Encyclopedia of Early Cinema / Edition 1

by Richard Abel

Overview

The Encyclopedia of Early Cinema, now in a new paperback edition, is a unique one-volume reference work which explores the first 25 years of cinema's development, from the early 1890s to the mid-1910s. These early years of the history of cinema have lately been the subject of resurgent interest and a growing body of scholarship, and have come to be recognized as an extraordinarily diverse period, when moving pictures were quite unlike the kind of cinema that later emerged as the dominant norm.

This encyclopedia covers all aspects of scholarship on early cinema, both traditional and revisionist. It contains articles on the technological and industrial developments, the techniques of film production, the actors and filmmakers of the time, and on the changing modes of representation and narration, as well as the social and cultural contexts within which early films circulated, including topics such as distribution, exhibition and audience. Beyond the USA and Europe, attention is also given to the wider international picture, including those regions in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South and Central America where filmmaking may have been relatively undeveloped but movie-going was significant.

More than 950 entries have been commissioned from internationally recognized specialists. Alphabetically organized, the entries range in length from short factual articles to full essays that offer clear and stimulating discussions of the key issues, people, practices, and phenomena of early cinema. A thematic list of entries is a useful guide through the book, and all entries contain detailed cross-references. The longer articles have considered suggestions for further reading, which are complemented by a general bibliography of specialized works on early cinema.

The Encyclopedia of Early Cinema is an invaluable and fascinating resource for students and researchers interested in the history of cinema.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415778565
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/14/2010
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	822
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.60(h) x 1.80(d)

About the Author

Richard Abel is Robert Altman Collegiate Professor of Film Studies in the Department of Screen Arts & Cultures at the University of Michigan. His essays have appeared in dozens of journals and collections; along with several of those essays, four of his books have won national or international awards.

Table of Contents

access; Acres, Birt; acting styles; actualités; Addams, Jane; advertising; advertising films; Africa, Belgian; Africa, French; Africa, German colonies; Agence cinématographique générale; Agence Générale Cinématographique (AGC); AGFA; Aiken, Harry; Aikens, Fred C.; airdomes; AKGT/PAGU; Alberini, Filoteo; Alpha Trading Company; Altenloh, Emilie; Alva Brothers; amateur films; Ambrosio, Arturo; American Biograph (France); American Film Co.; American Mutoscope and Biograph; Amet, Edward; amplifiers; amusement parks; Anderson, G. M.; Andréani, André; Andreyor, Yvette; Andriot, (Camille-) Josette; animal pictures; animation; Ankerstjerne, Johan; Anschütz, Ottomar; Aquila; archaeology of cinema/pre-cinema; Arche, Alto; archives; Argentina; Arguillière, Alexandre; Armat, Thomas; Arnaud, Etienne; Asia Film Co.; Atelier Apollo; Aubert, Etablissements L.; Aubert, Louis; audience: issues and debates; Aurora Cinema; Australasian Films; Australia; Austro-Hungarian Empire; authentication; autorenfilm; Baggott, King; Bakshy, Alexander; Balaban, Barney & A. J.; Balkans, the (including Greece); Balshoffer, Fred; Bamforth; Barcinógrafo; Barker Film; Barker Motion Photography; Barker, Will; Barnes, Justin D.; Baron, Auguste; Bartling, Georg; Bassermann, Albert; Bauer, Evgenii; Baumann, Charles; Becce, Giuseppe; Becerril, Guillermo; Bedding, Thomas; Belge Cinéma SA (Pathé); Belgium; Belot, Charles; Benoît-Lévy, Edmond; benshi; Bergqvist, John; Bernard, Ferdinand Bon; Bernhardt, Sarah; Berst, J. A.; Bertini, Francesca; Bhatvedekar, Harishchandra; Bianchi, Joseph T.; biblical films; Billboard; Binger, Maurits Herman; Biograph; Biorama; Bioscope (British trade journal); Bioscope Company of Canada; Bitzer, Billy; black cinema, USA; Blackton, J. Stuart; Blair Film Company (USA); Blom, August; Boggs, Francis; Bolivia; Bolten-Baeckers, Heinrich; Bonine, Robert; Bonnard, Mario; Borelli, Lyda; Bos, Annie; Bosetti, Romeo; Bosworth, Hobart; Bourbon, Ernest; Bouregois, Gérard; boxing films; Brazil; Breteaux; Brézillon, Léon; British & Colonial Kinematograph (B & C); British Gaumont; British Mutoscope and Biograph; British Pathe London; Broncho Film Co.; Brown, Theodore

Editorial Reviews

'This definitive new encyclopedia provides an essential reference tool...This work represents a long-awaited accumulation of knowledge on the international emergence of cinema. Highly recommended for all reference collections.' - Choice

'This encyclopedia will be a valuable resource in larger academic and public libraries and other institutions that are developing comprehensive collections related to film studies.' - Booklist,

'It's a great pleasure to report that such an Encyclopedia has now been published, and that the job has been uncommonly well done ... both for the newcomer and for the specialist, the Encyclopedia of Early Cinema is highly recommended ... this is a book that deserves a place on virtually any film enthusiast's bookshelf.' - Nineteenth Century Theatre & Film

'this is a unique reference that will be welcomed by serious students of film history'— Reference Reviews

'A unique reference that will be welcomed by serious students of film history. It is a fascinating story and this reference will help students and other interested readers explore its full scope.' - Against the Grain

'This definitive new encyclopedia provides an essential reference tool...This work represents a long-awaited accumulation of knowledge on the international emergence of cinema. Highly recommended for all reference collections.' - Choice

'It's a great pleasure to report that such an Encyclopedia has now been published, and that the job has been uncommonly well done ... both for the newcomer and for the specialist, the Encyclopedia of Early Cinema is highly recommended ... this is a book that deserves a place on virtually any film enthusiast's bookshelf.' - Nineteenth Century Theatre & Film

From the Publisher