Thursday, 30 December 2010

Section 1: Thriller Genre

The definition of Thriller in the Film Studies Dictionary

“Thriller is a loose genre term referring to any film that generates suspense and excitement as a major aspect of its narrative.”

G. K. Chesterton: The Transformed City (early 20th century)
Argued that thrillers took urban settings and transformed them into exciting locations for dramatic stories.

Northrop Frye: Heroic Romance
Frye argued that Thrillers were stories that took ordinary people and threw them into extraordinary situations
An example of this is Jaws, when we analysed this Thriller film we noticed that they were just ordinary people but involved in something very rare. 

John Cawelti: The Exotic
Cawelti argued that Thrillers took the elements of ordinary life and added an exotic element.

W.H. Matthews: Mazes and Labyrinths
 Matthews writes about how human beings have a fascination for physical puzzles – often seen in mazes and labyrinth 
 Thrillers often use the idea of a mysterious quest in a confined location that feels like a labyrinth

 Pascal Bonitzer: Partial Vision                                                                                                                                        Bonitzer discusses how in thrillers the audience is given a partial view of things – with important details being obscured.

 Noel Carroll: Question and Answer
 Argues that thrillers are structured around a series of questions for which the audience is led to want answers.

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