A Short History of the Movies

by Gerald Mast and Bruce F. Kawin

Book Overview

This is the essential core of Mast and Kawin's classic in a streamlined volume: the most accurate, carefully updated account of cinema today in a clear and lively book. Building on Mast's astute and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0321106032
• ISBN13: 9780321106032
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: Longman Publishing Group
• Length: 738 Pages
• Weight: 2.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.1" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

Extremely valuable

My accidental encounter with an earlier edition of this book was the catalyst for my taking up film studies. The book is a clear, well written and systematically organized history of movies. It has a comprehensive and up to date bibliography and filmography. Chapters are chronological in sequence, but are organized around a particular theme. The authors introduce major influences in the cinema (whether directors, 'schools', actors or events), identify principal directors and films, and analyse major issues and advances. It is an excellent introduction to the history of movies and great jumping off point for further, more specialised study. It is refreshingly free from post-modernist jargon and abstractions. If you want a comprehensive introduction which is also a good read, I recommend this book most highly.

Still the definitive film history text.

As a writer, Mast is without equal as a teacher, historian, and critic. The most readable, valuable film history text, in my opinion. Thank goodness it's still in print.

This is the best book on film history I have used.

Mast describes both the panorama of cinema history as well as brilliant analyses of individual films and directors. He presents both breadth and depth, analyzing American, European and non-Western cinema. He also relates film to the social and political history of the countries. Students can use this book for a survey and for in-depth analysis.