Product Description

From its humble beginnings as a novelty in a handful of cities, cinema has risen to become a billion-dollar industry and the most spectacular and original contemporary art form. In The Oxford History of World Cinema, an international team of film historians traces the history of this enduringly popular entertainment medium. Covering all aspects of its development, stars, studios, and cultural impact, the book celebrates and chronicles over one hundred years of diverse achievement from westerns to the New Wave, from animation to the avant-garde, and from Hollywood to Hong Kong.
The Oxford History of World Cinema tells the story of the major inventions and developments in the cinema business, its institutions, genres, and personnel, and they outline the evolution of national cinemas round the world--the varied and distinctive film traditions that have developed alongside Hollywood. A unique aspect of the book are the special inset features on the film-makers and personalities--Garbo and Godard, Keaton and Kurosawa, Bugs Bunny and Bergman--who have had an enduring impact in popular memory and cinematic lore. With over 280 illustrations, a full bibliography, and an extensive index, this is the buff's ultimate guide to cinema worldwide.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27895 in Books
• Published on: 1999-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 856 pages

Amazon.com
Most histories of the international cinema focus on the careers of prominent directors. But the authors of The Oxford History of World Cinema set cinematic genres, trends, and national themes at the fore, composing a history of the cinema that is equally a history of our multifarious world culture. Still, in deference to the older historical style, the text of this hefty book is dotted with hundreds of minibiographies on individual filmmakers. The result of this hybrid approach is one of the most comprehensive film histories ever, allowing insight into its complex subject from a number of different perspectives.

From School Library Journal
YA. This text is jam-packed with a comprehensive yet readable history of world cinema. Prominent contributions and contributors are highlighted unobtrusively. Unlike recently published chronicles and CDs that rely on glossy illustrations, this quiet resource requires little more than fundamental research skills, but it rewards readers with a bounty of easily accessible and highly valuable information.?Sue Callahan, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Compiled by Nowell-Smith (coeditor of The Coming of the Book, Norton, 1985), this collection of essays by a host of international film authorities runs the gamut of movie history, from the silent screen of the 1890s to the contemporary world cinema. Novices and specialists alike will find much here of value, particularly the sections on non-Western nations (e.g., Turkey, Taiwan). Excellent special-feature articles?primarily biographical?are interspersed throughout, and more than 280 sharp black-and-white illustrations and a color inset add to the overall quality. Although lack of space prevents in-depth discussion of many themes, general coverage is uniformly good. A fine complement to Robert Sklar's Film: An International History of the Cinema (Abrams, 1993), this reasonably priced volume should be a top purchase for all film collections, if only for the handy, single-volume international scope. Recommended for all libraries.?Anthony J. Adam, Prairie View A&M Univ. Lib., Tex.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Indispensable guide!
This is recommendable guide for all those who assumed the commitment to know about the Cinema considered as an artistic discipline. Plenty of abundant information about the well different tendencies and filmmakers along a Century you will find important and decisive data for having a whole vision around the last of the Arts.

Totally recommended.

Very heady discussion of film
This book includes a large collection of writings on various film movements and styles throughout history. It touches on cinema from all continents and includes sidebars focusing on important filmmakers and their contributions to film. The book is illustrated with many black and white stills with several pages of full-color photographs in the middle.

I would recommend this book to film scholars who are interested in film theory rather than film history or casual discussion. The writings included in this book are not for light reading; they are very heady and in-depth analyses of the art of film.

I consider myself well-viewed and an intelligent film student and am always willing for good discussion about film, but I was a little disappointed with this volume. I was expecting something a little more accessible and approachable and I found this book to be a little dry. It is definitely not for the casual film buff, but for someone interested in the mechanics and the psychology of film, so be aware of this.

I have also been looking at Robert Sklar's "A World History of Film" and, judging from the less intimidating approach used by that book, think that is more of what I was looking for in this.

A must for film students and ardent film buffs.
'The Oxford History of World Cinema' is an excellent reference text with contributions from well-respected academics and critics across the globe. It provides condensed versions of national cinemas, styles, and movements through different eras. What is more, a conscious effort has been made to cover well-known styles such as Italian neo-realism and the Hollywood studio system in addition to lesser known ones such as Scandanavian or Arabian cinema. Furthermore, it moves beyond national cinemas to include a diverse range of topis such as documentary, music, censorship, exploitation, animation and much more.

For those studying cinema, like myself, will find it useful as a condensed reference from which to depart into greater depths of research. Film buffs will find it useful to view films within cinematic contexts such as style, industry, and reception.

The book is divided into three main chapters: (1) Silent cinema (2) Sound cinema and (3) Modern cinema with the differnt topics aforementioned pervading throughout. In addition to this, a few hundred actors, directors, and cinematographers et al have been selected to feature in a special biography page of their own. These include notables such as Sternberg, Bunuel, DeMille, Dreyer, Ozu, Garbo, Warhol and so much more.

There are many illustrations - most of which are black and white but are stunning accompaniments nonetheless. Buy, read, enjoy and cherish it. I know I did!