Many intelligent, enthusiastic individuals approach conversations about films as an extension of the pleasures derived while watching them. Love for movies and enthusiasm for discussion makes many people want to attain a better understanding of what they have seen and to develop a greater skill in talking articulately about their experiences. This sophisticated midpoint between theorizing and plot summary is not as difficult to achieve as some might assume, and “it’s so cool” should only be the starting point.

Since their introduction just before the turn of the last century, the vast majority of narrative films have followed the same structure, a method that eventually came to be called Classic Hollywood Cinema. Using that basic narrative form, a range of different types or genres emerged to explore particular themes and issues from clearly defined assumptions and perspectives. In each of these categories, fundamental elements that make up any film adapted to the subject of the genre and took on increasingly complex significance, while maintaining the familiar structure that contributes so much to the understanding of a particular movie and to the expectations that viewers brought to all. Understanding these structures and elements enables one to speak with discernment about any number of movies, whether one has seen them or not.