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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
This is an interesting and thorough book that tells the story of narrative film just as the title suggests. I actually had a course with the author and he was great! I actually think there's a new version of the book coming out soon.
Essentially, this history is just one big list of lists. Through the years, its biggest point of controversy has centered on who and what was left out. Written in 1981, the book is not only dated in terms of time but also in the fact that it has been replaced by online lists and filmographies. What interpretive history there is that goes into the book is minimal and not worth bothering with. Through the decades there have been so many of these general histories, including those by Giannetti, Bordwell and Thompson, and Sobchack. Probably the best of the bunch is Richard Maltby's Hollywood Cinema--there is some genuine thought and theoretical insight within it. Cook's book is the biggest, but it is far from the best.
informative
slow-paced
A great resource, knocked down only by its huge omission of animation (though the author does state the form deserves a stand-alone history).
Pretty dry but since it's a textbook that's not much of a surprise. Cook really enjoys DW Griffith though. Lots of information that really highlights where today's film has come from