Early Cinema: Space, Frame, Narrative - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0851702457 ISBN 13: 9780851702452

Publisher: British Film Institute, 1990

Synopsis

In the twenty years preceding the First World War, cinema rapidly developed from a fairground curiosity into a major industry and social institution, a source of information and entertainment for millions of people. Only recently have film scholars and historians begun to study these early years of cinema in their own right and not simply as first steps towards the classical narrative cinema we now associate with Hollywood. The essays in this collection trace the fascinating history of how the cinema developed its forms of storytelling and representation and how it evolved into a complex industry with Hollywood rapidly acquiring a dominant role. These issues can be seen to arise from new readings of the so-called pioneers - Melies, Lumiere, Porter, and Griffith - while also suggesting new perspectives on major European filmmakers of the 1910s and 20s. Editor Thomas Elsaesser complements the contributions from leading British, American, and European scholars with introductory essays of his own that provide a comprehensive overview of the field. The volume is the most authoritative survey to date of a key area of contemporary film research, invaluable to historians as well as to students of cinema.

About this title

About the Author:

Professor Thomas Elsaesser is a research professor in the Department of Media and Culture at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. An important representative of international film studies, his work on film theory, genre theory, Hollywood, film, history, archeology media and new media, the European cinema d'auteur and installation art have been published in more than 20 languages.

About this edition

• Publisher: British Film Institute
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0851702457
• ISBN 13: 9780851702452
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432
• Editor: Elsaesser Thomas, Barker Adam