Customer Reviews

Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film, Second Edition ( Set with DVD)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you teach at a university, you may know the anxiety of selecting a new text. Can you justify the exorbitant cost? Does the text competently address the basics? Will you be forced to hover over the photocopy machine, creating supplements to a less than adequate text? Here is the scoop on "Looking at Movies" . . .

The Good:

1.) It is inexpensive. Students will appreciate the price-break.

2.) It is, overall, aesthetically pleasing (which will make students more amenable to your class).

3.) It incorporates often over-looked films (like Fincher's "Fight Club")

4.) It strives to both acknowledge film history while examining contemporary works (contemporary works engage students . . . films from the 1980's, not so much!)

The Bad:

1.) The examples are slightly too small and a bit washed-out (I think as a result of the paper-stock of the actual text). The publishing company (Norton) should have allowed the examples a larger, lusher format and charged a little more . . . especially when a textbook is dedicated to a VISUAL art!!

2.) Though just released, this text references out-of-print films. For example: Jane Campion's "Portrait of a Lady" has been out-of-print for a while . . . it is currently $79.00 here (in mint condition). None of my students have ever seen this film . . . they cannot relate. This is a problem that should have been caught in editing.

3.) My copy arrived with advertisement postcards stuck in the text. Can you imagine asking your students to pay $50.00 for a text and then have advertisements spill from the pages as though it were Cosmopolitan magazine?! Tacky. (Again, not the author's fault).

The Not-Quite-Ugly but Not-Pretty-Either:

1.)The "Critical Approaches" and "Applied Readings" sections would have to be excised with an X-acto knife. While some of the approaches are interesting (to me), they are a bit odd for an introductory text (ex. cognitive psychology). I would be uncomfortable with a student thinking that these are the most common/valued approaches to film.

2.)The text is accompanied by two DVDs AND a "Writing about Movies" mini-text. I've never been a fan of the "more is more" idea, but what perplexes me is how all of these components are separate from the text (again, not the fault of the author). Why wasn't the mini-text (53 pages) incorporated into the actual text? "Removed," this mini-text carries little weight . . . it's authority is strangely compromised. Concerning the DVDs: what would have been fantastic is two little sleeves inside the text for them. Instead, here are two DVDs, packaged separately, just rolling around in space (and under dorm beds). Again, psychologically there is a sense of "is this a part of the text or was it some promotional product?" There is a disconnect. It would have been spectacular had these elements been integrated into the text itself: one unified product.

If you are seeking a newer text for your class (or even your own private study), consider Maria T. Pramaggiore's "Film: A Critical Introduction." While your bookstore will charge $80.00 for it, Amazon asks only $68.00 . . . so have your students buy it here!! The examples are lavish, the text informative and concise, and the critical approaches are a bit more relevant to the casual student (gender, class, sexuality, race, national identity etc...).

Some schools impose (or suggest) a textbook-expense cap. If this is your predicament, this text is a good choice. If not, examine Pramaggiore's text and then decide.

This is the only book used in my MFA program film course. If you are not into the nuances of making a film or even understanding how to review a film, this is a great first step. It breaks down the film into its parts and once you are done, you will actually look at movies in a new and exciting way. The companion CD is good, if film making is in your future, but wasn't necessary for a group of fiction writers. Even if you are not in a film class and just want to understand the making of films, this is a good reference.

I've been using Barsam's book for several years now in my film class (starting with this edition and transitioning to the 3rd), having chosen it to replace Giannetti's "Understanding Movies," and before that, Bordwell/Thompson's "Film Art: An Introduction." My current students like it and so do I (and my students who have used Giannetti's text and Pramaggiore's "Film: A Critical Introduction" in other classes say they prefer the Barsam to both of those).

Barsam covers all the requisite formal elements (narrative, cinematography, mise-en-scene, acting, editing, etc.), usually devoting a chapter to each topic--as do almost all film books of this type. But Barsam's book is better organized than most. Giannetti, by contrast, has a entire chapter on movement, whereas Barsam handles camera movement in his cinematography chapter and movement within the image in his chapter on mise-en-scene--which I think makes much more sense. And Barsam strikes a nice balance between academic rigor and accessibility (I stopped using the Bordwell/Thompson, which is often considered the standard, because undergraduate students found the tone too scholarly and the discussions too obtuse). The writing is engaging, readable and informative. And of course, Barsam's book (like most others) is copiously illustrated, with helpful captions (and the layout and design is better in Barsam's than in most other texts of this sort). In short, a great text.

Interestingly, while the new 3rd edition of "Looking at Movies" adds a valuable and a much-needed chapter on film history, and expands the discussion of film technology, production and marketing, the 3rd edition also adds to and re-arranges the beginning, so now it takes an awfully long time to get going. In this regard, I think the 2nd edition is better. Also, Barsam pays almost no attention at all to film theory and theorists in the new edition; this edition (the second), by contrast, has an entire chapter devoted to film theory and criticism. The loss is a shame (I would have rather seen the chapter re-written than removed entirely). Lastly, it's worth noting that Barsam has a quirky understanding of mise-en-scene, broadening the concept so much that it becomes almost synonymous with the movie per se, rather than restricting mise-en-scene to a focus on the image and its composition and constituent components--although, to his credit, Barsam admits as much to the reader and then proceeds to handle his actual analyses much as everyone else does.

All things considered, then, I think Barsam's "Looking at Movies" is the best all-around choice for an introduction to film text, and I highly recommend it. While the new edition has improved on this 2nd edition in some valuable ways, it has also taken a small step backward by expanding the introduction and by ditching the theory entirely. So, buying a 2nd edition isn't just a cheap alternative to buying the new one, in some ways it's a better book (though I think the new history chapter in the 3rd tips the scales in its favor).

This book is an easy read that offers a lot of interesting information. It really does change the way you look at movies. I love the movie "Amelie" so I like that the actress in the movie is on the cover.

I had to get this textbook and the corresponding dvd for an online class and it was one of the best textbooks I've had. It's easy to follow along with and gives a lot of good exmaples and explantions terms and films. The dvd is also very helpful, with short clips and visual details of important aspects in understanding film.

I needed this for a class at school, and I ordered it at the beginning of January. It was supposed to arrive anytime between the 2nd and 18th of February -- a pretty large window, which was inconvenient, and they did not provide tracking information either. February 18th came and went, and here it is, March 2nd and I never received the product. I am very annoyed with the seller, I will never ever buy from them again. I am currently waiting for a refund but who knows how long that will take.

The book was in pretty good condition as advertised. However, the DVD that was supposed to come with it did not arrive. A bit dissapointing.