The Story of FilmThe Story of Film is the most accessible and compelling history of the medium yet published. Film critic, producer and presenter, Mark Cousins shows how film-makers are influenced both by the historical events of their times, and by each other. He demonstrates, for example, how Douglas Sirk's Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s influenced Rainer Werner Fassbinder's despairing visions of 1970s Germany; and how George Lucas' Star Wars epics grew out of Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress. Sound (1928-1990) and Digitial (1990-Present), and within this structure films are discussed within chapters reflecting both the stylistic concerns of the film-makers and the political and social themes of the time. Film is an international medium, so as well as covering the great American films and film-makers, the book explores cinema in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia and South America, and shows how cinematic ideas and techniques cross national boundaries. Avoiding jargon and obscure critical theory, the author constantly places himself in the role of the moviegoer watching a film, and asks: 'How does a scene or a story affect us, and why?' In so doing he gets to the heart of cinematic technique, explaining how film-makers use lighting, framing, focal length and editing to create their effects. Clearly written, and illustrated with over 400 stills, including numerous sequences explaining how scenes work, The Story of Film is essential reading for both film students and the general moviegoer. |
Contents
THE SWOLLEN STORY 195359 | 216 |
THE EXPLODED STORY 195969 | 266 |
FREEDOM AND WANT SEE 196979 | 329 |
Copyright | |
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Abel Gance Accattone actors actress aesthetic African Alfred Hitchcock American cinema American films artist audiences became become Béla Tarr born Bresson Buñuel Caligari camera capture career Carl Theodor Dreyer Chaplin characters cinematographer close-ups closed romantic realism comedy culture D.W. Griffith decade directed director documentary early editing Eisenstein famous feature film history film noir film's filmmakers Ford France Francis Coppola French Gance gangster genre Germany girl Godard Hitchcock Hollywood Hong Kong human ideas imagery India influence influential innovative Italian Italy Japan Japanese Keaton Kurosawa later light look mainstream Martin Scorsese Mizoguchi moving musical neo-realism Ozu's Pasolini photographed Pier Paolo Pasolini played political produced Renoir scene schema Scorsese screen sequence sexual shooting shot social sound Soviet Union staging star started story studio style stylistic success techniques theatre themes Third Cinema took traditional Truffaut visual widescreen woman world cinema young