Customer Reviews

The History of Independent Cinema

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For more than forty years I have studied film history. So when I first picked up Phil Hall's book, The History of Independent Cinema, I figured I would be traversing some highly familiar territory. It was obviously familiar to Mr. Hall, but not to me. Chapter after chapter presented revelations that I found new and fascinating. In particular, I was engrossed by the remarkable sacrifice of the filmmakers behind the race films of the twenties and thirties; I was intrigued by the Underground movement, which began with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in 1920; I was amused by the topics covered in the non-theatrical films of the fifties and sixties; and, finally, I was curious about the future of Independent Cinema--a subject that is discussed at some length in the epilogue. I really learned something from this book. And thanks to Phil Hall's entertaining writing style, I had a good time doing so.

Phil Hall's newest book gives an intricate look at the independent film starting from it's silent days to the present. It touches on all it's aspects, as narrative, race, yiddish, educational, industrial and documentary, and perhaps some that fit into no category. Hall's witty and engaging writing keep the subject from becoming too dryly academic, and even though I have a good fundamental knowledge of the history of film, I learned new and fascinating details. He also rightly salutes the new age of indie digital movie makers, although still underground and not known to the general public, who have arrived at a new technological age where they don't have to mortgage the house to make a movie. Anyone interested in independent film history then and now should enjoy this book.

Phil Hall, the author of "The Encyclopedia of Underground Cinema" (2004) and "Independent Film Distribution" (2005), now draws upon his extensive expertise and research to publish "The History Of Independent Cinema", a detailed history of the personalities and entrepreneurs who worked 'outside the system' to create movies that were felt to be too uncommercial or controversial for the established studios to produce. Yet many of these movies made independent of studio production facilities and financial underwriting were to prove immensely influential in shaping American (and global) popular culture. "The History Of Independent Cinema" is a detailed 301-page compendium of information deftly organized and superbly presented so as to be a comprehensive single volume history of independent film makers, their work, and the evolving technology of movie making from the beginning of cinematography down to the present day. Of special note is the chapter on 'The Rise and Rise of Digital Cinema'. Informed and informative, "The History Of Independent Cinema" is highly recommended for professional, academic, and community library Theatre/Cinema reference collections, as well as the personal reading list for any and all dedicated movie history buffs.