The Teen Movie

Iconography

Structure

• A rite of passage narrative: moving from one social identity to another ('child' to 'adult')
• Could manifest in: change from 'geek' to 'princess' (ugly duckling), 'losing' to 'winning', losing virginity

General Themes

• They need to belong to a group
• The importance of popularity

Genre Stages

• 1st Stage - the Primitive, the formative stage in which the genre's characteristics are first established
• 2nd Stage - the Classical, the genre at its peak, with generic qualities refined
• 3rd Stage - the Revisionist, which scrutinises and reevaluates, often in a critical way, the conventions that typify the genre
• 4th Stage - the Parodic, in which the genre is satirised in which consciously self-reflexive, tongue-in-cheek manner

Genre Theorists

• Andrew Tudor: "A genre...defines a moral and social world"

Origins of the teenager

• Identified as 'adolescents' around the turn of the century by psychologist Stanley Hall

The rise of the teenager

• The Great Depression of the 1930s forces young people into High Schools - because there are no jobs
• In the 50s a new prosperity means teenagers no longer have to work
• But the fact that these people have money but no responsibilities means they are an ideal target audience
• Also, with the rise of TV in the 50s, teens are loyal to cinema

Targeting the Teenager

1. A younger child will watch anything an older child will watch.
2. An older child will not watch anything a younger child will watch
3. A girl will watch anything a boy will watch
4. A boy will not watch anything a girl will watch
5. Therefore, to maximise your audience you need to aim your film at 19 year old boys.

Classical Teen Movies

• The 1980s could be seen as the 'classical period' of the teen movie
• Films such as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink truly defined the genre
• In these films, comedy became a central component and teachers and parents were the enemy, rather than society as a whole

Revisionist Teen Movies

• In more recent years, filmmakers have sought to redefine 

Genre Stages: Pastiche and Parody

• Pastiche - a 'loving', respectful homage to previous conventions
• Tarantino's films are often viewed as pastiches of multiple genres
• Parody - a humorous subversion of genre expectations
• Audiences enjoy seeing conventions subverted

The Spoof

• More of a series of 'gags' than a fully functioning narrative
• Dependant on specific genre knowledge
• Generally popular with teens and can be highly profitable due to low production costs