Page 45 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 3

stunt, but the film’s adherence to the rules of the genre is part of its point.
The Hollywood romantic comedy, at its apex in the mid-1930’s and early
40’s, was a sleek vehicle for philosophical inquiry. Lurking beneath the
glossy, silver-toned surface of movies like “The Awful Truth” and “The
Philadelphia Story”—or, rather, displayed on that surface, disguised as
witty banter and romantic vexation—are a set of knotty ethical puzzles
and epistemological conundrums of the sort illuminated in the work of
sages like Plato, Emerson, Wittgenstein and Kant. 4
Unfortunately, many genric presentations are simply a repetition of
formula. For instance, many film sequels simply rehash the successful
elements of the original movie, such as plot. For instance, John McClane,
the lone wolf policeman in Die Hard (1988), then foils yet another ter-
rorist attempt in Diehard: With a Vengeance (1995). Another formulaic
reprise involves repeating the relationship dynamics between the main
characters, as in the case of Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Mur-
taugh (Danny Glover) in Lethal Weapon I−IV (1987–92).
But some series, like the Star Wars movies, take advantage of the
narrative possibilities of the medium of film, as the narrative develops
from one “chapter” to the next. The episodes trace the evolution of the
Skywalker family and Darth Vader, providing insight into the characters.
(For further discussion of sequels, see Chapter 8.)
But at times, the formulaic conventions of a genre can obstruct artistic
endeavors. For instance, Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” which
was named the greatest rock ‘n’ roll song of all time by Rolling Stone
magazine, was nearly scuttled by Columbia Records because it breached
the formula of a pop song.
After the song was recorded (on June 15, 1965), the producers and
engineers predicted that it would be a hit. Despite their recommendations
that the single should be released immediately, the sales and marketing
departments objected, due to the unusual length of the song (“Like a
Rolling Stone” was nearly twice as long as the formulaic length of three
minutes). Dylan was then instructed to cut the song in half. After he
refused, the single was downgraded from an “immediate special” to an
“unassigned release”—meaning that it would be junked.
Eventually, the record was released—but only under extraordinary
circumstances. Shaun Considine, an employee at Columbia, discovered
the disc in the studio and took it home. He fell in love with the song and
subsequently played the recording at Arthur, a disco in which he owned
an interest. The song was heard by a D.J. at WABC, then the leading

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