The first major overview of the field of film history in twenty years, this book offers a wide-ranging account of the methods, sources and approaches used by modern film historians. The key areas of research are analysed, alongside detailed case studies centred on well-known American, Australian, British and European films.

'A very welcome entry into the field of film history, the contributors to this exemplary collection engage rigorously and imaginatively with the structures and processes that have shaped the medium of film. Structured around the four key areas of History, Authorship, Genre and Reception, this collection tackles some of the big questions that have vexed film historians - what is the relationship between creativity and commerce, how do ideas "get into" film in a lively and informative manner. An indispensable collection for students and researchers of film, media and cognate disciplines.' - Melanie Bell, Lecturer in Film, Newcastle University, UK

'...an invaluable tool in both teaching and research...the essays are scholarly and engagingly written, and genuinely extend the boundaries of the discipline. It will quickly become a central text for film history courses.' - Melanie Bell, Journal of British Cinema and Television

Autorentext
TIM BERGFELDER Professor of Film Studies, University of Southampton, UK MARK CONNELLY Reader in Modern British History, University of Kent, UK LAURIE EDE Principal Lecturer in Film Studies, University of Portsmouth, UK PETER KRÄMER Lecturer in Film Studies, University of East Anglia, UK JONATHAN MUNBY Senior Lecturer in American Studies, Institute for Cultural Research, Lancaster University, UK JEFFREY RICHARDS Professor of Cultural History, Lancaster University, UK MARTIN SHINGLER Senior Lecturer in Radio and Film Studies, University of Sunderland, UK JUSTIN SMITH Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, University of Portsmouth, UK ANDREW SPICER Reader in Cultural History, School of Art, Media and Design, University of the West of England, UK INGRID STIGSDOTTER Film Studies PhD candidate, University of Southampton, UK MELVYN STOKES Senior Lecturer in History, University College London, UK SARAH STREET Professor of Screen Studies, University of Bristol, UK RICHARD TAYLOR Research Professor in Politics, University of Wales, Swansea, UK

Inhalt
Notes on Contributors INTRODUCTION: The New Film History; J.Chapman, M.Glancy & S.Harper PART 1: HISTORY Gone With the Wind (1939) and the Lost Cause: A Critical View; M.Stokes History and Representation: The Case of 1970s British Cinema; S.Harper Gallipoli (1981): 'A Poignant Search For National Identity'; M.Connelly 'This Ship is England': History, Politics and National Identity in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003); J.Chapman PART 2: AUTHORSHIP Art In Context: British Film Design of the 1940s; L.Ede The Author as Author: Restoring the Screenwriter to British Film History; A.Spicer When 'Hanoi Jane' Conquered Hollywood: Jane Fonda's Films and Activism, 1977-81; P.Krämer PART 3: GENRE The Politics of the Swashbuckler; J.Richards The Stalinist Musical; R.Taylor Now Voyager (1942): Melodrama Then and Now; M.Shingler From Gangster to Gangsta: The Hood Film's Criminal Allegiance with Hollywood; J.Munby PART 4: RECEPTION Blackmail (1929): Hitchcock and Film Nationalism; M.Glancy British Cinema, American Reception: Black Narcissus (1947) and the Legion of Decency; S.Street Studying Cross-Cultural Marketing and Reception: Ingmar Bergman's Persona (1966); I.Stigsdotter & T.Bergfelder The Wicker Man (1973) Email Digest: A Case Study in Web Ethnography; J.Smith Index