A Short History of Film

Wheeler Winston Dixon and Gwendolyn Audrey Foster

Narrated by Walter Dixon

Available from Audible

Book published by Rutgers University Press

The history of international cinema is now available in a concise, conveniently sized, and affordable volume. Succinct yet comprehensive, A Short History of Film provides an accessible overview of the major movements, directors, studios, and genres from the 1880s to the present.

Beginning with precursors of what we call moving pictures, Wheeler Winston Dixon and Gwendolyn Audrey Foster lead a fast-paced tour through the invention of the kinetoscope, the introduction of sound and color between the two world wars, and ultimately the computer generated imagery of the present day. They detail significant periods in world cinema, including the early major industries in Europe, the dominance of the Hollywood studio system in the 1930s and 1940s, and the French New Wave of the 1960s. Special attention is also given to small independent efforts in developing nations and the corresponding more personal independent film movement that briefly flourished in the United States, the significant filmmakers of all nations, censorship and regulation and how they have affected production everywhere, and a wide range of studios and genres.

This is the best one-stop source for the history of world film available to students, teachers, and general audiences alike.

Wheeler Winston Dixon is the James Ryan Endowed Professor of Film Studies at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He is the author and editor of numerous books, including A Short History of Film, available as an audiobook from University Press Audiobooks.

Gwendolyn Audrey Foster is a professor in the department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She is the author of Class-Passing: Social Mobility in Film and Popular Culture and the co-editor (with Wheeler Winston Dixon) of Experimental Cinema: The Film Reader.

REVIEWS:

“This excellent introduction stands out in a crowded field with its lively, accessible writing, broad coverage, and particular focus on traditionally marginalized figures in film history...the most striking aspect of the book is the coverage of women, African Americans, and Third World filmmakers, which strongly complements its solid coverage of American and European film. Illustrations abound, and even the best-versed cineaste will find new films to track down after reading the breezy, enthusiastic analysis in this book. Highly recommended for all collections, this text would also make an excellent textbook for introductory film-studies courses.”

—Library Journal

“This is the film history book we've been waiting for. ”

—David Sterritt, Chairman, National Society of Film Critics