Film History: An Introduction [Paperback]

Kristin Thompson (Author), David Bordwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0073386138 | ISBN-13: 978-0073386133 | Edition: 3rd

Written by two of the leading scholars in film studies, Film History: An Introduction is a comprehensive, global survey of the medium that covers the development of every genre in film, from drama and comedy to documentary and experimental. As with the authors' bestselling Film Art: An Introduction (now in its eighth edition), concepts and events are illustrated with frame enlargements taken from the original sources, giving students more realistic points of reference than competing books that rely on publicity stills.

The third edition of Film History is thoroughly updated and includes the first comprehensive overviews of the impact of globalization and digital technology on the cinema. Any serious film scholar--professor, undergraduate, or graduate student--will want to read and keep Film History.

Visit the authorss blog at http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kristin Thompson is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She holds a master’s degree in film from the University of Iowa and a doctorate in film from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has published Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible: A Neoformalist Analysis (Princeton University Press, 1981), Exporting Entertainment: America in the World Film Market 1907-1934 (British Film Institute, 1985), Breaking the Glass Armor: Neoformalist Film Analysis (Princeton University Press, 1988), Wooster Proposes, Jeeves Disposes, or, Le Mot Juste (James H. Heineman, 1992), Storytelling in the New Hollywood: Understanding Classical Narrative Technique (Harvard University Press, 1999), Storytelling in Film and Television (Harvard University Press, 2003), Herr Lubitsch Goes to Hollywood: German and American Film after World War I (Amsterdam University Press, 2005), and The Frodo Franchise: The Lord of the Rings and Modern Hollywood (University of California Press, 2007). She blogs with David at www.davidbordwell.net/blog. She maintains her own blog, "The Frodo Franchise," at www.kristinthompson.net/blog. In her spare time she studies Egyptology.

David Bordwell is Jacques Ledoux Professor Emeritus of Film Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds a master's degree and a doctorate in film from the University of Iowa. His books include The Films of Carl Theodor Dreyer (University of California Press, 1981), Narration in the Fiction Film (University of Wisconsin Press, 1985), Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema (Princeton University Press, 1988), Making Meaning: Inference and Rhetoric in the Interpretation of Cinema (Harvard University Press, 1989), The Cinema of Eisenstein (Harvard University Press, 1993), On the History of Film Style (Harvard University Press, 1997), Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment (Harvard University Press, 2000), Figures Traced in Light: On Cinematic Staging (University of California Press, 2005), The Way Hollywood Tells It: Story and Style in Modern Movies (University of California Press, 2006), and The Poetics of Cinema (Routledge, 2008). He has won a University Distinguished Teaching Award and was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Copenhagen. His we site is www.davidbordwell.net.

Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 3rd edition (February 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0073386138
• ISBN-13: 978-0073386133
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars well written, January 3, 2012

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BladeZ - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Film History: An Introduction (Paperback)

I enjoyed reading this book. It was not a hard read but it was full of useful information and well written. It covers both international cinema and hollywood cinema.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very fun film book, October 3, 2010

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gothica0904 "Boo" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Film History: An Introduction (Paperback)

Being a lover of film, I found this book to be incredibly fun to read. It truly shows how far the film industry has evolved and how much cinematography has improved since the beginning. I highly recommend to film enthusiasts.

1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just like new, and got here quickly!, October 9, 2010

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jsar - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Film History: An Introduction (Paperback)

Not sure if i'm supposed to review the service of who supplied it or the actual book, but both were great! the "used; like new" quality of the book did not lie. it was unopened, with no marks or bends, amazing condition. It got here within a few days too. This book is for my film history class, but it's pretty informative and easy to read.
It also has pictures.