Prolifically illustrated, this is the perfect introduction to the history of film for students and budding cinephiles alike. This extensive yet accessible book traces the evolution of cinema, from the great silver screen-classics through postwar movements from film noir to nouvelle vague, and up to the present day with the emerging commercial success of 3-D.
Thoroughly illustrated with more than 1,000 stills, this book features a definitive assessment of the key writers, directors, and films of every cinematic genre, with an emphasis on influences across time, culture, and geography. Detailed timelines position every featured film and director in time and place in relation to key trends. 
Even in the age of YouTube where everyone is their own auteur, films remain the defining artworks of our time, and this absorbing, lavishly illustrated book is perfect for anyone who loves movies.           

About The Author

Philip Kemp is a freelance film reviewer and cinema historian who contributes to Sight and Sound, Total Film, and DVD Review. He teaches film journalism at Leicester and Middlesex universities in England and is the author of Lethal Innocence: The Cinema of Alexander Mackendrick.