Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings

By Gerald Mast

Book Overview

Since publication of the first edition in 1974, Film Theory and Criticism has been the most widely used and cited anthology of critical writings about film. Extensively revised and updated, this sixth edition highlights both classic texts and cutting edge essays from more than a century of thought and writing about the movies. Editors Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen have reformulated the book's sections and their introductions in order to lead students into a rich understanding of what the movies have accomplished, both as individual works and as contributions to what has been called "the art form of the twentieth and now twenty-first] century." Building upon the wide range of selections and the extensive historical coverage that marked previous editions, this new compilation stretches from the earliest attempts to define the cinema to the most recent efforts to place film in the contexts of psychology, sociology, and philosophy, and to explore issues of gender and race.
The sixth edition features several new essays that discuss the impact of digital technology on the traditional conceptions of what films do and how they manage to do it. Additional selections from the important works of Gilles Deleuze round out sections dealing with the theories of such writers as Sergei Eisenstein, Andr Bazin, and Christian Metz, among others. New essays also strengthen sections dealing with the idea of "excess" in film, film spectatorship, the horror genre, and feminist criticism. Film Theory and Criticism, 6/e, is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in film theory and criticism.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195158172
• ISBN13: 9780195158175
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 937 Pages
• Weight: 2.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.8" x 9.2" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

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.