Editing Film genre (section)

==Film in the context of history==
In order to understand the creation and context of each film genre, we must look at its popularity in the context of its place in history. For example, the 1970s [[Blaxploitation]] films have been called an attempt to "undermine the rise of Afro-American's Black consciousness movement" of that era.<ref name="autogenerated185"/> In William Park's analysis of film noir, he states that we must view and interpret film for its message with the context of history within our minds; he states that this is how film can truly be understood by its audience.<ref name="What is Film Noir?">Park W. What Is Film Noir? [e-book]. Lanham, Md: Bucknell University Press; 2011. Available from: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 19, 2017.</ref> Film genres such as [[film noir]] and [[Western film]] reflect values of the time period. While film noir combines German expressionist filming strategies with post World War II ideals; Western films focused on the ideal of the early 20th century. Films such as the [[Musical film|musical]] were created as a form of entertainment during the [[Great Depression]] allowing its viewers an escape during tough times. So when watching and analyzing film genres we must remember to remember its true intentions aside from its entertainment value.

Over time, a genre can change through stages: the classic genre era; the parody of the classics; the period where filmmakers deny that their films are part of a certain genre; and finally a critique of the entire genre.<ref name="autogenerated185"/> This pattern can be seen with the Western film. In the earliest, classic Westerns, there was a clear hero who protected society from lawless villains who lived in the wilderness and came into civilization to commit crimes.<ref name="autogenerated185"/> However, in [[revisionist Western]]s of the 1970s, the protagonist becomes an [[antihero]] who lives in the wilderness to get away from a civilization that is depicted as corrupt, with the villains now integrated into society. Another example of a genre changing over time is the popularity of the [[neo-noir]] films in the early 2000s (''[[Mulholland Drive (film)|Mulholland Drive]]'' (2001), ''[[The Man Who Wasn't There (2001 film)|The Man Who Wasn't There]]'' (2001) and ''[[Far from Heaven]]'' (2002); are these film noir parodies, a repetition of noir genre tropes, or a re-examination of the noir genre?<ref name="autogenerated185"/>

This is also important to remember when looking at films in the future. As viewers watch a film they are conscious of societal influence with the film itself. In order to understand its true intentions, we must identify its intended audience and what narrative of our current society, as well as it comments to the past in relation with today's society. This enables viewers to understand the evolution of film genres as time and history morphs or views and ideals of the entertainment industry.