Studying film

333 Pages·2001·23.54 MB·English

by  Nathan Abrams

Studying Film
S t u d y i ng t he M e d ia S e r i es
G e n e r al E d i t o r: T im O ' S u l l i v an
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Studying Film
Nathan Abrams
(Wentworth College)
Ian Bell
(West Herts College)
Jan Udris
(Middlesex University and Birkbeck College)
A member of the Hodder Headline Group
LONDON
Co-published in the United States of America by
Oxford University Press Inc., New York
First published in Great Britain in 2001 by
Arnold, a member of the Hodder Headline Group,
338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH
http://www.arnoldpublishers.com
Co-published in the United States of America by
Oxford University Press Inc.,
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY10016
© 2001 Nathan Abrams, Ian Bell and Jan Udris
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically
including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval
system, without either prior permission in writing from the publisher or a
licence permitting restricted copying. In the United Kingdom such licences
are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency: 90 Tottenham Court Road,
London W1POLP.
The advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate
at the date of going to press, but neither the authors nor the publisher can
accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN 0340 76133 4 (hb)
ISBN 0340 76134 2 (pb)
123456789 10
Production Editor: James Rabson
Production Controller: Bryan Eccleshall
Cover Design: Terry Griffiths
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Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgements viii
Illustrations and Tables ix
Introduction 1
1 Cinema as Institution 5
1 Hollywood Cinema 7
2 Production, Distribution and Exhibition 27
3 Cinema, Audiences and Society 46
4 Cinema, the Media and Globalization 62
2 Film as Text 73
5 Film Technology 75
6 The Language of Film 92
7 Early Cinema and Film Form 117
8 Mainstream and Alternative Film Form 132
3 Critical Approaches to Film 153
9 Authorship 155
10 Genre 174
11 Stars 191
12 Meaning and Spectatorship 206
4 Film Movements and National Cinema 231
13 British Cinema 233
14 World Cinema and National Film Movements 253
15 Alternative Cinema and Other Film Styles 276
Further Resources 293
Glossary 297
Index 309
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Preface
The field of Film Studies is already large but is still growing in popularity. An increasing number
of schools, colleges and universities are also adopting film as an area of study. Numerous
courses are devoted to the study of aspects of film and film history and many disciplines
are also actively integrating the use of film, among them Media Studies, English, Historical
Studies, American Studies and Cultural Studies, to name just a few.
But do we need yet another book on Film Studies? While there are any number of
academic texts covering many different areas of Film Studies, there are relatively few text-
books which explain basic concepts in a lucid manner suitable for students at the very
beginning of their studies. For example, at the time of writing only a single textbook is avail-
able for British A level students. Studying Film provides an alternative core text for the new
AS/A-Level specification in Film Studies. The text is also designed to provide a useful tool
for undergraduate students both in Film Studies and cognate degree courses. It will also
assist teachers of Film Studies and those with a general interest in film alike, providing
additional information outside the syllabus's scope for those wishing to learn more.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the many people who in various ways have helped in the development
and completion of this book. They include family and friends, colleagues and students,
readers, Tim O'Sullivan, Lesley Riddle, Emma Heyworth-Dunn and the team at Arnold. Their
contributions range from patience and understanding to help and advice. We would also like
to thank Kobal and the BFI for permission to reproduce photographs.
Illustrations and Tables
1.1 RKO: disbanded in 1957 parents decide his future as he plays
1.2 Casablanca: the star system at in the background
work 6.6 The 180 degree rule
1.3 The Ten Commandments: an early 6.7 The 30 degree rule
blockbuster 7.1 The first camera and projection
1.4 Jaws: consolidated the blockbuster system: the c/nematographe
mentality 7.2 Company logos: American
1.5 Apocalypse Now: Coppola directs Mutoscope and Biograph, Vitagraph,
Brando and the Edison Company
1.6 Do the Right Thing: independent or 7.3 The Biograph Girl, Florence
major studio project? Lawrence
2.1 Bond films have typically relied on 7.4 Journey to the Moon (1902): an
product placement to recoup early fantasy film with extensive use
production costs of tableau shots
2.2 Director and camera operator at 7.5 Grandma's Reading Glass (1900): an
work on /Apocalypse Now early example of an extreme close
2.3 Monty Python, swearing and up shot
certification 7.6 The Great Train Robbery (1903): an
2.4 Free publicity is essential to film unusual shot which has no relation
promotion to the narrative but serves to remind
3.1 The BBFC age certificates the audience of the presence of the
4.1 Columbia: an old company in a camera
modern world 7.7 The Tramp (1915): effective use of
4.2 Sony: a vertically integrated characterization and empathy
multinational conglomerate with 8.1 Quentin Tarantino makes play with
media cross-over for synergy narrative in Pulp Fiction
5.1 Early Technicolor was a major 8.2 An everyday traffic jam in Godard's
attraction Weekend
5.2 Metropolis: futuristic technology 9.1 Godard's innovation, Sven Nykvists's
5.3 2001: a celebration of space photography: A bout de souffle
technology 9.2 Editing problems: Jagger and Fox in
6.1 A typical lighting set up Performance
6.2 Mlse en scene and shot composition 9.3 Are we all voyeurs? Rear Window
in Some Like it Hot 9.4 Quentin Tarantino or 'Quentin
6.3 The five main shot sizes Tarantino'?
6.4 Psycho: the unbalanced Norman 10.1 Unforgiven: western location, props
Bates and costume
6.5 Citizen Kane and deep focus: Kane's 10.2 Double Indemnity: low key lighting