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Loading... The Story of Film: An Odyssey [2011 TV Mini Series]by Mark Cousins (Director), Mark Cousins (Author)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This is a great book. I read this over a period of several weeks, one section at a time. It has so much information in it! It can be enjoyed by someone simply interested in a specific era of film; a student; a teacher; or for dipping in and out of as a reference. Written in an easy style it does not assume any prior knowledge. I have studied film within a Cultural Studies degree and I still learned so much. A valuable resource with plenty of still images and other references to move on to. It covers silent films: 1895-1928; sound: 1928-1990; digital from 1990 to date. A range of countries, genres films covered. no reviews | add a review
'The Story of Film' is the most accessible and compelling history of the medium yet published. Film critic, producer and presenter, Mark Cousins shows how film-makers are influenced both by the historical events of their times, and by each other. He demonstrates, for example, how Douglas Sirk's Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s influenced Rainer Werner Fassbinder's despairing visions of 1970s Germany; and how George Lucas' Star Wars epics grew out of Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress. 'The Story of Film' is divided into three main epochs: Silent (1885-1928), Sound (1928-1990) and Digitial (1990-Present), and within this structure films are discussed within chapters reflecting both the stylistic concerns of the film-makers and the political and social themes of the time. Film is an international medium, so as well as covering the great American films and film-makers, the book explores cinema in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia and South America, and shows how cinematic ideas and techniques cross national boundaries. Avoiding jargon and obscure critical theory, the author constantly places himself in the role of the moviegoer watching a film, and asks: 'How does a scene or a story affect us, and why?' In so doing he gets to the heart of cinematic technique, explaining how film-makers use lighting, framing, focal length and editing to create their effects. Clearly written, and illustrated with over 400 stills, including numerous sequences explaining how scenes work, "The Story of Film" is essential reading for both film students and the general moviegoer. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)791.4309The arts Recreational and performing arts Public performances Film, Radio, and Television Film History, geographic treatment, biographyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Disc 1. 1895-1918. The world discovers a new art form (64 min.) --
1918-1928. The triumph of American film and the first of its rebels (63 min.) --
1918-1932. The great rebel filmmakers around the world (64 min.) --
Disc 2. The 1930s. The great American movie genres and the brilliance of European film (64 min.) --
1939-1952. The devastation of war and a new movie language (63 min.) --
1953-1957. The swollen story : world cinema bursting at the seams (64 min.) --
Disc 3. 1957-1964. The shock of the new, modern filmmaking in Western Europe (64 min.) --
1965-1969. New waves sweep around the world (64 min.) --
1967-1979. New American cinema (62 min.) --
Disc 4. 1969-1979. Radical directors in the 70s make state of the nation movies (63 min.) --
The 1970s and onwards. Innovation in popular culture around the world (64 min.) --
The 1980s. Moviemaking and protest around the world (64 min.) --
Disc 5. 1990-1998. The last days of celluloid, before the coming of digital (64 min.) --
The 1990s. The first days of digital : reality losing its realness in America and Australia (63 min.) --
2000 onwards. Film moves full circle and the future of the movies (65 min.).