In the Postmodern era of conglomeration and big business, the idea of genre is a flexible one that can be both precise and moldable. On the one hand, genre can be easily defined: drama, sci-fi, and comedy, for example (though, this is more characteristic of pre-Postmodern eras, as opposed to the Postmodern era itself). On the other hand, with the changing needs of our society, studio executives and vetted film producers realized that with these changing needs, people’s emotions and desires became less black and white and more complex. These undistinguishable feelings were yearning to be understood- enter the ‘hybrid’ or cross over genres such as the rom-com and dramedy (drama-comedy). Audiences needed more than traditional one track films, and desired a challenge, both mentally and emotionally. That is where genre comes in: genre embodies culture and is a way of understanding America where it is. It is for this reason that genre changes with the times; for example, the Steven Spielberg film, The Post, was influenced by the culture and time period of today and would have been completely different if made at any other time. Postmodernism is defined by conglomeration, high-tech styles, horizontal integration, consumerism and big business. Furthermore, Postmodernist films are often retellings of the past (pastiche), with every few films released being a remake or sequel of a past film; this is not to say, though, that these remakes and sequels are following the same rigid genre structure. Before Hollywood’s Postmodern era, simplicity reigned: there were clear good guys and bad guys, identifiable lessons, and easily distinguished plot markers. Sad movies were sad and comedies were plainly humorous, neither genre stepping on the others’ toes. As time progressed and the world became more entangled in chaos and the likes of social media and technological advances, media outlets such as film and television began to reflect these jumbled times by combining genres. Film markets have never been so globalized as they are today and thus universal appeal is required for all large budget pictures- this means being able to relate to the broad and mixed emotions of a contemporary culture. Genre is a story, and a story contains people in situations and conflicts, with these stories stemming from the realities in the minds of the writer’s and the culture of the time; it is for this reason that as time progressed into the Postmodern period the hybridization of genres occurred to deal with the changing needs of society.
As previously touched upon, genre hybridization is a common practice in the Postmodern world. The amalgamation of genres opens new doors for filmmakers and allows for revolutionary uses of special effects and screenwriting itself. Bricolage, or the piecing together of various elements of multiple film types, has bred film hybrids. These hybrids lack the typical conventions of film and focus on the filmmaker’s vision where he or she can pull from their various influencers. Drawing from past influences, or pastiche as it is more commonly referred to, is a signal of Postmodern filmmaking that complements the blending of genres and allows Postmodern films to feel nostalgic and fresh all at once. Intertextuality is also an extremely significant feature of postmodern films: where films refer to other mediums within the movie. One popular Postmodern work that incorporates multiple facets of the Postmodern period is Jordan Peele’s 2017 film, Get Out.
Get Out is a mash up of a horror film, and more specifically a type of cult thriller known as psychic phenomenon, revealed through the professions of the parents: the mother is a psychiatrist and the father a neurosurgeon, and social satire. These professions are recycled over and over again in psychic phenomenon. An equally interesting facet of Peele’s film is its take on race relations in the modern world. Peele hones in on post-post racial culture which grew from Obama’s presidency and battled the previous naïve liberal mindset that racial injustices had been cured. Following the 1970s, Americans believed racial intolerance was done with, racial bigotry a thing of the past and a new era of equality reigned. However, this mindset failed to acknowledge the systemic injustices that persisted and racially diverse communities began bringing these inequalities to light, as of recently, and have made them the forefront of discussions. Peele uses social satire to illuminate the naïve comments of some white Americans who believe they are above and beyond the racial inequality discussion. It is for these reasons that Jordan Peele used the film medium and the genres of horror and social satire to create an Oscar winning screenplay, and a celebrated film that audiences supported, cherished and watched over and over again. This blend of the social satire and a horror film is not only unique, but revolutionary in its own right- a new type of Postmodern work.
Another postmodern work that hybridized genre as a result of the needs in the Postmodern period and as a response to the culture of today’s society is Ben Affleck’s 2012 feature film, Argo. Set in 1979 during the Iran Hostage Crisis, Argo deals with the story of American citizens being held hostage during the Crisis. Following the nearly twenty years of uneasiness experienced by Americans as a result of the events in Vietnam, at the onset of the Iran Hostage Crisis Americans banded together and displayed a solid front of patriotism and togetherness. Had this film been made directly following the Hostage Crisis, it would have had a clear villain to support the American patriotism at the time, an obvious hero and an undeniable American proudness. Since this film was not made then, but instead made in the 2010’s, there is no transparent good guys versus bad guys. Instead, there is a mixed genre story that allies a suspense/thriller with social satire. We have a G-Man thriller with Argo (government man); a government thriller is often involved with travel, where the character will journey from one place to another, where the latter is usually a very strange place. In this film you go from Washington DC to Iran. Shortly afterward, you are taken from Washington DC to a place that is even stranger than Iran: Hollywood. It is here that the social satire comes in. It should be mentioned that all comedy deals with fragmentation- man’s faults. Social satire is a sub-type of comedy that combines critical attitude with humor and wit and often touches upon very real issues with a sly comedic tone. This film deals with fragmentation, where man is not everything he should be and an institution does not live up to everything it should be; we laugh at it and hopefully the institution will see and do something about it. In this case, the object is Postmodern Hollywood: the people who work there, how they think of themselves and the movies they make (particularly the Star Wars fantasy movies that are out of touch with reality). The film is poking fun at itself so on the one hand audiences have anxiety about very real issues and on the other hand they want to laugh at Hollywood. However, the two are very connected- we are laughing at Postmodern Hollywood. The time this film was produced greatly influenced the blending of genres and use of social satire in Argo and made it the extraordinary postmodern work it is. Argo ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Picture; at the time, suspense thrillers were not highly esteemed, but instead more socially conscious works are usually awarded. Thus, the fact that a G-man thriller and social satire took home the award spoke volumes about the future of cinema as it was a testament that tastes and desired aesthetics were changing. This is yet another example of how the changing needs of society lent itself to film by encouraging the need for multiple genres in one work.
One of the films that stands out as a signal of postmodernism for me is Joe Pytka’s 1996 hit, Space Jam. This instant pop culture classic was a traditional underdog sports story, a cartoon comedy not only intended for children, an alien invasion film and a family live-action movie, all at once. Genre cross over and collaboration made this film as entertaining and successful as it was, with special emphasis on the alien intruder narrative very prevalent in the 1950s and children’s pop culture phenomenon, The Looney Toons. The blending of two distant genres was the predecessor to an even more prevalent step used in Space Jam, the mixing of cartoon and “real” creating a hyper reality, or a reality that people preferred to real life. Postmodernist use of digital technology has bred the pinnacle hybrid movie where audiences now expect to see both the “real” and the simulation- an alternate reality. The film focuses just as equally on the cartoon characters, such as Lola Rabbit (who is influenced by film stars of the 1950s), and real life characters. It even goes into the realm of popular culture by choosing basketball superstar Michael Jordan to be one of the film’s leading stars. The film was sci-fi, family and comedy all at once and left a lasting impression in the minds of children and their parents- a true postmodern film.
As touched upon earlier, the era of Postmodernism was also met with a New Wave of young Hollywood filmmakers who were characterized by their assertiveness, cockiness, media savvy, reinventing of old genres, ambition and their non linear way of storytelling. Film festivals were their friends and many of these filmmakers went on to become auteurs with their own unique style and ways of blending genre. One such filmmaker, or auteur, is Wes Anderson, whose instant classic, The Grand Budapest Hotel, told the story of Europe’s decline through his lens. In The Republic of Zubrowka, characters (including the hotel itself) are explored with World War II as a backdrop; the imaginary world Anderson creates steers audiences away from those issues however and into the dramatic characters he has invented in his mind and their unlikely stories. The genres Anderson blurs together are farce and tragedy (farce as a sub-tier of comedy) and melds fiction with satire. He also uses pastiche to create a very real nostalgia, but is so original in his work that one begins feeling nostalgic for a past that didn’t actually exist. The postmodern audience not only accepted this film but celebrated it and continue to celebrate Anderson as one of the brightest auteurs of our generation.
While classic Hollywood stories used to be relied upon heavily for the assured economic returns on a film, today, in the Postmodern era, audiences want more than an A to Z story. Audiences demand plot twists and the genre hybridization, hyper-realities and pop culture references, and high tech styles and auteur styles. Today’s audiences want films that portray stories as emotionally complex and satisfying as the stories they play in their own minds on a daily basis. The time period a film is made in greatly influences the genre a filmmaker chooses to tell a story in; with Get Out Jordan Peele used horror and social satire to discuss systemic racism that still occurs, and in Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson uses his auteur style and blends farce with social satire to imagine up an exaggerated yet whimsical world. These are only two examples of how the needs of society and the changing times called for the meshing together of genres. Postmodern films such as these begin new conversations about issues previously untouched upon or glanced over; we are witnessing a new dawn in Hollywood, one that seems much like a social satire poking fun at very real issues, and more hybridization is yet to come.
Works Cited
Affleck, Ben, Chris Terrio, George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Alan Arkin, John Goodman,
Tate Donovan, Victor Garber, Bryan Cranston. Argo. Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video, 2013.
Anderson, Wes, Hugo Guinness, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson, Molly Cooper, Charlie Woebcken, Christoph Fisser, Henning Molfenter, Ralph Fiennes, F M.
Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe. The Grand Budapest Hotel. 2014
Balio, Tino. Hollywood in the New Millennium. London: Palgrave, 2013.
Casper, Drew. “Postmodernism.” CTCS 394. Norris Theater, Los Angeles. February 19,
2018. Lecture.
Peele, Jordan, Allison Williams, Daniel Kaluuya. Get Out. Universal City, CA: Universal Pictures, 2017.
Pytka, Joe, Michael Jordan. Space Jam. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, 1996.