Fully updated and expanded throughout, this second edition of Film
Theory: The Basics provides an accessible introduction to the key
theorists, concepts, and debates that have shaped the study of moving
images.
The book examines film theory from its emergence in the early twentieth
century to its study in the present day, and explores why film has drawn
special attention as a medium, as a form of representation, and as a
focal point in the rise of modern visual culture. It also emphasizes how
film theory has developed as a historically contingent discourse, one
that has evolved and changed in conjunction with different social,
political, and intellectual factors. This second edition offers a
detailed account of new theoretical directions at the forefront of film
studies in the twenty-first century, and draws additional attention to
how theory engages with today's most pressing questions about digital
technologies, the environment, and racial justice.
Complete with questions for discussion and a glossary of both key terms
and key theorists, this book in an invaluable resource for those new to
film theory and for anyone else interested in the history and
significance of critical thinking in relation to the moving image.