Film a Critical Introduction. Maria Pramaggiore, Tom Wallis

by Maria Pramaggiore

Updated and expanded for a new edition, this is the perfect starter text for students of film studies. It illustrates basic film concepts in context and in depth and addresses techniques and terminology used in film production and criticism, emphasising thinking and writing critically and effectively.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Reference, Textbooks, School, Collections, Media Tie In

480 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2005

Reviews

[Stetson]

This was my primary textbook for a college course in film history and criticism. I took the course to meet a general education requirement, but it was a useful accompaniment to my English literature coursework, especially given the type of commentary that dominated in the 2010s. It also gave me time to watch some films that I would almost certainly never watch (e.g. silent film, French New Wave, etc).

The text was fine, but is quite basic. It is targeted to more middlebrow film watchers, which is evident given that Avatar makes part of the cover.

[Jordan]

It was a textbook for an Intro to Film class I took, I just never sold it because it was so great. Back then I would have given it 5 stars, but that was 2008 or 2009. The only reason that's a minor problem is that it uses a lot of very very recent movies to illustrate some of its points (all are great examples, however). But still, it covers the history of film, the process, mise en scene, etc., etc. It's in the title, "A Critical Introduction." It covers everything you need to know, and some of the subjects more deeply than you would imagine for an introductory book. I was already very very interested in film, but this book only furthered my love, as I was naive to many things explored in this book.

[Ishan]

A fantastic introduction to film studies that has already changed the way I watch, think and write about the media I consume. While I want more detail, the book was not designed for in-depth discussion but rather a survey of theoretical, historical and aesthetic components of film. And it succeeds at that wonderfully - there is a lot of detail here, but it never gets too concerned with any one element of the discussion. Highly recommended. I will be returning to this book for information in the future, I have no doubt.

[Steven Voorhees]

I'll always refer to this fascinating, lengthy introduction to film. I read the first part. It inspired me to finally read DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS and see its 1995 film adaptation. Pramaggiore's tome appears to be a good textbook and go-to manual that discusses the many aspects -- and intricacies -- of cinema.

[joe]

A great, comprehensive introduction to film. This book emphasizes writing about film, too, so if that's something you're interested in, I definitely recommend it. The main reason I'm not giving it five stars is because the edition I read was released in the mid-2000s, so some of the information is outdated. If you can find a newer copy, it will probably be even better than the one I found.

[Jacob Anderson]

A solid foundation, hitting a nice depth-breadth balance.

[tessa]

Packed full of information and has a lot of good examples. This is a great book to learn from if you are interested in film.

[Alterego]

A basic introduction to film analysis. Simple yet explanatory with pictures & summaries from related films.

[Nik M]

My college awakening to the wider world of cinema and film

[Regan]

I chose this text for my upcoming spring film class sight unseen: I was under a time constraint to choose a text for a class chosen a bit later than I would have preferred, all of which happened during a time-crunch part of my semester. Not my favorite way to choose a text but, if I'm honest, it worked out quite well.

I read a history of film book first, just to orient myself, which reminded me why I'm SUPER glad I'm not teaching the History of Film. This text is actually highly appealing, easy (and engaging) to read, and it asks really excellent questions that I hope will help my class in discussion sparking and writing.

The only down side I found was in the "sample writings" choices not because they are bad but because they often write about films I would otherwise I have chosen to show. I feel like, at least at my school, it's far too tempting for my students to just transcribe some or all of the proffered essay over doing their own analysis so I'm opting to just skip those films. Alas. Even so, offering sample writings is also a major benefit for students like mine who often haven't interacted with good examples of college-level writing.

Overall I'm thrilled with the book, I enjoyed reading it, and I'm looking forward to using it this coming semester.

[Kevin]

I used this textbook for an intro to film course and will be using it again in writing about film next semester. Professor Wallis is great, and this is a great resource for studying film terminology as well as developing one's analytical skills.

[Scott]

This book was a nice overall look at critical film analysis. It's a low level book for a layman. If someone had interest in becoming a film critic, this would be a good place to start and get more information about specific areas from here.

[Gary Fisher]

Reading this text for my Film Theory at Temple. Very nice treatment of film in detail.
This text book is thorough and fun to read. Combined with my class at Temple, I've learned how to "read" a film. It involves a total change in consumer roles: from passive consumer to active analyst.

[Allison]

A lot of waisted paper in this book, it does not teach you anything like it is meant to. There is a lot of words but it doesnt say anything.

[Henry]

Very easy to understand and very enlightening.

[Mills College Library]

791.43 P8989 2006

[Lena Nechet]

Informative, well written.

[Mitch Krieger]

finally read one of my college textbooks (10 years later)

[Jane Francis]

Read about 3/4 of the book.