Becoming Film Literate

The Art and Craft of Motion Pictures

Vincent LoBrutto

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2005
• Print ISBN:
  9780275981440
• eBook ISBN:
  9780313088681
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Film & Video

Though movies have remained our foremost cultural pastime for over 100 years, many of us still know very little about the tools used to create them. In this groundbreaking new book, Vincent LoBrutto provides an enjoyable and accessible education in the art of cinema: using 50 landmark films spanning the history of the medium, LoBrutto illustrates such important concepts as editing, production design, cinematography, sound, screen acting, narrative structure, and various genres, nationalities, and film eras. Each concept is illustrated by the selection of a film that epitomizes its use, so that readers will learn about film authorship in Citizen Kane, multiplot narrative in Nashville, widescreen filmmaking in Rebel without a Cause, and screen violence in The Wild Bunch. Explaining the various tricks of the moviemaking trade, Becoming Film Literate offers a crash course in cinema, one designed to give even the novice reader a solid introduction to this complex and multifaceted medium.

Though movies have remained our foremost cultural pastime for over 100 years, many of us still know very little about the tools used to create them. In this groundbreaking new book, Vincent LoBrutto provides an enjoyable and accessible education in the art of cinema: using 50 landmark films spanning the history of the medium, LoBrutto illustrates such important concepts as editing, production design, cinematography, sound, screen acting, narrative structure, and various genres, nationalities, and film eras. Each concept is illustrated by the selection of a film that epitomizes its use, so that readers will learn about film authorship in Citizen Kane, multiplot narrative in Nashville, widescreen filmmaking in Rebel without a Cause, and screen violence in The Wild Bunch.

Providing a unique opportunity to become acquainted with important movies and the elements of their greatness, Becoming Film Literate offers a crash course in cinema, one designed to give even the novice reader a solid introduction to this complex and multifaceted medium.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. Nonlinear Storytelling: Amores Perros
• 2. Transformation of the American Comedy: Annie Hall
• 3. Tableau Narrative Structure and Sound Design: Apocalypse Now
• 4. The Body as Cinematic Landscape: L'Avventura
• 5. Editing—Russian Montage: The Battleship Potemkin
• 6. Italian Neorealism: The Bicycle Thief
• 7. Production Design: Blade Runner
• 8. Dream State: Blue Velvet
• 9. The Period Film as Mirror for the Present: Bonnie and Clyde
• 10. Expressionism in Cinema: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
• 11. Classical Hollywood Film Style: Casablanca
• 12. Surrealism in Cinema: Un Chien Andalou
• 13. The Authorial Voice: Citizen Kane
• 14. Shot Structure: The Crowd
• 15. Thematic Unity: The Decalogue
• 16. Mythopoetic Film: Dog Star Man
• 17. Political Objectives through Cinematic Storytelling: Do the Right Thing
• 18. Film Noir: Double Indemnity
• 19. The Personal Film: 8½
• 20. Animation and Music: Fantasia
• 21. An American Musical: 42nd Street
• 22. New York Filmmaking: The French Connection
• 23. Period Comedy: The General
• 24. Parallel Storytelling: Intolerance
• 25. French New Wave: Jules and Jim
• 26. The Epic: Lawrence of Arabia
• 27. The Political Thriller: The Manchurian Candidate
• 28. Self-Referential Cinema: Man with a Movie Camera
• 29. Architecture in Production Design: Metropolis
• 30. Roots of Documentary Film: Nanook of the North
• 31. Multiplot, Multicharacter Narrative: Nashville
• 32. Method Acting: On the Waterfront
• 33. The Close-Up: The Passion of Joan of Arc
• 34. Dark Side of American Cinema: Psycho
• 35. Subtext in Personal Expression: Raging Bull
• 36. Multiple Point-of-View Narrative: Rashomon
• 37. Widescreen Filmmaking: Rebel Without a Cause
• 38. Camera Movement as Metaphor: La Ronde
• 39. Mise-en-Scène: Rules of the Game
• 40. Direct Cinema: Salesman
• 41. The Freudian Western: The Searchers
• 42. Defining Theme, Metaphor, and Character through Color, Texture, and Environmental Design: Se7en
• 43. Symbolism in the Cinema: The Seventh Seal
• 44. Art of the B Movie: Shock Corridor
• 45. Digital Filmmaking: Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones
• 46. Birth of a Nonfiction Film Style: The Thin Blue Line
• 47. Experimental Narrative: 2001: A Space Odyssey
• 48. The Essay Film: Weekend
• 49. Screen Violence as Metaphor: The Wild Bunch
• 50. Independent Filmmaking: A Woman Under the Influence
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Index