In film, like literature and theatre, many elements such as setting, themes, style, mood, format and plot are determined by the film genre.
Basic film genres include action, adventure, comedy, drama, historical and musicals.
Each genre consists of sub-genres, such as superhero (action), romantic comedy (comedy), crime drama (drama), etc.
Nanook of The North (1922) - Documentary
non-fiction, documents some aspect of reality, life (often staged...)
Sherlock Jr. (1924) - Slapstick comedy, silent
humor, non-sensical, physical gags
Metropolis (1927) - Epic, sci-fi, silent
historical, large scope, spectacle, "hero's journey"
City Lights (1931) - romantic comedy
humor, two people fall in love, experience some obstacle, reunite in the end
Wizard of Oz (1939) - Musical, fantasy
singing, dancing, characters placed into supernatural world
Citizen Kane (1941) - Drama
like greek tragedy, focuses on protagnist, often with fatal flaw, in some psychological or emotional crisis
Roshomon (1950) - Period drama
recreation of historical period
Tokyo Story (1953) - Drama
On the Waterfront (1954) - crime drama, film noir
drama focusing on the lives of criminals
12 Angry Men (1957) - Court room drama
Vertigo (1958) - Mystery, psychological thriller
death or crime to be solved, suspects, detective, psychological aspects
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - Sci-fi
futuristic setting, science and technology, space and time travel, aliens, philosophical themes
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) - Western
The French Connection (1971) - crime thriller
Godfather (1972) - Mafia
Taxi Driver (1976) - Psychological thriller
Apocalypse Now (1979) - Adventure, war
The Shining (1980) - Phychological horror
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Epic, sci-fi
Raging Bull (1980) - Sports drama
Do the Right Thing (1989) - Comedy, drama
Pulp Fiction (1994) - Black comedy
Clerks (1994) - Independent, comedy
Chungking Express (1994) - Independent, drama
The Thin Red Line (1998) - War
Run Lola Run (1998) - Crime thriller
Blair Witch Project (1999) - Horror, independent
Memento (2000) - Psycological thriller