Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings, 5th Edition

By Gerald Mast

Book Overview

Since publication of the first edition in 1974, Film Theory and Criticism, previously edited by Gerald Mast, Marshall Cohen, and Leo Braudy, has been the most widely used and cited anthology of critical writings about film. Extensively revised and updated, this fifth edition is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in film theory and criticism. Featuring both classic texts and cutting-edge essays from almost a century of thought and writing about the movies, it includes 19 articles new to this edition and new introductions for the individual sections. The sections themselves have been reformulated to help lead readers into a richer understanding of what the movies have and can accomplish both as individual works and as contributions to what has been called "the art form of the twentieth century." Building upon the wide range of selections and the extensive historical coverage that marked previous editions, this collection stretches from the earliest attempts to define the cinema to the most recent efforts to place film in the context of psychology, sociology, and philosophy and to explore issues of gender and race. A newly conceived section on Film Narrative and the Other Arts has been added, the section on Film Genre has been reorganized to include a special focus on the horror film, and a new subsection of essays addresses the issue of film spectatorship. This volume also features new and more accurate translations of the important essays of Sergei Eisenstein and gives more space to such important theorists as Andr Bazin and Christian Metz.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195105982
• ISBN13: 9780195105988
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 861 Pages
• Weight: 2.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.1" x 1.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

It may add a new dimension to the films we watch.

Each edition of the book has a different list of films, so if you are looking for a particular film, you may want to peruse the book in person, as the table of contents goes by article, not film title. However, the basic nature of the book stays the same from one edition to the next. Talk about looking at clouds from both sides now, here is a shortlist of what is covered. Theory of film What is Cinema? Film as art Film as film The creative use of reality Metaphors on vision Film technique Film form The evolution of language and Cinema CinemaScope: before and after Christian Metz and semiology in the cinema The Contribution of film to semiotics Style and medium The establishment of physical existence The making of the film The world viewed Basic film aesthetics The film: a psychological study Theater and cinema From Dickens, Griffith, and the film today From novels to film Narration and narrativity in film The world in the frame The imagination of disaster The mummy’s pool Comedy’s greatest era Signs in meaning in cinema Howard Hawks, Storyteller Man with the camera. The face of Garbo Technology and ideology, and cinema Film and visual pleasure

good

Got it and it was just like the description, havn't found a problem with it.

Wading in the Quicksand

First of all, if you are purchasing this book here is a great probability that someone required you to read it. Just as a warning, THIS BOOK IS VERY HARD TO READ!!! The translations is difficult and sometimes you are completely confused. However the content is amazing. If you take the time to watch the films being discussed and or the films by the authors the words come alive and there is depth and understanding of the medium that we all enjoy. I was required to read this for a MFA English course and I would have never read it otherwise. Now I recommend the book and several of the articles on a regular basis. One note, check with your professor to see if you must order the latest edition. The previous editions are sometimes adequate and significantly less cost.

Good Collection

This is a good source for any student of film studies to have laying around, as it'll save you the trouble of checking out 7+ books from the library to get just a few of the essays featured in here. All of them are important, influential pieces that are a must-read to have a foundation in the ongoing film theory debates. Not a beginner text, by any means, but certainly an excellent resource and a comprehensive starting point for theory essays.

Absolutely Essential Reading

Although this not is a comprehensive volume of film theory, it's an invaluable resource for serious cinema students. Very highly recommended both as a reference text and as dense but intriguing recreational literature.

a must for film studies students

This is a must-have reader for film studies. Most of the TAs and professors at my school dip into this reader to create their classpacks and exam reading lists. The reader, a selection of key essays or excerpts, will introduce you to the language of film studies -- the major theorists from Bazin, Eisenstein, Burch, to Mulvey, Gunning and Dyer etc.; the differing methods of film studies from genre, psychoanalytic, reception, and Frankfurt studies. These are some of the key essays that have shaped film studies criticism over the last century. The book is pricey but well worth it, especially if you don't have the dough to stock up on the original texts. Some of the readings are difficult precisely because they are theory and meant for an academic or professional audience. Take your time, reread selections and savor some of the ideas that still shape how we see and make movies today.