This volume of specially commissioned work by experts in the field of film studies provides a comprehensive overview of the field. Its international and interdisciplinary approach will have a broad appeal to those interested in this multifaceted subject. Provides a major collection of specially commissioned work by experts in the field of film studies. Represents material under a variety of headings, including class, race, gender, queer theory, nation, stars, ethnography, authorship, and spectatorship. Offers an international approach to the subject, including coverage of topics such as genre, image, sound, editing, culture industries, early cinema, classical Hollywood, and TV relations and technology. Includes concise chapter-by-chapter accounts of the background and current approaches to each topic, followed by a prognostication on the future. Considers cinema studies in relation to other forms of knowledge, such as critical studies, anthropology, and literature.

A COMPANION TO EARLY CINEMA “This collection of essays by early cinema scholars from Europe and North America offers manifold perspectives on early cinema fiction which perfectly reflect the state of international research.” – Martin Loiperdinger, Universitaet Trier “A fabulous selection of first-rate articles!” – Rick Altman, University of Iowa “One of the most challenging books in recent film studies: in it, early cinema is both a historical object and a contemporary presence. As in a great novel, we can retrace the adventures of the past – the films, styles, discourses, and receptions that made cinema the breakthrough reality it was in its first decades. But we can also come to appreciate how much of this reality is still present in our digital world.” – Francesco Casetti, Yale University A Companion to Early Cinema is an authoritative reference on the field of early cinema. Its 30 peer-reviewed chapters offer cutting-edge research and original perspectives on the major concerns in early cinema studies, and take an ambitious look at ideas and themes that will lead discussions about early cinema into the future. Including work by both established and up-and-coming scholars in early cinema, film theory, and film history, this will be the definitive volume on early cinema history for years to come and a must-have reference for all those working in the field.

The Routledge Companion to Cinema and Politics brings together forty essays by leading film scholars and filmmakers in order to discuss the complex relationship between cinema and politics. Organised into eight sections - Approaches to Film and Politics; Film, Activism and Opposition; Film, Propaganda, Ideology and the State; The Politics of Mobility; Political Hollywood; Alternative and Independent Film and Politics; The Politics of Cine-geographies and The Politics of Documentary - this collection covers a broad range of topics, including: third cinema, cinema after 9/11, eco-activism, human rights, independent Chinese documentary, film festivals, manifestoes, film policies, film as a response to the post-2008 financial crisis, Soviet propaganda, the impact of neoliberalism on cinema, and many others. It foregrounds the key debates, concepts, approaches and case studies that critique and explain the complex relationship between politics and cinema, discussing films from around the world and including examples from film history as well as contemporary cinema. It also explores the wider relationship between politics and entertainment, examines cinema’s response to political and social transformations and questions the extent to which filmmaking, itself, is a political act.

This essential core textbook provides an approachable and extensive introduction to film theory, written by two highly experienced senior lecturers. Bringing a fresh, contemporary and accessible approach to what is often perceived to be a challenging and old-fashioned area of film studies that requires time and effort to grasp, the text illustrates why theory is important and demonstrates how it can be applied in a meaningful way. The book's sixteen chapters are clear and comprehensive and provide an insight into the main areas of debate, using clear definitions and explaining complex ideas succinctly. The ideal entry point for any student studying film, the book is designed for use on courses on film theory on undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes within film, cinema, media and cultural studies. New to this Edition: - An expanded introduction, plus a new chapter looking at Adaptation - Contemporary case studies exploring popular and topical films, such as The Hunger Games (2012), Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013) and The Lego Movie (2014) - An expanded introduction, plus a new chapter looking at Adaptation - Additional genre-based case study on the British Gangster film - Additional actor-basedcase study on Ryan Gosling - A greater focus throughout on the relevance of film theory to students undertaking practical film degrees and units

This major new collection identifies the critical and theoretical concepts which have been most significant in the study of film and presents a historical and intellectual context for the material examined.

This Companion to Latin American Film is a new, up-to-date introduction to the best twenty-five films of the region. It is designed for the general reader who wants to know the basic facts, figures and ideas about the movies in Latin America. The introductory essay traces the history of Latin American cinema from its humble beginnings in the mid- 1890s until the smash hits of recent years: Like Water for Chocolate (1993), Central Station (1998), Love's a Bitch (2000), And your Mother Too (2001), City of God (2002). The early period when Latin American cinema was dominated by foreign film makers or foreign models (such as Hollywood), as well as the 1960s when as a genre it finally found its feet (the New Latin-American Cinema movement) - are also covered in depth. Each film chapter contains all the information you need -- cast and crew, awards, plot -- as well as a detailed analysis of the themes and techniques which make the film tick. There is a Guide to Further Reading which offers the reader advice on what to read next (all the important books, articles and Internet sites), as well as a Select Bibliography and an extensive index for ease of reference.