Product Description

The origins of motion picture technologies are described and analyzed by Charles Musser in this lavishly illustrated volume. He considers social and economic as well as aesthetic aspects of the beginnings of movie making.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #301860 in Books
• Published on: 1994-05-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 613 pages

Review
"Massively detailed, scrupulously and exhaustively researched, copiously graphed and illustrated, heavily footnoted, examining each period from several critical and sociological perspectives, these three books are perfectly representative, in many ways, of the state of academic film research today." -- Michael Wilmington, Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Meticulously illustrated with frame enlargements from the original films, trade advertisements and productions shots. . . . Musser uses these illustrations . . . to pinpoint every development, every lawsuit and policy change within the burgeoning industry. . . . [He] has brought dignity to an era previously regarded as primitive." -- Kevin Lewis, Film Culture

"Musser gives a new concreteness to standard arguments about the development of an early cinema of attractions into a cinema of narrative complexity." -- Dana Polan, Film Quarterly

"Musser's work constitutes a revolution in the study of early American cinema." -- Stephen Bottomore, Historical Journal for Film, Radio and Television

About the Author
Charles Musser is Assistant Professor of American Studies and Film Studies at Yale University and author of Before the Nickelodeon (California, 1990).

Customer Reviews

Scholarly and detailed history
The Emergence of Cinema chronicles the very earliest history of cinema with focus on the development of film in America. It begins with the earliest technology of picture projection, and explores with great thoroughness each development in the technology and business of film. It is wonderfully illustrated, and clearly written, so that even the casual student of film history will not be confused or bored. This is a work whose peer I have never seen. If the rest of the series keeps up with the quality here, it will be basic to any film library. Perhaps the depth here will be to great for the truly casual reader; hardly any films here will find their way onto video.

Film students: read this series
This is an excellent, comprehensive and well-written analysis of the early cinema. It is written including views of the study of film history as well as numerous concrete examples of films for every point made by the author.

Even if you're not a film student, check out this book. It's so well written that one can easily fall into the interesting history of an emerging art form and industry. The origins of cinema reach far back into the 17th century and, considering the enormous impact that film has on everyone's life, the origins of this most important art form of the past century are vitally important to you.