A Chronology of Film: A Cultural Timeline from the Magic Lantern to Netflix

by Ian Haydn Smith

Overview

An entirely new and delightful perspective on the history of cinema, this illustrated volume uses timelines to trace its development from the earliest moving images to now.

A Chronology of Film presents a fresh perspective on the medium by tracing the complex links between technical innovations, social changes, and artistic interventions in the order that they occurred.

Organized around a central timeline that charts the development of film from the earliest moving images to present-day blockbusters, this volume features key films, film commentaries, and contextual information about the period in which they were produced. By revealing the social, political, and cultural environments in which these films were created, this book reveals new insights into great directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Federico Fellini, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Jane Campion, Barry Jenkins, Pedro Almodo´var, and Bong Joon-ho and films such as Bonnie and Clyde, The Godfather, Moonlight, and Parasite.

The book features lavish film stills, commentaries, and lively “In Focus” features with information about the social, stylistic, technical, political, and cultural events of each period.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780500023693
Publisher:	Thames & Hudson
Publication date:	03/09/2021
Series:	A Chronology of... Series , #4
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	1,021,460
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Ian Haydn Smith is the author of Selling the Movie and Cult Filmmakers and the update editor on 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Haydn Smith is also the editor of BFI Filmmaker Magazine and Curzon Magazine.

Editorial Reviews

10/01/2021

Haydn Smith's (The Short Story of Film; Cult Filmmakers) nuanced chronology blends discussions of groundbreaking films, filmmaking innovations, and noteworthy historical and cultural events. As he expounds on the history of film, from cave painting to Eadweard Muybridge's The Horse in Motion to the effect of 9/11 and social media on filmmaking, a time line runs along the bottom of the pages, noting the invention of the radio, the Battle of the Somme, Emmett Till's lynching, Google's debut, and more. Short descriptions of some 200 movies are scattered throughout (A Trip to the Moon; 8 ½; Parasite), with hundreds of photographs. Haydn Smith's scope is wide, including international films, feature films, and documentaries. VERDICT Scholars will especially appreciate the depth of thought, and the images make this work an enjoyable browse for casual film buffs.

Library Journal