The Short History of the Movies

This second edition of "A Short History of the Movies" includes expanded information and judgments about some of the "old masters" of film; an updated discussion of the "new masters"; and new sections on Japanese, Indian, and Czech cinema. In general, this history reveals significant trends in film history. American films are the primary focus, and this history concenttates almost exclusively on the fictional film. The fifteen chapters examine such topics as the birth of the movies; film narrative and commercial expansion; the achievements of D.W. Griffith; the comics; movie czars and movie stars; the German cinema; the Soviet cinema; sound and the movies; French cinema between the wars; the American studio years: 1930-45; neorealism and the new wave; national traditions; and the new American cinema. This book is illustrated with photographs and contains an appendix which lists resources for further reading and viewing. (TS)