How to Read a Film: Movies, Media, and BeyondRichard Gilman referred to How to Read a Film as simply "the best single work of its kind." And Janet Maslin in The New York Times Book Review marveled at James Monaco's ability to collect "an enormous amount of useful information and assemble it in an exhilaratingly simple and systematic way." Indeed, since its original publication in 1977, this hugely popular book has become the definitive source on film and media. Now, James Monaco offers a special anniversary edition of his classic work, featuring a new preface and several new sections, including an "Essential Library: One Hundred Books About Film and Media You Should Read" and "One Hundred Films You Should See." As in previous editions, Monaco once again looks at film from many vantage points, as both art and craft, sensibility and science, tradition and technology. After examining film's close relation to other narrative media such as the novel, painting, photography, television, and even music, the book discusses the elements necessary to understand how films convey meaning, and, more importantly, how we can best discern all that a film is attempting to communicate. In addition, Monaco stresses the still-evolving digital context of film throughout--one of the new sections looks at the untrustworthy nature of digital images and sound--and his chapter on multimedia brings media criticism into the twenty-first century with a thorough discussion of topics like virtual reality, cyberspace, and the proximity of both to film. With hundreds of illustrative black-and-white film stills and diagrams, How to Read a Film is an indispensable addition to the library of everyone who loves the cinema and wants to understand it better. |
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actors American film André Bazin artistic audience basic became begins British broadcast cable Cahiers du Cinéma camera cinema codes color comedy commercial critical culture D. W. Griffith directors disc documentary dominated drama early economic editing effect eighties electronic elements essay esthetic experience fifties Figure film history film industry Film Noir film theory filmmakers filmstock focus Frame enlargement François Truffaut genre Godard HDTV Hollywood important interesting invention Jean-Luc Godard language late lens light major mediasphere medium million Minitel mise-en-scène MOMA/FSA montage moving multimedia narrative novel photographic picture political popular produced programming radio Realism reality recording relationship scene screen semiotics seventies shot signal significant sixties Sony sound soundtrack star Steven Spielberg story studios style success techniques television theater thirty tion visual wave York YouTube