3. History and context
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The term drama comes from a Greek word meaning ‘action’, which is derived from the verb meaning ‘to
do’ or ‘to act’.
The two masks associated with drama represent the traditional generic division between comedy and
tragedy.
Drama is when characters deal with emotional themes. Themes such as : alcoholism, drug addiction,
infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, sexuality, poverty, class divisions,
violence against women and corruption which places them in a difficult place against themselves, others
and society.
Drama is one of the broadest movie genre.
As an example ‘Ordinary’ people goes deep under the skin of everyday life to ask big questions and touch
on the deepest emotions of normal people.
In the 1950’s the arrival of stage actors like Marlon Brando, trained in the area of more naturalistic
techniques, which was slowly changing drama to a more realistic progress.
By the 1970s melodrama was nearly finished being a knowledge genre, as the need for realism dominated
film in groundbreaking movies like Martin Scorsese’s mean streets.
Drama was seen as a way to teach the audience.
Dramatic films focused on characters relationships and development.
Drama was born around the 1950s which evolved from melodramas to mainly drama containing realistic
context that related to the audience as well as the characters always leaving a message for the audience
to think about at the end.
4. Purpose
The purpose of the drama genre is to move the audience emotionally and to
revolve around everyday life.
This genre has this purpose because the director wants the audience to be
engaged with the story and relate to it.
The effect on the audience is they go through the same emotions as the
characters are going through.
However, some films contain conventions of multiple genres.
Therefore the purpose of the comedy-drama genre is to make the audience
laugh at matters that could be seen as dramatic.
And the purpose of the romance-drama genre is to revolve around romance
that the audience can relate to and the struggles/drama they go through. (eg:
Titanic)
5. Classic Films
‘Of mice and
men’
‘Borderline’
‘Pride and
prejudice’
‘Titanic’
‘The north
star’
(1940)
(1950)
(1940)
(1953)
(1943)
PG
PG
PG
PG
PG
Conventions:
Conventions:
Conventions:
Conventions:
Conventions:
It contains two
main characters
who wanted to
fulfil their dream
and have hope.
It is based on true
events and can
relate to what
scenario we
choose.
This film contains
violence but also
very dramatic
This could help us
as group
understand that
within the drama
genre there is
romance and
tragedy.
Pride and Prejudice
is based on a family
and 4 sisters looking
for marriage.
This could allow us
to understand that in
the drama genre
there can be a
marriage in the end.
The Titanic is a
love story based on
two characters.
The story ends with
death. This is also
in the drama genre
because there is a
tragedy at the end
which links to what
we might choose.
Within drama
there could also
be gory disturbing
images if it is
mixed with a
drama.
6. 30 Drama films list
Film name
Year
Rating
Subgenre
1) White House Down
2013
12A
Action
2) Elysium
2013
15
Sci-fi
3) Four Lions
2010
15
Comedy
4) Dirty Dancing
1987
15
Romance
5) Magic Mike
2012
15
Comedy
6) Marley & Me
2008
PG
Comedy
7) Boys Don't Cry
1999
18
Biography
8) The Vow
2011
12A
Romance
9) Eat Pray Love
2010
PG
Romance
10) Sex And The City
2008
15
Romance
7. Film name
Year
Rating
Subgenre
11) The Notebook
2004
12A
Romance
12) Gladiator
2000
15
Action
13) Brokeback Mountain
2005
15
Romance
14) The Shawshank Redemption
1994
15
Crime
15) Good Will Hunting
1997
15
Drama
16) Goodfellas
1990
18
Crime
17) Pride & Prejudice
2005
U
Romance
18) Love Actually
2003
15
Romance
19) American Beauty
1999
18
Comedy
20) Air Force One
1997
15
Action
8. Film Name
Year
Rating
Subgenre
21) Ben-Hur
1959
PG
Adventure
22) The Other Eden
1959
U
Comedy
23) Human Desire
1954
Approved
Crime
24) The Apartment
1960
Approved
Romance
25) The Great Dictator
1940
Approved
Comedy
26) The Graduate
1967
Approved
Romance
27) Raging bull
1980
18
Biographical
28) Scarface
1983
18
Crime
29) The Godfather
1972
18
Crime
30) Rocky
1976
PG
Sport
9. 10 Contemporary Drama films
Film Name
Year
Rating
Subgenre
1) ‘12 Years a Slave’
2013
15
Historical
2) ‘Never Let Me
Go’
2010
12
Science Fiction
3) ‘The Place
Beyond the Pines’
2012
12A
Crime
4) ‘The King’s
Speech’
2010
12A
Historical
5) ‘The Town’
2010
15
Crime
6) ‘The
Descendants’
2011
15
Comedy
7) ‘Drive’
2011
18
Crime
8) ‘Blue Valentine’
2010
15
Romance
9) ‘We Bought a
Zoo’
2011
PG
Comedy
10) ‘Rush’
2013
15
Action
10. Subgenre analysis 1
Psychological
Its psychological because
she has a mental problem
that seems to see things
that affect her everyday
life.
Mystery
It’s a mystery because we
are unable to know what
will happen until the ending.
This allows us to start
thinking about what may
happen.
Romance
Horror
horror because there
is a scene where the
woman stabs her self
in the face , scaring
the audience.
There is romance
because in some
scenes there is sexual
contact. For example
when Nina is with
Lily.
Paranormal
Thriller
There is this sense of
excitement
throughout the
movie towards
what’s going to
happen next.
In the movie there is
paranormal scenes
such as the romantic
scene. This made some
of the movie a
paranormal romance.
11. Drama
The main drama convention
in this film is that the
audience don't know until
the very end what is going to
happen, in this case who was
going to win and survive until
the very end, this keeps the
audience wanting to watch
the whole film.
Romance
It has romantic conventions
as it is stereotypical that
there is always a third
person involved in the
relationship, the main
characters usually end up
together and there is nearly
always a happy ending.
Action
The action
conventions are the
long fight scenes
which keep the
audience intrigued
with the film.
Subgenre Analysis 2
Fantasy
It has fantasy conventions
as there are mystical
creatures that don’t exist
in real life, such as the
‘Unknown Beast’.
Sci-fi
Its sci-fi conventions are
its set in the future with
all these new digital
technologies. The arena
in the film is a
convention as it is able to
produce blood rain and
fire from a computer.
Thriller
The convention of a
thriller film is there’s a
lot of suspense and this
is true in The Hunger
Games as through all the
fight scenes you want to
know who is going to
survive and who won’t.
