blind, and absence makes theheart grow fonder. All of these mylhssupport the ideology of romanticlove. Dig deeper, and we find thatromantic love supports the ideologiesof patriarchy and capitalism.

As the plot unfolds the individual viewer engages in an internal dialog

about what will happen to the protagonists ond considers multiple

hypotheses as the story proceeds through the narrative stages.

Volume 38, No. 4 [ Match/April 2010 43

I ask my students to investigatethe ideology of genre films andquestion who is telling the story andwhy. What benefits are gained bythe six major media conglomeratesproducing films today (TimeWarner, Viacom, Sony, NewsCorporation, General Electric/Vivendi SA, and the Walt DisneyCompany) by retelling these culturalmyths? How do these myths helpthese media giants maintain theircultural and political power?Ultimately, I ask my studentsto question who is the intendedaudience for the film. We talkabout how viewer differences in age,gender, race, sexuality, religion,and ethnicity could affect theinterpretation of a film. I suggestthat the meaning is not fixed, notneutral, but contextual and loadedwith ideology, and

that films containmultiple layersof meaning.

meaning. It is that method ofdecoding that I want my students tolearn and take from my classroom.

Many film scholars maintainthat genre films serve the samefunction that myths did in earliercivilizations. In contemporaryAmerican culture, these culturalmyths are reinforced andtransferred from one generationto the next via genre films. Mythsabout individual characters operateas if they are collective dreams thatreveal universal truths. For example,we believe in the young hero whomust go on a quest, defeat the villain,and return home to marry theprincess. Our ancestors are talkingto us, transferring codes of behavior.rules of kinship, and establishingrole models for our children.

My studentsfrequently askme if I ever enjoygoing to the moviesanymore. I tellthem I do. When I ^ ^ ^ ^ _ ^ ^ ^ _

watch a film for thefirst time, I alwaysexpect to be swept away. I want toenter the world of the film, to forgetthai I am sitting in a theater or myliving room, and to be there withthe characters and feel what theyare feeling. That is, for me, theinitial pleasure of narrative film. Itis in the second and third viewingof the film that I find a differentpleasure in critically interpretingthe meaning. I want to discover howthe director constructed the story,I seek the subtexts of the narrative.I look for generic patterns,conventions, codes, and variationsin the grammar. I recognize a filmsrelationship to the other films in itsgenre. I imagine that I am decodinga cultural text for its ideological

Theßlms mirror the culture, and the audience learns

about the culture from the films. In fact, reiterations

and modifications in genre films can indicate how the

mainstream culture has changed or perhaps not changed.

Recognizing the Power of Myths

Anthropologists study the functionof myth in a society, define andredefine it, and analyze its structureand component parts. One well-known anthropologist, ClaudeLévi-Strauss, developed a linguisticmethod of analyzing myths. Hefound that myths are very similaracross cultures, are made up of ihesame structural elements, grow asthey are repeated, and function in aculture to overcome contradictions.

"[Mjythical thought always progressesfrom the awareness of oppositionstoward their resolution..." (1963,224)- Oppositions are binary,either one thing or its opposite.

For example, in the mythicworld we find good/evil, male/female, hero/villain, and sacred/profane. Thomas Schatz expandson Levi-Strauss, stating that genrefilms perform a mythic function,ritualizing collective ideals, andtemporarily resolving disturbingsocial and cultural conflictsbehind the guise of entertainment(ig95' 97)- The previous examplesof teenpics separated by thirtyyears. Rebel without a Cause ( l955)and Breakfast Club (1985), presentteenagers in trouble, blame theirfamilies, and reaffirm the collectiveideal of the American nuclearfamily. And these films reinforcethe myth of star-crossed lovers.

One of the ancient functions ofmyth has been to preserve the rules

of kinship—basically,^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ who can marry whom.

The myth of the star-crossed lovers teachesus not to marry or fallin love outside our

"tribe." Simply stated,the opposition in thismyth is adherenceto the rules of the

^ _ _ ^ ^ ^ _ _ tribe versus defianceof the rules of thetribe. In fact, the

message is that mating outsideour race, religion, ethnicity, agegroup, or class is ill-fated, perhapsfatal. And yet. this tragedy resonatesfrom generation to generationand, even when we know how it willend, we return to the story overand over again. There must besome deep-seated reason for thisphenomenon. I think we want tobelieve in the myth ol true love.

A quick synopsis oí the basic mythbegins when a man and woman (boyand girl) from different "tribes"meet and fall in love. For somereason they cannot be together,that is. they cannot marry. Fateintervenes, one dies, and then the

44 Knowledge Quest | Film in Education

other dies. 1 his story has multipleplot twists. For example, the womanmay fake her death, as does Juliet.and then the man may take hisown life, as does Romeo. Or thewoman leaves, and the man grievesfor her the rest of his lile, or viceversa. Or they fail to meet again atihe appointed time and place. Orone of them is killed in an accidentor has cancer. Tbe reader or vieweris lefl with a belief that, despite thefact ihat their families or societywill not legitimate the couple, theirtrue love is so powerful and fatefulthat it transcends death. This tragicmyth teaches a lesson about thewisdom of choosing a mate withinone's own race, religion, ethnicity,and socioeconomic level. This mythworks to maintain the hierarchicalsocial structure across the centuries.

Let's take a quick look at the historyof the myth. The Greeks bad Heroand Leander. Tbeir story is referredto several times in Shakespeare'splays. The Romans had Pyramusand Thisbe. to whom Shakespearealso alluded in a pUy- The legendof Tristan and Isolde predates theArthurian romance of Lancelotand Guinevere. Catherine andHeathcliff of Wuthering Heights taughtus about true love that cannotcross class boundaries, but theirspirits can find each other againroaming tbe moors. 1 his mythabout ill-fated heterosexual love thatcannoi be socially recognized andlegitimated is retold in literature.plays, music, dance, and opera. Itslesson is multi-cultural, spanningChina, Arabia. India, and Mexico.Hollywood has remade GreatExpectations, Wuthering Heights, andRomeo andjuhet multiple times andhas proven that each generationresponds to this myth. West SideStorj (1961) and Titamc (1997)are based upon Romeo and Juliet.The.se narratives are more thanentertainment. Tbey teach eachgeneration what is "normal andnatural" in the prevailing culture.

Reading the CulturalMeaning of Films

By drawing on previous experienceswith genre film and recognition ofthe cultural myth, tbe film viewerinterprets and engages with thegrammar of the film. Similarly,the viewer has learned to read thecultural coding of tbe characters.In a genre film about star-crossedlovers the filmmaker has to establi.sbthe kinship opposition very quicklyin tbe film. Within seconds, aviewer figures out the age. gender,race, class, sexuality, attractiveness,nationality, and education levelofa character. Tbese attributesare codes conveyed by skin color,eye color, hair color, hairstyle,costume, makeup, posture, gait (wayof walking), accent, dialect, andsetting. One of the long-standingpractices of Hollywood directorshas been to rely on stereotypesto establish a character's identity.Thus, in the case ofa film aboutstar-crossed lovers, a heterosexualcouple from different backgroundsis "coded" as oppositional. Theopposition could be race (black/white), ethnicity (Italian/Irisb).class (upper/lower), religion(Catholic/Jewish), or familyrivalry (Capulets/Montagues).

It is important to note that theseaspects of identity are not truly inopposition. The codification ofidentity via stereotypes producesshallow characters with .simplemotives that are attempting to dealwith the issues ofa complex socialcontext. And still, when we watcha film and we see a boy and girlfrom different backgrounds, werecognize that the potential forsexual attraction and social tensionexists. We know the genre formula.As we read the codes, the star-crossed lover plot becomes plausible.This plausibility relies upon andat the same time reinforces theideology of racism and classism.

íHerein lies the cultural pedagogyof tbe film. This is where andwhy we want to question the film'smeaning with our students.

We have seen how genre films aresimilar to a grammar and how tbegrammar can be modified over timevia a feedback loop between tbe filmstudios and the mass audience. Andwe discovered tbat genre films fulfillthe function of myths and that themyths do not change significantlyfrom one generation to the next.These myths serve a function: toresolve social and cultural conflicts.

But. there is more going on in agenre film than resolving culturalconflicts. Film scholar JudithHess Wright wrote an importantessay about genre films, firstpublished in Jump Cut in 1974'in which she claimed, Thesefilms came into being and werefinancially successful because theytemporarily relieved the fearsaroused by a recognition of socialand political conflicts" ( i995'41). This concept is consistentwith the our understanding ofthe purpose of myths. One of myfavorite examples is a now-classicfilm that appeared to deal withsocial and political turmoil in tbelate 1960s. The Graduate (1967) wasmarketed with the tagline: "MeetBenjamin. He is as little worriedabout his future" (IMDb.comn.d.). Many viewers at the time(as well as today) thought the filmcaptured the era and the rebelliousangst of a generation. Benjamin'srebellion is an affair with Mrs.Robinson, the wife of his father'slaw partner. We find a new twiston the myth of star-crossedlovers as tbe film represents ataboo love affair with Oedipalallusions. The affair overshadowsthe political issues of tbe 1960s.Several scenes in the film are setat the University of Californiaat Berkeley, which was a hotbed

Volume 38, No. 4 | March/April 2010 45

STAR-CROSSEDLOVER FILMSA Wölk to Remember (2002I

Anna Karenina (19351 (1948)

(19Ó7) 11974) (1997)

Chino Girl (!9B7)

Cyrano de Bergeroc (1950) (19901

Dirty Doncing (1987)

Elizabeth (i998|

Gone with the Wind (1939)

Greot Expectations (1934) (1946) (1998)

Hamlet (1948) (1964] (1969) (1996) (2000)

The Illusionist (2006)

The Lion King II: Simbo's Pride (1998 video)

Love Story |197O)

The Notebook ¡2004)

Pocohontas (1995)

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Romeo and Juliet |1936) (1954) ()968)

Shokespeare in Love ()998)

Splendor in the Gross ¡I96l|

Titanic (1997)

West Side Story (i96i)

Wuthering Heights (1939) (197O)

11970) (1992) (2010)

of anti-war protests that began

in 1965- But, in The Graduate,

there are no protests about the

Vietnam War, no hippies, and

no drug; use, just some illicit

sex. Benjamin has absolutely no

political awareness. The film

has no political awareness. The

film does satisfy and comfort

the audience, as it delivers

romantic closure when Benjamin

heroically runs away with an

age- and class-appropriate

woman. We can assume his life

will model that ofhis parents.

Heterosexual mores, marriage,

and the ideal nuclear family are

back to normal. The audience

leaves the theater believing

the kids were a bit confused

but they are alright now.

Wright takes ber argument a

bit further, saying that these

films "serve the interests of

(he ruling class by assisting in

the maintenance ofthe status

quo" (i995' 41)- This means the

people who are in power stay in

positions of power. In the United

States it means that our capitalist

economy relies on a stratified

class system. That is one irony of

genre films. To get to the screen

they need capitalism, including

the Hollywood machine, as a

means of production. And they

need populism to appeal to the

masses. At times, I think the film

industry and the film audience

have a symbiotic relationship

by virtue of this feedback loop.

But most ofthe time it is a

parasitic relationship. We feed

the big machine. It is important

to recognize that the power

relationship has not changed in

the past one hundred years. A

very few people are at the top

ofthe mass media pyramid

controlling the mainstream

culture. They are not about

to give up their positions of

power, money, and influence.

Encouraging the "AnalyticSpirit" in our Students

In my opinion, it is important

that our students understand this

power relationship, recognize

their position as mass media

consumers, and consider how it

influences their lives, how they

think, what they believe, and what

they will do in the future. The

Hollywood studios are selling

ideology that does not up,sel the

social order. That does not mean

we have to buy it. First, we have

to understand how it works.

Wright idenlilie.s three

characteristics of genre films

that make it possible to resolve

a complex social or political

problem in a simple and

reactionary way. Genre films

camouflage present-day social

and political problems by

dealing with them indirectly,

as if the problems are merely

a backdrop or context for the

primary story. The problems are

recontextualized in a simplified

society and frequently take place

in another time. Typically, the

films focus on a few characters

that resolve a central problem

and reach narrative closure. The

audience has vicariously faced and

resolved a societal issue by doing

nothing. In the end the status quo

is maintained (Wright 1995, 41).

And while we. the film-viewing

audience, do have the conversation

with the studios at the box office,

and we can alter the grammar

of the genre, it is difiicult to

imagine major changes in the

cultural pedagogy of the films. We

are immersed in the ideologies

of patriarchy and capitalism. In

most of our daily lives we do not

examine the contradictions that

exist hetween the ideologies of

democracy and capitalism. We

believe in equality but live in

H hierarchical class system. Webelieve in individual freedom,bul racism, sexism, classism, andhomophobia are still toleratedin the business world and socialcommunities. Gonsiderforamoment the ongoing debates aboutsame-sex marriage, affirmativeaction, and racial profiling. Whilea genre film may represent theseissues, the film will not representthem as systemic; the issue willaffect only a few individuals whowill find a solution. The status quois maintained, and the ruling classremains at the top of the pyramid.

So, how are we to approach thesewonderful films? First, just asyou read a book, I would say enjoythem ior their entertainmentvalue and the stories they tell.Then go back for a second andthird viewing. If we can teach ourstudents to learn the grammarof the films and recognizethem as cultural myths, thenwe can ask students to seek andinterpret the implicit ideologies.It is important that studentsunderstand how genre films (aswell as all mainstream mass media)operate to maintain the statusquo. The myth of the star-crossedlovers is accessible and relevantto their daily lives. In fact. Isuggest that students reconsiderhow they choose a partner. Areiheir choices influenced by anancient myth? Is that okay? I hopeihat our students will engage theculture as critical consumers,and eventually when they taketheir roles as cultural creators,they will begin to tell some newstorie.s. That is why I teach genrefilm as cultural pedagogy.

B o n n i e L, M a c D o n a l d is director of the Fitm Studies Program

and assistant professor in ihe Communications Department. Rhode

Island College, Providence, Rhode Island.

Works Cited:

Breakfast Club. 1985. John Hughes,director. Universal Studios.

Dalton, David. 1974. "TheMaking of a Celluloid Rebel inWhich James Dean Plays Actor.Director and Hoi-Shot TeenageHood," Rolling Stone.<vfvrw.rollings! one. com/news/coverstory/2528l8ll/page/l>(accessed February 2. 2OIO),

Goodfellas. 1990, Martin Scorsese,director, Warner Brothers.

fiie Gradúale. 1967. Mike Nichols,director. Enibassy Pictures.

Grant, Barry Keith. 1995. Film GenreReaderll. Austin: Universily ofTexas Press.

IMDb.com. n.d. "Taglíne.s forThe Gradúale." <www.imdb.coni/title/ttOO6l722/taglines>(accessed February 2, 2010).

Lévi-Strauss, Glaude. 1963.Structural Anthropology. New York;Basic Boolis.

The Notebook. 2004.. NickGassavetes, director. New LineCinema.

Rebel without a Gause. 1955. NicholasRay, dii-ector. Warner Brothers,

Schatz, Thomas. 1995. T h eStructural Influence: NewDirections in Film Genre Study."Film Genre Reader I!. Barry KeilhGrant, ed. Austin; University ofTexas Press, 91—lOi.

• ^999- "Film Genre and theGenre Film." Film Theory andGriliasm: Introductory Readings,5th ed. Leo Braudy and MarshallGohen, eds. NewYork: OxfordUniversity Press, 642—53,

Titanic. 1997-Jä"^^s Cameron,director. Paramount Pictures and20th Century Fox.

Trend, David. 1992. GuliuralPedagogy: Art. Education, Politics.New York: Bergin and Garvey.

West Side Story. 1961. JeromeRobbins and Robert Wise,directors. United Artists.

Wright,Judilh Hess. 1995. "GenreFilms and the Status Quo."Film Genre Reader 11. Bari-y KeithGrant, ed. Austin: University ofTexas Press, 41-49.

Volume 38, No. 4 | March/April 2010 47

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