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Why is "tragedy" not a recognized genre in Hollywood? Imagine sending out a query letter saying "Genre: Tragedy." Ha !! The Godfather films are tragedy. The tragedy of Michale Coreleone, who was to have had a different life apart from all of this, and how that life escaped him. Audiences have treated the tragedy quite well through the ages. It baffles me as to why it is not a recognized genre actively sought by the production system. Scott, any thoughts on that?

That's an interesting point considering how prevalent tragedy has been throughout the history of storytelling (e.g., Greek theater, Shakespeare). Two things off the top of my head. First, tragedy can cross any of what we may consider to conventional genres: Action, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Science Fiction, etc. I suppose in that regard, it's more related to theme than genre. Coppola said the theme of The Godfather was Succession and that speaks to the inevitability of destiny with regard to Michael's fate. Second, almost since the beginning of the Hollywood film business, the default mode of the studios has been to have movies with happy endings. That can ebb and flow, of course, but generally speaking, I think that's a fair statement - send the audience out with a smile and a sense of uplift. Independent films are one thing where we have more nuanced, adult movies, but think about it: When was the last time a studio movie had a tragic ending? We may be able to dredge up a handful, but the vast majority of titles are happy endings. That's my two cents. Curious as to others' thoughts on the matter...