ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 explores the complex relationship between genre films, film genres, and the industrial structure that encouraged genre production. The chapter begins by considering the development of narrative cinema and the beginnings of the genre system, then discusses how genre filmmaking was facilitated by the studio system and the star system that supported it. The concept of classical narrative cinema and its relation to Hollywood and genre filmmaking is explained. Film noir is considered as a supreme example of the Hollywood studio system's ability to absorb foreign influences into genre filmmaking. A look at cycles and the question of genre evolution examines how genres change over time, with a focus on the found-footage horror film as example. The chapter concludes with an account of the decline of the studio system beginning with the 1948 Paramount Decision and the erosion of the Production Code.
