Early Cinema: Space, Frame, Narrative - Softcover

Thomas Elsaesser; Adam Barker

 
9780851702452: Early Cinema: Space, Frame, Narrative
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.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

THOMAS ELSAESSER was Professor Emeritus at the University of Amsterdam. His recent authored works included European Cinema and Continental Philosophy (2018); Film History as Media Archaeology (2016); German Cinema - Terror and Trauma: Cultural Memory since 1945 (2013); and The Persistence of Hollywood (2011).

From the Back Cover

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" may belong to another edition of this title.

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

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780851702445: Early Cinema: Space, Frame, Narrative

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  0851702449 ISBN 13:  9780851702445
Publisher: BFI Publishing, 1990
Softcover