Encyclopedia of Early Cinema - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415778565 ISBN 13: 9780415778565

Publisher: Routledge, 2010

Synopsis

The Encyclopedia of Early Cinema, now in a new paperback edition, is a unique one-volume reference work which explores the first 25 years of cinema's development, from the early 1890s to the mid-1910s. These early years of the history of cinema have lately been the subject of resurgent interest and a growing body of scholarship, and have come to be recognized as an extraordinarily diverse period, when moving pictures were quite unlike the kind of cinema that later emerged as the dominant norm.

This encyclopedia covers all aspects of scholarship on early cinema, both traditional and revisionist. It contains articles on the technological and industrial developments, the techniques of film production, the actors and filmmakers of the time, and on the changing modes of representation and narration, as well as the social and cultural contexts within which early films circulated, including topics such as distribution, exhibition and audience. Beyond the USA and Europe, attention is also given to the wider international picture, including those regions in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South and Central America where filmmaking may have been relatively undeveloped but movie-going was significant.

More than 950 entries have been commissioned from internationally recognized specialists. Alphabetically organized, the entries range in length from short factual articles to full essays that offer clear and stimulating discussions of the key issues, people, practices, and phenomena of early cinema. A thematic list of entries is a useful guide through the book, and all entries contain detailed cross-references. The longer articles have considered suggestions for further reading, which are complemented by a general bibliography of specialized works on early cinema.

The Encyclopedia of Early Cinema is an invaluable and fascinating resource for students and researchers interested in the history of cinema.

About this title

About the Author:

Richard Abel is Robert Altman Collegiate Professor of Film Studies in the Department of Screen Arts & Cultures at the University of Michigan. His essays have appeared in dozens of journals and collections; along with several of those essays, four of his books have won national or international awards.

From Booklist:

Covering the 1890s to the mid-1910s, this work focuses on the period during which filmmaking progressed from the early flickering moving images that lasted only a matter of seconds to multiple-reel, feature films running more than an hour. By offering an international perspective and encompassing not only the production aspects of early motion pictures but also their distribution, exhibition, and reception, this work fills a gap in the reference literature on film.

Contributed by Abel, a film professor at the University of Michigan, and a team of nearly 140 scholars, the alphabetically arranged entries include key figures; technical innovations; film companies; kinds of films (Comedy, Newsreels, Polar expedition films); aspects of film production (Costume, Lighting, Sound effects); historical overviews of early cinema in specific countries; film publications; and related social and cultural institutions, practices, and concerns. Of the more than 950 entries, approximately 560 treat inventors, directors, producers, scriptwriters, actors and actresses, and other people involved in filmmaking. Most entries for individuals are relatively brief (between 100 to 200 words), but particularly significant figures, such as Charles Chaplin and Thomas Edison, receive treatments ranging from 450 to 1,000 words. Articles in other categories, for instance, those on specific film genres and national cinemas, often span several pages. Especially notable are the essays on individual countries, which reflect how quickly the technologies for making and showing motion pictures spread to diverse locations throughout the world, such as Cuba, New Zealand, and Vietnam. All entries are signed, and many provide bibliographic references.

Additional features include an extensive general bibliography of sources pertaining to early cinema and 132 black-and-white photographs and other illustrations. Liberal use of cross-references, a thematic guide that arranges article headings into broad subject categories, and a commendably detailed index (which is essential for locating information on individual films since there are no entries for film titles) facilitate access.

Scholarly but not pedantic, this encyclopedia will be a valuable resource in larger academic and public libraries and other institutions that are developing comprehensive collections related to film studies. Unfortunately, its substantial price may prohibit its purchase in many instances. Marie Ellis
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About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0415778565
• ISBN 13: 9780415778565
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 822
• Editor: Abel Richard