Re: history of film textbook--multiple responses

From: Leo Enticknap <[email protected]>

 Chris Schultz writes:

"It sounds like you might want something a
little more specialized than a textbook. David Bordwell and Kristin
Thompson's *On the History of Film Style* is a decent intro book, if
perhaps a touch outdated now."

Hmm - I'd consider that book a little too advanced for undergraduates
(would definitely use it at MA level though). It does assume quite a
significant base level of pre-existing knowledge. I'd definitely suggest
that undergraduates read Barry Salt's 'Film Style and Technology'
first, as it sets out the basic, what-happened-when framework that
will help to provide the background knowledge needed to tackle
Bordwell's more focused and specific analysis.

Not film specific, but in order for students to get a sense of what an
historical approach can offer that address flaws in other approaches
to humanities study, I'd also suggest Thompson, 'The Poverty of
Theory' and Sokal and Bricmont, 'Intellectual Impostures'.

Leo

---
Leo Enticknap
Institute of Communications
Studies
2.35, Clothworkers' Building North
University of Leeds
LS2
9JT
United Kingdom
My personal website [1]
My page on the University of
Leeds's website [2]
My page on academia.edu [3]

Links:
------
[1]
http://www.enticknap.net
[2] http://ics.leeds.ac.uk/staff/leo
[3]
http://leeds.academia.edu/enticknap




-- 
Ken Nolley
Professor of English and Film Studies
Willamette University
Salem, OR 97301
Phone:  503-370-6280
Fax:  503-370-6944