A Short History of Film

by Dixon, Winston Wheeler

• ISBN13: 9780813542690
• ISBN10: 0813542693
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-04-30
• Publisher: Rutgers Univ Pr

Summary

The history of international cinema is now available in a concise, conveniently sized, and affordable volume. Succinct yet comprehensive, A Short History of Film provides an accessible overview of the major movements, directors, studios, and genres from the 1880s to the present. More than 250 rare stills and illustrations accompany the text, bringing readers face to face with many of the key players and films that have marked the industry. Beginning with precursors of what we call moving pictures, Wheeler Winston Dixon and Gwendolyn Audrey Foster lead a fast-paced tour through the invention of the kinetoscope, the introduction of sound and color between the two world wars, and ultimately the computer generated imagery of the present day. They detail significant periods in world cinema, including the early major industries in Europe, the dominance of the Hollywood studio system in the 1930s and 1940s, and the French New Wave of the 1960s. Special attention is also given to small independent efforts in developing nations and the corresponding more personal independent film movement that briefly flourished in the United States, the significant filmmakers of all nations, censorship and regulation and how they have affected production everywhere, and a wide range of studios and genres. Along the way, the authors take great care to incorporate the stories of women and other minority filmmakers who have often been overlooked in other texts. Compact and easily readable, this is the best one-stop source for the history of world film available to students, teachers, and general audiences alike.

Author Biography

Gwendolyn Audrey Foster holds the rank of Professor in the Department of English and is coordinator of the Film Studies Program at University of Nebraska, Lincoln, specializing in film studies, cultural studies, feminism, race, and class.

Table of Contents

Timeline 1832-2007
The Invention of the Movies	p. 1
The Birth of an American Industry	p. 22
World Cinema: The Silent Era	p. 53
The Hollywood Studio System in the 1930s and 1940s	p. 89
International Cinema through World War II	p. 137
Postwar Challenges to the Movies	p. 168
World Cinema in the 1950s	p. 203
The 1960s Explosion	p. 239
World Cinema 1970 to the Present	p. 302
The New Hollywood	p. 351
Glossary of Film Terms	p. 385
Bibliography	p. 389
Index	p. 411
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.