Wednesday 18 November 2015

Rick Altman - Genre Pleasure - Genre Essay

Rick Altman
Genre Pleasure

Theorist Rick Altman (1999) argues that genre offers audiences 'a set of pleasures'.


  1. Emotional Pleasures: The emotional pleasures offered to audiences of genre films are particularly significant when they generate a strong audience response. 
  2. Visceral Pleasures: These are gut responses and are defined by how the film's stylistic construction elicits a physical effect upon its audience. This can be a feeling of revulsion, kinetic speed or a 'roller coaster ride'. 
  3. Intellectual Puzzles: Certain film genres, such as the thriller or the 'whodunit', offer the pleasure in trying to unravel a mystery or a puzzle. Pleasure is derived from deciphering the plot and forecasting the end or the being surprised by the unexpected.  

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