World on Film: An Introduction / Edition 1

by Martha P. Nochimson

Overview

This uniquely engaging and lively textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to international film, from the golden age of European cinema to the contemporary blockbusters of India and Asia, and the post World War II emergence of global film culture.

• Offers an overview of film culture in European countries such as France, Sweden and Spain, as well as Africa, Hong Kong, China, and India, in a clear and conversational style to engage the student reader

• Provides a detailed exploration of the impact of globalization on international cinema

• Includes a comprehensive companion website (www.wiley.com/go/worldonfilm) with an expansive gallery of film stills also found in the text, plus access to sample syllabi for faculty and a detailed FAQ

• Addresses the differences in visual and narrative strategies between Hollywood-influenced movies and international cinema 

• Highlights key words within the text and provides a comprehensive glossary of critical vocabulary for film studies

• Each chapter includes in-depth case studies of individual films and directors, cultural and historical context, selected filmographies, and ideas for projects, essays, and further research

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781405139793
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	02/22/2010
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Martha P. Nochimson has taught in the Department of Film and Television at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and at Mercy College, where she developed and chaired a program in Film Studies, and she is the author of four other books, including her internationally acclaimed studies The Passion of David Lynch: Wild at Heart in Hollywood (1997); Dying to Belong: Gangster Movies in Hollywood and Hong Kong (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007); No End to Her: Soap Opera and the Female Subject; and Screen Couple Chemistry: The Power of 2. Dr. Nochimson has been invited to appear on television in her capacity as a film and media critic in the United States, Canada, and France, and she has covered international film festivals in New York, Montreal, and Istanbul for over a decade. Her numerous articles about world film and interviews of major directors have appeared in Cineaste, Film Quarterly, and The New Review of Film and Television Studies. Further information is available at her website  www.marthapnochimson.com.

Read an Excerpt

Click to read or download

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

How to Use This Book x

Part I Nations Make Movies 1

Introduction: Other Languages, Other Stories 2

The Point, So Far 11

Talking about International Film 11

National Film Cultures 14

Questions in the Chapters 18

Summary 19

For Further Thought 21

Projects 21

Further Reading 22

1 France: French Revolutions at the Movies 23

The Movies Are Born in France 28

Case Study: Jean Renoir 31

Renoir’s Peers and the Golden Age of French Cinema 38

For Further Thought 44

Projects 44

The Fourth and Fifth Republics and the Prologue to the New Wave 45

The New Wave 49

Case Study: Jean-Luc Godard 51

Beyond the New Wave 62

For Further Thought: Dogme 95 68

Mini Research Mission 68

Projects 69

Further Reading 69

2 Russia: Utopia and Dystopia 71

The Russian Revolution and the Golden Age of Soviet Cinema 76

Stalinism and the Ebb and Resurgence of Soviet Cinema 89

For Further Thought 91

Projects 92

New Freedoms 93

Case Study: Andrei Tarkovsky 93

Post-Soviet Cinema 101

Mini Research Mission 106

For Further Thought 106

Projects 106

Further Reading 107

3 Germany: From Darkness toward Light 108

Early History 113

For Further Thought 123

Projects 124

Nazi Cinema and Beyond 124

Case Study: Werner Herzog 136

New German Cinema and the International Community 142

Mini Research Mission 143

For Further Thought: East German Cinema 143

Projects 148

Further Reading 149

4 Italy: The Myth of History, Neorealism, and Beyond 150

Italian Cinema and the Risorgimento 154

The Evolution of Neorealism 158

For Further Thought 173

Projects 174

Case Study: Federico Fellini 174

Debating Italian Postwar Recovery 182

Mini Research Mission 193

For Further Thought 193

Projects 194

Further Reading 194

5 Japan: Screening Feudalism and Modernism 195

Early Film in Japan 198

Meiji Era and Taishd Era Japanese Cinema (1896–1926) 202

Film During the Shdwa Era 205

Case Study: Akira Kurosawa 214

For Further Thought 224

Projects 224

The New Wave and Beyond 225

Mini Research Mission 234

For Further Thought 234

Projects 235

Further Reading 236

6 India: Cinema of Combination and Contradiction 237

Film in Colonial India 243

Early Postcolonial Indian Film 247

For Further Thought 256

Projects 257

Bollywood Takes Charge 258

Case Study: Amitabh Bachchan 259

Bollywood and Parallel Cinema 270

Mini Research Mission 275

For Further Thought 276

Projects 277

Further Reading 278

Part II Movie Making in the Global Village 279

Introduction: They Do It Their Way 280

When Is a Film Foreign? 280

Reading Movies in the Global Village 287

Culture under a Microscope: A Modern Muddle or a 288

New Mirror?

Mini Research Mission 289

For Further Thought 290

Projects 290

Further Reading 291

7 Spain: Luis Buñuel, Playing with Ideas 292

The Arc of Buñuel's Career 298

Conclusion 306

Mini Research Mission 306

For Further Thought 307

Projects 308

Further Reading 309

8 Sweden: Ingmar Bergman, Being and Nothingness 310

The Arc of Bergman's Career 315

Conclusion 326

Mini Research Mission 327

For Further Thought 327

Projects 329

Further Reading 330

9 Hong Kong: Wong Kar-wai, Now You See It . . . 331

The Arc of Wong’s Career 338

Conclusion 349

Mini Research Mission 350

For Further Thought 351

Projects 352

Further Reading 353

10 Senegal: Ousmane Sembene, Postcolonial Pioneer 354

The Arc of Sembene's Career 359

Conclusion 374

Mini Research Mission 374

For Further Thought 375

Projects 376

Further Reading 377

11 Mainland China: Jia Zhangke, Freedom and the Sixth Generation 378

The Arc of Jia's Career 385

Conclusion 399

Mini Research Mission 399

For Further Thought 400

Projects 401

Further Reading 401

Glossary 402

Index 418

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Lively and readable, World on Film provides provocative questions, helpful background, and interesting discussion topics for any world cinema class or for anyone interested in learning about the international film scene.” Linda Mizejewski, Ohio State University.

"Students whose knowledge of movies is limited to the latest releases at the local multiplex couldn’t ask for a better guide to the foreignness of international cinema than World on Film. Starting with due consideration and respect for her readers’ understanding of Hollywood movies, Martha Nochimson leads them on an expertly guided tour through both the leading movements in international cinema and the new movie-watching habits they need to appreciate Luis Buñuel and Wong Kar-wai—and to take a fresh look at Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino." Thomas Leitch, University of Delaware

"Nochimson leads students through close readings of key films and the works of central directors, while never losing sight of the how these films and filmmakers have been influenced and how their influence extends through time and beyond geographical boundaries. World on Film provides a logical and engaging framework for student learning, with substantive, imaginative questions and project ideas that encourage further research and continued close analysis of films in the context of nation, history, theory, and aesthetics."     Cynthia Lucia, Associate Professor and Director of Film and Media Studies, Rider University