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Genres (Film & TV): fun facts and quiz
The essentials in 7 ideas, with fun facts, an illustrated story and a quiz to see how much you know.
The essentials
Comedy
Comedies aim to make us laugh, from slapstick pratfalls to clever wordplay. Silent stars like Buster Keaton performed astonishing physical stunts.
Key fact
Keaton was nicknamed “The Great Stone Face” for never smiling on screen.
Horror
Horror films aim to scare, using suspense, shadows and sudden shocks. Nosferatu, from 1922, is one of the earliest surviving vampire films.
Key fact
A sudden fright is called a “jump scare”.
Science Fiction
Sci-fi imagines future technology, space travel and other worlds. A Trip to the Moon (1902), by Georges Méliès, is one of the very first.
Key fact
Méliès was a stage magician before he made films.
Westerns & Musicals
Westerns, with cowboys and frontier towns, and musicals, where characters burst into song, were among Hollywood’s most popular genres in its golden age.
Key fact
Italian-made “spaghetti westerns” became hits in the 1960s.
Film Noir
Film noir, from the 1940s and 50s, features shadowy lighting, cynical detectives and dangerous characters. The name is French for “black film”.
Key fact
French critics coined the term in 1946.
Documentaries
Documentaries show real life, from nature to history. Nature series like Planet Earth spend years filming to capture rare moments.
Key fact
Some wildlife shots take weeks of waiting for a few seconds of footage.
Superhero Films
Superhero films became the biggest force at the box office in the 2010s. The Marvel Cinematic Universe links dozens of films in one shared story.
Key fact
Avengers: Endgame (2019) briefly became the highest-grossing film ever.
Fun facts
Harold Lloyd dangled from a clock face in Safety Last! (1923), though an accident had cost him a thumb and finger.
Nosferatu was an unauthorised Dracula. Bram Stoker’s widow sued, and a court ordered every copy destroyed.
Méliès said he found his first trick effect by accident, when his camera jammed while filming a street.
The Sound of Music (1965) was based on a real family of singers, the von Trapps.
Many noir films had small budgets, and deep shadows helped hide their cheap sets.
Nanook of the North (1922) is often called the first feature-length documentary, though some scenes were staged.
The first Superman film serial appeared in 1948.
Story: The Magician Who Went to the Moon
The Magician Who Went to the Moon
1902, Paris. Georges Méliès makes A Trip to the Moon, in which a rocket lands smack in the eye of the Man in the Moon.
He makes hundreds of films full of tricks. But tastes change, war comes, and by 1923 he’s bankrupt. Many of his films are lost or melted down.
He ended up selling toys at a Paris railway station, until fans rediscovered him. In 1931 he received France’s Legion of Honour.
True or false?
Tap your answer to see if you got it, and why.
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Question 1 of 10
Buster Keaton was a silent comedy star.
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True. Famous for daring stunts.
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Question 2 of 10
A sudden fright in a horror film is a “jump scare”.
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True. Built to make you jump.
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Question 3 of 10
A Trip to the Moon is an early sci-fi film.
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True. By Georges Méliès, in 1902.
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Question 4 of 10
Spaghetti westerns were largely made by Italian filmmakers.
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True. Often shot in Spain.
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Question 5 of 10
Film noir is known for dark, shadowy lighting.
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True. And morally grey characters.
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Question 6 of 10
Documentaries show real events and people.
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True. Rather than invented stories.
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Question 7 of 10
Marvel’s films share one connected universe.
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True. Characters cross between films.
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Question 8 of 10
Slapstick comedy relies mainly on quiet conversation.
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False. It relies on physical comedy.
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Question 9 of 10
Horror films never use suspense.
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False. Suspense is one of their main tools.
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Question 10 of 10
Science fiction films only began in the 2000s.
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False. They go back to the early 1900s.
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KnowSoda learns what you know and brings back what you’re about to forget. Genres has 6 more ideas at the Advanced and Expert levels.
Sources
- BFI — Genre guides: comedy, horror, science fiction, film noir
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Buster Keaton, Nosferatu, Georges Méliès, spaghetti westerns, film noir
- Box Office Mojo — Avengers: Endgame
- BBC Studios — Planet Earth
- BFI — Genre guides: romantic comedy, martial arts, mockumentary
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — Oscars database
