Crime dramas originally originated from novels instead of starting on the big screen
1. Dramas
These portraya characters journey anddevelopmentsduringafilm.These are oftenreal tolife with
the situationinwhichtheyare in.the reasonwhythese are so popularisbecause people canoften
relate tothem.The performancesinthese are normallyoverexaggeratedanddramaticsoundsto
engage the audience more thanotherfilmgenres.
In drama there are sub genres.Inone of these are crime dramas.This isthe one that I will be looking
at because myfilmopeningisaLondontwiston crime dramas. Crime dramasoftenfollow
characters involvedinacriminal activityorlaw enforcementandthe justice/legal system.
Historyof dramas
Early years- 1940’s
In the earlyyearsfilmswere mostlypantomimedstyled
and silent.Theywere oftendepressingdue tothe social
conflictof the war at that periodof time (the grapesof
wrath)
1950’s-
The 50’s was the yearof the up rise of well-knowndramaticactors
(MontgomeryClift,GlennFord,JamesDean,Bette Davisect..).these
dramaticfilmsmainlyfocused onthe charactersrelationship and
developmentsof themasthe filmprogressestowardsthe end.
1960’s-
The 60’s dominantly brought politically focused dramas dominantly
focusing on wars such as “the flash back (1969)” and “the judgment
at nuremberg (1961)”. The 60’s also came up with sports dramas
which then came inspirational such as “the hustler (1961)” and
“downhill racer (1969)”
2. 1970’s-
During the 70’s, modern dramatic directors directed some of their first films. Francis
Ford Coppola directed “the godfather(1972)”. Martin Scorsese directed “taxi
driver(1976)”, “mean streets(1973)” and the musical drama “new York, new York
(1977)”. Sylvester Stallone created one of the most successful and famous sports
dramas and arguably the most famous film franchise “Rocky”. War films specifically
world war 2 films were also produced such as “tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)”, “Patton
(1970)” and “apocalypse now (1979)”. These are all considered classic war films
which all show the hardship and problems about the Great
War.
1980’s-
In the 80’s, dramatic films put emphasis on highly
emotional themes such as “do the right thing (1989)” and
“the Color Purple (1985)” these were full character films
of African American culture and history.
Famous war films were also made such as “Platoon
(1986)” and “das boot (1986)- focused on the point of
view from a German solider in WW2”. This is also the
year or a drama with sci-fi fix to it such as Steven
Spielberg’s “E.T (1982).
1990’s-
Crime dramas the were made during the 90’s are
“goodfellas (1990)”. Themes of hope such as “Shawshank
Redemption (1994)” and “Schindlers list (1993)”. Dramas
also started to introduce thriller dramas such as “fight club (1999)”.
Race relationships were also introduced such are “American history x
(1998)” finally comedy dramas were featured such as “Forrest Gump
(1994)”
3. Common characters that you can often find In a drama are…
The protagonist: they are normally the main character in the film. These are
normally the ones who solve the puzzle or the one to save the day. They are the one
who are brave and always the one never to give up despite the
odds. This character is generally good looking to pull in a
audiences that have a fan base. This character is dominantly played by a male
however and up rise of females has come to the screen playing the hero in the
last decade. (Lara croft: tomb raider)
The helper/ best friend:
This character normally displays a high amount of loyalty and trust towards
the hero. The helper normally tends to be there for the hero throughout the
film. They normally have moral codes which are often broken in order to help
the hero win the battle at the end. If the helper is a girl and the protagonist is a
male they often fall in love with each other towards the end.
The antagonist:
The antagonist is normally the one to go to extreme lengths to get what they want. This includes
breaking the law, hurt someone or potentially killing someone. This character
primary looks out for them self’s and don’t care about anyone else. There is
always a feud between the agonist and protagonist, whether that be long term or
short term. The agonist is determined to ruin the protagonists life.
List of film directors that make dramas are:
James Cameron (titanic)
Peter Jackson (LOTR)
Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump)
Christopher Nolan (great director!!)
Martin Scorsese (the departed )
Mel Gibson (brave heart)
List of film actors that often feature in dramas are:
Tom hanks
Mathew mcconaughey
Leonardo DiCaprio
Morgan freeman
Michael Caine