This extraordinary book--published to commemorate the centennial celebration of the birth of American film and a 10-part PBS-TV series scheduled for the new year--surveys the phenomenon that is Hollywood, past and present. With more than 200 illustrations, 100 in full color, and including some never before published, this book celebrates the best of American films.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
This celebration of Hollywood moviemaking, a tie-in with a forthcoming PBS series, moves from Edison's invention of the peephole kinetoscope in 1894, through cinema's emergence as a sophisticated narrative form, to recent films like Thelma and Louise and Batman. Emphasis is on classics of the 1930s, '40s and '50s. Basinger, chair of film studies at Wesleyan, uses 200 film stills (half in color) in a savvy analysis of how movies manipulate audiences and how genre conventions such as screwball comedies, war movies, westerns and film noir shape and reflect American values and behavior. Her history of the Hollywood studio system detects a shift of power to directors, stars and agents after conglomerates bought the studios. She also investigates the synergistic interaction between television and the silver screen, and includes sections on competition from Europe, political blacklisting in the 1940s and '50s, and the star-manufacturing process.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
YA?Those who enjoyed the television series will delight in this companion to it. Basinger's full-scale, chronological survey of film technique, genre, and industry changes will captivate filmgoers and students of all ages. A lively text accompanies the superb pictorial layout. This book is a jewel!
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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One Hundred Years of Fantastic Filmmaking,
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This review is from: American Cinema: One Hundred Years of Filmmaking (Hardcover)
American Cinema is a treasure that combines 300 illustrations from extraordinary films of the 20th century, along with great introductions to each film, in each genre. From the beginning of filmmaking to the modern classics that have captivated audiences, this is a great book for anyone interested in both the history of cinema, as well as behind-the-scenes information about the actors in the films selected. An outstanding and in-depth book that makes a great gift to anyone who loves the intrigue of film, and the stories behind them.Highly Recommended for its depth, scope of genre, explanations and photography. Barbara Rose, author of, `Individual Power' and `If God Was Like Man'
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