We noted in class that “Yojimbo” is a Classic Film, or in other words an Art Film. I can see how critics can make that distinction now that we have picked out all of the little details that made the movie what it is. One example that I believe portrays this is the scene where Sanjuro is making his escape from the gang that almost beat him to death. Once he was outside and crawling toward the tavern keepers place, he is actually creeping along the border of a shadow that extends across the road. It signifies Sanjuro’s health; he’s teetering between life and death. Art films make you think and watching these movies and picking out those interesting points are what make it so great.
On the other hand there are Genre Films, which would be something such as “Not Another Teen Movie.” There are not any moments in that film that cause the viewer to say, “Wow, what a great shot. You can see how when that girl’s bra hits the football player in the face, it actually means…well…that she was aiming for his face and got it right in there!” Genre films are created based off what the viewers want to see; their inner desires coming out on the screen. If Hollywood makes a Tom Cruise movie where he’s blowing everything up and everybody loves it, then they are going to make more of them. They will keep making them until people get tired of it and want something else. This style of film, as I have said, works off of the people’s emotions, so it seems like it will always be here. A perfect example of all of this, even though it’s television, is American Idol. The first season was a hit and they just keep making them. Now there are a ton of shows that are sort of the same thing, where people come in and try to do something and someone wins at the end. Here’s the catch, every one of these shows has an English guy as one of the judges. People loved what Simon Cowell, so they keep making more shows with guys just like him in them.
I do not believe that you can have just one style of film: Only classic or only genre. There has to be both, because no matter how many art films a person might see, in the end they will still have a desire to see a genre action film where things are getting blown up, or a love story where the guy gets the girl. Everyone is pleased in having both, and should not be ashamed of liking both either.