Film is an art form with a language and an aesthetic all its own. Since 1979, David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson and now, Co-Author, Jeff Smith's Film Art has been the best-selling and most widely respected introduction to the analysis of cinema. Taking a skills-centered approach supported by examples from many periods and countries, the authors help students develop a core set of analytical skills that will enrich their understanding of any film, in any genre. In-depth examples deepen students' appreciation for how creative choices by filmmakers affect what viewers experience and how they respond. Film Art is generously illustrated with more than 1,000 frame enlargements taken directly from completed films, providing concrete illustrations of key concepts. Includes updated examples and expanded coverage of digital filmmaking.
David Bordwell Books
David Bordwell stands as one of the most influential film scholars in the United States, recognized for his in-depth analyses of filmmaking styles and periods. His work, often in collaboration with Kristin Thompson, delves into a profound understanding of cinematic language and its historical context. Bordwell's scholarship particularly explores classical Hollywood cinema and the cinematographic traditions of various cultures. His impact extends far beyond academia, having trained a generation of cinema studies professors and seen his books translated globally.
Film history : an introduction
- 808 pages
- 29 hours of reading
This comprehensive survey not only acknowledges the contributions of Hollywood and films from other US sources, but broadens its scope to examine film-making internationally.
This definitive study of Hong Kong cinema examines the work of directors such as Tsui Hark, John Woo, Ringo Lam, Johnnie To, King Hu, and Wong Kar Wai.
Poetics of Cinema
- 512 pages
- 18 hours of reading
Focusing on the historical poetics of cinema, the author delves into how films are crafted within specific historical contexts to evoke particular effects. Drawing on twenty-five years of research, the analysis explores the intricate relationship between filmmaking practices and the cultural, social, and technological influences that shape them, offering valuable insights for film studies.
Acclaimed for its breakthrough approach and its combination of theoretical analysis and empirical evidence, this is the standard work on the classical Hollywood cinema style of film-making from the silent era to the 1960s.
Bordwell scrutinizes the theories of style launched by various film historians and celebrates a century of cinema. The author examines the contributions of many directors and shows how film scholars have explained stylistic continuity and change.
"Arriving fifty years after Ebert published his first film review in 1967, this second edition of Awake in the Dark collects Ebert's essential writings. Featuring new Top Ten Lists and reviews of the years' finest films through 2012, this edition allows both fans and film buffs to bask in the best of an extraordinary lifetime's work."--Provided by publisher.
Perplexing Plots
- 512 pages
- 18 hours of reading
David Bordwell reveals how crime fiction, plays, and films made unconventional narrative mainstream. A sweeping, kaleidoscopic account written in a lively, conversational style, Perplexing Plots offers an ambitious new understanding of how popular culture has evolved over the past century.
Narration in the Fiction Film
- 384 pages
- 14 hours of reading
Mimetic theories of narration - Diegetic theories of narration - The viewe's activity - Principles of narration - Sin, murder, and narration - Narration and time - Narration and space - Modes and norms - Classical narration : the Hollywood example - Art-cinema narration - Historical-materialist narration : the soviet example - Parametric narration - Godard and narration.
Film History
- 864 pages
- 31 hours of reading
Written by two leading film scholars, "Film An Introduction" is a comprehensive survey of film-from the backlots of Hollywood, across the United States, and around the world. As in the authors' bestselling "Film Art", concepts and events are illustrated with actual frame enlargements, giving students more realistic points of reference than competing books that use publicity stills.
