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Film Studies - A Focus On Critical Appreciation Of Film And Cinema

Some cinema theorists argue that its primary purpose is to understand how best to look at films and understand their meaning. The discipline forms part of the larger subject areas of media studies and cultural studies. The discipline is relatively new, its origins as a systematic body of thought dating back to the latter half of the twentieth century.

The subject is not focused on the technical aspects of film making or production. Rather it is concerned with exploring its non-technical aspects such as the narrative, aesthetics, artistic, ideological, cultural, economic, and political implications of cinema.

Graduates of cinema studies generally pursue a career in non-technical fields such as film criticism, journalism and media analysis. They also select the subject as a non-major component of programs of study focused on the technical aspects of film-making.

Given the dominance of Hollywood movie commercialism in shaping popular culture, the strong influence of European and other countries on movie production and theory may surprise many people. For example, the Moscow Film School established in 1919 was the first school focused on cinema anywhere in the world.

Similarly, the first serious cinema theorist is widely acknowledged to be Frenchman Andre Bazin (1918-1958). He started writing on the subject in 1943, during the World War II, and was a co-founder of the prominent magazine Cahiers du cinema in 1951 (together with Jacques Doniol-Valcroze and Joseph-Marie Lo Duca). His writings remain a major force in cinema theory and criticism today.

A four-volume compendium of his essays was published After his death between 1958 and 1962 and titled What is Cinema? (Qu'est-ce que le cinema?). A selection from these writings was translated into English; they were published as two volumes, one during the late-1960s and the other during early-1970s.

These two volumes became key texts for many film courses in the English-speaking world, but were never updated or revised. In 2009, a specialist Canadian publisher of film texts, Caboose, spotted an opportunity to take advantage of the relatively favorable copyright laws prevailing in Canada. Caboose compiled fresh translations of many of the most important essays and published them as a new single-volume with annotations by translator Timothy Barnard. That text became the only corrected and annotated edition of the original Bazin writings.

Bazin argued that the best objective for films was to attempt to present an objective reality. He therefore favored documentaries and films in the style of Italian neorealism. From a technical perspective he argued that directors should seek to make themselves invisible; advocated the use of deep focus or large depth of field (favored, for example by Orson Welles) and wide shots (Jean Renoir). Bazin also supported lack of montage, that is, extended continuity through mise en scene rather than montage editing and special effects. All of these Bazin viewpoints are challenged by the modern film studies community. Bazin is nevertheless celebrated as having been an original thinker in his time.

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About the Author

Silent Movies --- what's your opinion on these classics?

I'm sure there must be some people here that have never been inclined to watch a silent movie, while others might actually enjoy them.

I'm curious how you feel about them. Do you think these early cinema products are boring, and you'd dread the thought of being asked to watch one? Or, if you do like them, what is it about silent movies that you appreciate most? Do any titles stand out in your mind?

Thanks for your answer.

I love movies of all eras and genres. Silents are great.

Like any era, the silent era has a few real classics, a lot of mediocre fare and a lot of trash.

Beyond the quality of the storytelling, I also enjoy silents from a historical perspective. You can see slices of life, particularly in the background, from the 10's and 20's. You can also watch as pioneers like Griffith, Murnau and Chaplin set the standards and techniques that are still with us today.

Everyone knows Chaplin but for other great silent comedy I highly recommend WC Fields, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. Those will lead you to other gems as well.

For overall classics I recommend:
The Crowd (1928) - By the great King Vidor. Excellent lesson on life.
Pandora's Box (1928) - German Pabst directs the luminous Louise Brooks. A must see.
Metropolis (1927) - Fritz Lang creates visions that will remain with you for a lifetime, without the use of CGI or many other techniques that we take for granted today.
Birth Of A Nation (1915) - Griffith pioneers almost all of the foundation for modern movie making in this one. Warning - The subject matter is distasteful, to say the least.
Nosferatu (1922) - Murnau gives us an early vampire flick. Watch this with the lights off and don't hesitate to substitute any music you think may be more moody!
Sparrows (1926) - If you want to explore silents, sooner or later you have to see Mary Pickford.

There are sooooo many great silents. These are just a handful that I have enjoyed or considered important to film. Enjoy!