My class is Film Genres

On Friday, my only class is a two-hour lecture on Film Genres. Actually, it’s really only about Film Noir (the entire course) so I’m not sure why it’s plural.

I learned today that Film Noir isn’t really a genre. The term was coined by a French critic when he noticed that a lot of Hollywood films in a certain period seemed to reflect similar themes. But it didn’t develop consciously in the studios or in the audience, which would explain why it’s such a nebulous concept, and why I had such a difficult time writing my essay on it two years ago.

Unfortunately, it’s a large class, and several of the people I was sitting around were…well, in College I’ve come to realize that what I’m studying is usually interesting to me (which is why I’m taking the class), and as a result I tend to try and pay attention or at least think about the subject. Or in the case of Film, appreciate what I’m watching.

During the screenings today I was surrounded by annoying and irrelevant conversations, and then during discussions afterwards heard things like:

“Citizen Kane exhibits properties of Film Noir because the opening scene has bad lighting.”

…bad lighting?

And about the opening to Mildred Pierce:

“The titles are done with the ocean because it’s set on the waterfront!”

He then went on to explain how when you make films, you don’t actually mean for people to interpret things.

As a (student) filmmaker, I think that’s bullshit. That’s High School, “I’m sick of lit class” mumbo-jumbo. Yes, there are things that happen on accident, but by and large in film (and writing), the author makes artistic decisions on purpose. If you don’t appreciate the art, why the fuck are you in the class?