Narrative Conventions In The Searchers

The word genre comes from the French word for 'class ', (Chandler, 1997). Film genre refers to a specific style or subject matter. A movie may have several different components that may make up a specific genre. Genres makes it easier for the audience, as the categorization of genres lets the audience pick what sort of movie they would like to watch. Film genres give the audience information into the type movie it may be, this in turn helps them to decide whether the movie is suitable for them or not. The Maltese Falcon, a film categorised as Film Noir and The Searchers, a Western genre film, are both from different genres but both reinforce and challenge dominant social and cultural beliefs and values throughout each film. Each genre can be broken down into; codes, conventions and narrative conventions. Codes are aspects of the text that help the audience make meaning. These codes can be shown as symbolic, written, audio and technical. Each one of these elements helps to categorised and helps to determine the genre. Conventions are what an audience typically expects from the genre. The producers and directors then in turn use what the audience expect in order to make the genre desired. Narrative conventions are the expected characters, settings, storylines and themes of a particular type of genre. The Searchers directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne is a western film based on the 1954