Experimental – Scarface – 1932 – The first popular gangster film to be based on real events. (Al Capone)
Classic – The God-Father 1972 – This Film was the most successful at the character and environment development which was used as a template for many future American gangster films.
Parody – Bugsy Malone – 1976 – A spoof gangster film where the cast is made up entirely of children which puts a comedic spin on the genre.
Deconstruction – Good Fellas – 1990 – A film about a small-time gangster working up the ranks of the mafia whilst focusing on his psychological deterioration.
Experimental – this is when early films helped to formalize convention, for example, Metropolis (1927) which set up the ideas of other planets and robots and futuristic technology that had the ability to do this we could hardly imagine.
Classic – this is when the phase of films which established the narrative conventions of the genre in it’s most successful and defining period, for example Star Wars (1977) which continues the ideas of other planets, robots and futuristic technologies, though this time these conventions are used to greater effect and propels these ideas further forward
Parody – these are films that have mimicked the genre in some comical way, for example Spaceballs (1987) which takes the ideas from Star Wars and takes an ironic stance on many of the technologies and typical characters in sci-fi movies.
Deconstruction – this is the phase where films which have taken generic elements from the genre and amalgamated / merged them into sub genres, for example Donnie Darko (2001) which merged the the idea of philosophical arguments of time travel and alternate realities which is represented in the nonlinear structure of the film and the actual plot of the film and the genre of psychological thrillers.
Experimental – Metropolis (1927) Fritz Lang – basic plot, messed up world, brings the basic features from a dystopian film and creates the emotional broken world around a protagonist who tries to save the day.
Classic – Blade Runner (1982) Ridley Scott – ruined world, people want to change it, death, good people die, reality in destroyed world. Things get better in the end. Blade Runner brings certain aspects of dystopian films in a way that connects the characters to the audience and creates distinct features for dystopian films.
Parody – The Hungover Games (2014) Josh Stolberg – parody of the Hunger games. Includes people fighting for their lives. like the hunger games but silly and they’re hungover. Done to make money on the back off the hunger games.
Deconstruction – Under the skin (2013) John Glazer – Alienation, metaphor for people that don’t fit in. Weird sounds,costumes and stuck as someone she doesn’t want to be. This takes Dystopian films to a new level and it has a dystopian base layer but in a deep and meaningful way.
