Abstract
Is the number of films containing crime increasing? If so, for which kinds of films? Using a sample of synopses for all films released in Britain between 1945 and 1991, we identified shifts in the major film genres and their proportion of crime contents. The overall proportion of crime films and the proportion of crime content in all film genres has remained constant. This masks underlying differences, however. Content analysis revealed which genres, including those with both high and low crime content, are rising or falling in popularity. It also revealed that for some genres, the proportion of films containing crime is rising. No differences were found between British and U.S. films in terms of proportion of crime content by genre. This historical content analysis provides an overview of trends in the inclusion of crime in film. These trends offer a broader context for the interpretation of more detailed analyses of single films. We discuss implications for the audience's expectations of films.
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