Year 12 film studies, Kendal. Film categories

Battleship Potemkin 

Director; Sergei Eisenstein  

Genre; historically significant  

Date; December 21, 1925 

A bug’s life 

Director; John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton.  

Genre; mainstream  

Date; 1998 

The shape of water 

Director; Guillermo del toro 

Genre; art film  

Date; December 1, 2017 

Seven samurai 

Director; Akira Kurosawa 

Genre; historically significant  

Date; April 26, 1954 

The breakfast club 

Director; john Hughes  

Genre; mainstream 

Date; February 15, 1985 

The wizard of oz  

Director; victor Fleming 

Genre; historically significant   

Date; august 25, 1939 

The magnificent 7  

Director; john Sturges  

Genre; historically significant  

Date; October 23, 1960 

Love, Simon  

Director; Greg Berlanti  

Genre; mainstream 

Date; March 16, 2018 

Fitzcarraldo 

Director; Werner Herzog 

Genre; art film  

Date; October 10, 1982 

Alphaville 

Director; jean-Luc Goddard 

Genre; historically significant  

Date; November 1, 1965 

Art Film	Mainstream Film	Historically Significant Film
The Shape of Water – A lonely woman comes across an amphibian creature in a research lab from 2017. Directed by Guillermo Del Toro. Romantic Fantasy.	The Breakfast Club – Extremely popular film from 1985. Directed by John Hughes. Comedy and Drama.	Wizard of Oz – came out in the 1930s and has had a significant impact on films. Directed by Victor Fleming. Musical.
Fitzcarraldo – Film from 1982 about an Irishman that has dreams of opening an opera house. Directed by Werner Herzog. Musical and Action.	A Bug’s Life – Very popular film from 1998 about an army of ants. Directed by John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton. Animation and action.	Battleship Potemkin – 1925 Soviet silent film which commemorates the Revolution of 1905. Directed by Sergei Eisenstein. War and Silent film.
Alphaville – About an American secret agent that is sent to a futuristic city on another planet. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Noir and science-fiction.	The Magnificent Seven – 1960 Western about a gunslinger and a group save a Mexican village from bandits. Directed by John Sturges. Western and action.	The Seven Samurai – Japanese film about a veteran samurai protecting a village from 1954. Directed by Akira Kurosawa. War and action.
	Love Simon – 2018 film about a man keeping his sexuality secret but is being blackmailed. Directed by Greg Berlanti. Romance and comedy.

Historically significant films are very valued within society because they are talked about so many years later and have been watched by multiple generations. For example, the Wizard of Oz is a treasured musical that is still being adapted and watched by many people.

Mainstream: 

-Bugs life, 1998 – John Lasseter + Andrew Stanton – animated (Pixar children’s film) 

-Love Simon, 2018 – Greg Berlanti – romcom  

-The breakfast club, 1985 – John Hughes – teen comedy  

– The magnificent seven, 1960 – Paul Wendkos – western 

Historically significant: 

-Wizard of Oz, 1939 – Victor Fleming – fantasy musical (revolutionized the use of color in films) 

-Battleship Potemkin, 1925 – Sergei Eisenstein – war  

-Alphaville, 1965 – Jean-Luc Godard – noir  

Art film: 

-The Shape of Water, 2017 – Guillermo Del Toro – romantic horror fantasy (Guillermo del Toro is a very arty director) 

-The seven Samurai, 1954 – Akira Kurosawa – action  

-Fitzcarraldo, 1982 – Werner Herzog – Musical, Drama  

A Bug’s Life – I chose to put this in mainstream because it is a movie that is produced by Pixar, which is a mainstream company. Being a mainstream company means that all their movies will have a large audience as a given. As well as that, children’s movies are usually mainstream because children are a large demographic in the film industry. 

Wizard of Oz – I chose to put The Wizard of Oz in historically accurate because it was one of the movies to revolutionize the use of colour in movies. This movie would have been a lot of people’s introductions to the use of colour in film, which would make it very significant.

The Shape of Water – I chose to put this in Art film because i have seen a few Guillermo films and I think he has a very artsy style and by the few screen caps I’ve seen, I think this movie is following that pattern. The movie’s topic is also one that sounds like an art film, being about a more confusing relationship between the human and the amphibian creature.  

The Breakfast Club- I put this film into historically significant even though it is vastly different from the other ones in this category because I think it was a film that was one of a kind for the time (1985). The film greatly boosted the popularity of comedic, teen-centered films.  And although the film isn’t necessarily an extremely deep film, it still followed mature themes and is still taught in schools today; it is very inspirational. The movie also won an Excellence Award in 2005. 

The Bugs Life- I put this film in mainstream because it was produced by Pixar Animation Studios which is one of the biggest animation studios in the world, and it most likely expected to garner a lot of attention straight away. Additionally, it is a film made for families and this genre of movie usually can’t explore deep and important themes and they strive to keep everything light-hearted and comedic. It is also not the best animation film put out there.  

Art films	Mainstream films	Historically significant film
Shape of water-2017 Director- Guillermo del toro  Fantasy  Highly detailed scenes, with strong costume and design.	The breakfast Club-1985 Director- John Hughes  Comedy Was popular when it was released, made by universal pictures.	The wizard of oz -1939 Director-Victor Fleming  Musical  Deeper meaning, new use of film equipment.
Fitzcarraldo-1982 Director-Werner Herzog Adventure  Not very well known, has a deeper meaning behind it.	A bug’s life-1998 Director- john Lasseter, Andrew Stanton Animation   It was released by Disney, played in cinemas.	Battleship Potemkin-1925 Director- Sergei Eisenstein War It is about the revolution, therefore historic.
Alphaville-1965 Director-Jean-Luc Godard  Sci-fi No props, but strange architectural designs.	Love Simon-2018 Romance  Director-Greg Berlanti  It was shown in cinemas, marketed as a mainstream film
	The magnificent seven-1960 Director-John Sturges Western

ART FILM	MAINSTREAM	HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT
A bug’s life- released November 14, 1998, adventure, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton. This is a fully animated movie which means that the imagery can be created however, and it has no limits, the movie is also extremely colorful. Although the movie is mainstream it feels more like an art film due to its animations.	The wizard of Oz- august 25 1939, fantasy musical, Victor Fleming. I chose this because the wizard of Oz is known by a lot of people and is easily recognizable by its name, therefore this is mainstream.	battleship Potemkin- released December 21, 1925, Sergei Eisenstein, war/thriller. I chose this because it was released almost 100 years ago, and it is based on a key part of history.
The shape of water- released December 1st, 2017, fantasy / romance, Guillermo del Toro. I chose this specific category because of the intense visuals to create the people and the colorful imagery. This movie also has no historical significance and is not based on any real-life event.	Ther breakfast club – released February 15, 1985, comedy, John Hughes. I chose this because the movie does not hold any historical significance, and it is also not an art film because the visuals are too simple. The movie is also recognizable by just its name which makes it mainstream.	Seven samurai- released April 26, 1954, Akira Kurosawa. Adventure. I chose this because it was released a long time ago which makes it historical, it is also significant because it is based on a significant part of history.
Fitzcarraldo- October 10, 1982, Werner Herzog, adventure. This film is an art film because it is not a mainstream movie and it also has no historical significance; however, the movie’s visuals are powerful and creative for it being released in the 1980’s.	Love, Simon – March 16, 2018, Greg Berlanti, romance/ comedy. Although this movie can become historically significant in the future due to its plot about LGBTQ+, the movie is recent and other movies about the same message have been released since. The movie is also basic in terms of visual which means it can’t be an art film.	The magnificent seven, September 23, 2016, Antoine Fuqua, western action. I chose this because it is based on the same historical event as the seven samurai even though it was released recently it still has historical significance.
		Alphaville- May 5, 1965, Jean-Luc Godard, sci-fi. I chose this because it was released a long time ago, even though it is not based on a true part of history, it is not artistic enough to be considered an art film and it’s not mainstream.

Battleship Potemkin (1925):  Silent Epic, Historical film, was made to commemorate the Russian Revolution of 1905.

A Bugs Life (1998):  Animation, Mainstream film, made by Disney, was Pixar’s follow up to Toy Story.

The Shape Of Water (2017):  Romantic Fantasy, Mainstream film, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, who’s made quite a few blockbuster films, such as Pacific Rim: Uprising.

The Seven Samurai (1954):  Samurai Action, Art/Historically Significant Film, could be considered art as Japanese action films are quite niche, but this film influenced many westerns, such as The Magnificent Seven.

The Breakfast Club (1985):  Indie Teen Comedy Drama, Mainstream film, most of the cast became quite famous after its release and they were later labelled ‘The Brat Pack’.

The Wizard of Oz (1939):  American Musical Fantasy, Mainstream/Historically Significant Film, was and is extremely popular and influenced many musicals that followed it.

The Magnificent Seven (1960,2016): American Western, Mainstream Film, Is John Sturges’ mainstream interpretation of Kurosawa’s ‘Seven Samurai’.

Love Simon (2018):  Romantic Comedy, Mainstream film, talks about closeted gay men in society.

Fitzcarraldo (1982): West German epic adventure-drama, Art Film, the film had a troubled production, as the film’s original star got sick and the replacement was threatened with death by a tribe whose land they were filming on.

Alphaville (1965): Science Fiction Neo-Noir, Art Film, was part of the French new wave movement and doesn’t use any futuristic props or sets as it was all shot in real life Paris.

Most of the films that I have categorised as art films are due to them being in a niche genre or appealing to a niche audience, such as ‘Seven Samurai’. Furthermore, they may contain unconventional or highly symbolic content, which is a key characteristic of art films. For example, the character ‘Alpha 60’ in ‘Alphaville’ shows the deterioration of logical thinking in society due to technology, which is actually quite relevant into today’s soceity.

Films Categorized 

Art Film	Mainstream Film	Historically Significant Film
The Shape of Water, 2017 romantic fantasy directed by Guillermo del Toro	Love Simon, 2018 romance drama directed by Greg Berlanti	The Wizard of Oz, a 1939 musical fantasy that was very influential about actors’ safety on film sets. Directed by Victor Fleming
Fitzcarraldo, 1982 adventure directed by Werner Herzog	A Bug’s Life, 1998 animation directed by John Lasseter	Battleship Potemkin, 1925 war thriller dramatized version of true events. Directed by Sergei Eisenstein
Alphaville, 1965 sci-fi directed by Jean-Luc Godard	The Breakfast Club,1985 teen comedy drama directed by John Hughes	The Seven Samurai, 1954 action adventure set during conflict in Japan. Directed by Akira Kurosawa
	The Magnificent Seven, 1960 and 2016 western directed by both John Sturges and Antoine Fuqua

Historically significant	Art film	Mainstream film
Wizard of Oz  Director -Victor Fleming Release date- august 25th 1939 Musical/science fiction  I put this in historically significant because it was the first major cultural phenomenon.	The shape of water Director-Guillermo Del Toro Release date- December 1, 2017 Horror/melodrama  It is an art film because it symbolized humanity and compassion in many ways e.g., using characters	The breakfast club Director- John Hugh’s Release date- February 15, 1985 Drama/tragicomedy It was the indie and teen version of the American dream which is shown through five teenagers in detention
Battleship Potemkin  Director-Sergei Eisenstein Release date- December 21, 1985  War/historical drama It was ordered to be made to commemorate the 1905 revolution.	Alphaville Director- Jean- Luc Godard Release date- May 5th, 1965 Romance/mystery The movie was a metaphor for totalitarianism which is a dictatorial and centralized governing system.	A bug’s life Directors- John Lasseter/ Andrew Stanton Release date- November 14th ,1998 Adventure/fantasy  It showed not only children but adults to stand up for what you believe in and to unite when injustice is present.
The magnificent seven  Director- Antoine Fuqua Release date- October 23rd, 1960 Western/Thriller It helped establish the gunfighter template in American cinema.	Fitzcarraldo  Director-Werner Herzog Release date- October 10th, 1982 Music/Action It was a true story which showed a mad Irish man who attempted to create an opera in the amazon.	Love, Simon  Director- Greg Berlanti Release date- March 16th, 2018 Romance/Teen It was the major first studio-released teen film to feature a gay lead.
The samurai seven  Director- Akira Kurosawa Release date- April 26th ,1954 Action/ Drama  It introduced a culture that was foreign yet intriguing.

Film Name	Director	Release Year	Genre	Category	Reasoning
Battleship Potempkin	Sergei Eisenstein	1925	Thriller, Historical	Historically significant	Covers the Russian revolution
A Bugs Life	John Lasseter	1998	comedy	Mainstream	Kind of forgettable
The Shape Of Water	Guillermo Del Toro	2015	Romance/Fantasy	Mainstream	Remake of Creature From The Black Lagoon but with a romantic plot.
The Seven Samurai	Akira Kurosawa	1954	Epic, action	Historically significant	Influenced a lot of westerns
The Breakfast Club	John Huges	1985	Coming Of Age, Drama	Historically Significant	Defined the coming-of-age genre and popularised it
The Wizard Of Oz	Victor Flemming	1939	Fantasy	Historically significant	One of the first movies preserved by the national film registry
The Magnificent Seven	John Sturges	1960	Action, western	Historically Significant	Preserved in the national film registry
Love, Simon	Greg Berlanti	2018	Drama	Mainstream	Too recent to be historically significant
Fitzcarraldo	Werner Herzog	1982	Drama	Mainstream	Not influential enough to be historically significant
Alphaville	Jean-Luc Godard	1965	Sci-Fi, noir	Mainstream	Film noir was a popular genre at the time. Close to Historically Significant because the band Alphaville was named after it

The value of a movie can be determined by how it makes an audience feel. A film is more valuable if it makes the audience feel happy or cry, but it is less valuable if it annoys, or worse, bores the audience.