I use Barsam's Looking at Movies... the first edit...
I use Barsam's Looking at Movies... the first edition was very accessible for students, had a sound structure to the book, and has amazing online extras.The newest edition which just arrived the other...
View ArticleAbsolutely! I concur with Dave Hudson that this i...
Absolutely! I concur with Dave Hudson that this is a post to bookmark! Thanks, Chris!
View ArticleYes, excellent work. I was wondering, though, what...
Yes, excellent work. I was wondering, though, what you think of Bordwell and Thompson's "Film History," which is the text I use in my intro class.
View Articlemsic: I'm a big fan of the Thompson/Bordwell Film ...
msic: I'm a big fan of the Thompson/Bordwell Film History book. I posted a fuller review a week or so back, and I hope to write a comparison of history survey texts at some point soon.
View ArticleI agree a very useful post. However, as a recent f...
I agree a very useful post. However, as a recent film student I must say some of the more generalized looks at film (specifically the Thompson/Bordwell) are great references but don't really get to the...
View ArticleI've been using Monaco's How to read a film for th...
I've been using Monaco's How to read a film for the past three years in a 200-level social science film course. I appreciate the way that he places film into a broader artistic context and his...
View ArticleModern Man - I agree about including material enga...
Modern Man - I agree about including material engaging thinking about the medium more intensely. To my eye, the Corrigan/White book ventures the most into an introduction to theory. In any case, I...
View ArticleAs drama/film students we were given a choice whic...
As drama/film students we were given a choice which book to buy and I went for Film Art, because it was a tad cheaper and had nicer pictures.I loved the screen captures in Film Art, especially one of...
View ArticleFantastic post -- I only knew about half these boo...
Fantastic post -- I only knew about half these books!Did you get around to watching the 2nd DVD from the Barsam collection? One of my films is on it, and I'm curious how the whole thing is.
View ArticleAnother Corrigan book that's popular with some cla...
Another Corrigan book that's popular with some classes here is "A Short Guide to Writing About Film," now in the 6th edition from Longman. I've noticed it seems to be used more by English and writing...
View ArticleYou might also look at Lehman and Luhr's Thinking ...
You might also look at Lehman and Luhr's Thinking About Movies (Blackwell) and the Oxford guide to film studies. There is another very basic intro from MacMillan but I forget the author. I look...
View ArticleWow, that's a lot of information! Marking this now...
Wow, that's a lot of information! Marking this now. Thanks, it will certainly come in handy with my teachings :)Matt
View ArticleI found this an interesting survey. It's noted tha...
I found this an interesting survey. It's noted that US books don't deal with national cinemas particularly, unlike British publications; is this a reflection of American insularity?
View ArticleThanks for this blog. I'm busy trying to decide wh...
Thanks for this blog. I'm busy trying to decide which textbook to adopt for this fall. I'm down to either Film Art or Movies and Meaning.I just reviewed the new edition of Understanding Movies, and...
View ArticleI just finished looking at: Pramaggiore, Giannetti...
I just finished looking at: Pramaggiore, Giannetti, Stanley, Prince, Kolker, and Bordwell & Thompson.I have to report that Bordwell & Thompson are the winners so far... I like the quotations in...
View ArticleNick - You may be right. In general, too, the Amer...
Nick - You may be right. In general, too, the American pedagogical context tends to put a lot of emphasis on sub-national difference (ethnicity, race, etc.) over national cinema as a concept.Alexi - I...
View ArticleAlexi said...None of these books are ideal, and I'...
Alexi said...None of these books are ideal, and I'm sort of upset at their terrible terrible cost. Instead, we should simply wiki one together, and come up with better case studies than NBNW and...
View ArticleWow! This is great!I'm teaching my first Intro to ...
Wow! This is great!I'm teaching my first Intro to Film course after a couple years of screenwriting and compositions classes. Suddenly my deadline for ordering a text was upon me and I had no...
View ArticleReally useful post. Many thanks. I've been teachin...
Really useful post. Many thanks. I've been teaching film in the UK, and, alongside Bordwell and Thompson, and Corrigan and White (and also Corrigan's Short Guide...), we've used Bruce Kawin's How...
View ArticleReally late comment, but I've only just come a...
Really late comment, but I've only just come across this very useful blog entry. I only teach the introductory film course during the summer. Since that follows a compressed schedule (twice a week for...
View ArticleI use Film Art (B&T) but will be trying out Lo...
I use Film Art (B&T) but will be trying out Looking at Movies this summer. Overall, here is a question for those who care to answer: why do these books end with a History segment? Shouldn't they...
View ArticleThank you for the discussion; I found this survey ...
Thank you for the discussion; I found this survey very useful. Just wondering: Would it be possible to use any of these texts as part of a high school curriculum?
View ArticleWhich one would you recommend for a high school le...
Which one would you recommend for a high school level introduction class? Ages 15-18?
View ArticleTiffany (and those seeking a textbook in a seconda...
Tiffany (and those seeking a textbook in a secondary ed context), I don't have any pedagogical experience with high school teaching, and a lot would depend on your goals. But I'd say the Barsam might...
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