Film Theory: An Introduction

by Robert Stam

This book is a lively and provoking introduction to film theory. It is suitable for students from any discipline but is particularly aimed at students studying film and literature as it examines issues common to both subjects such as realism, illusionism, narration, point of view, style, semiotics, psychoanalysis and multiculturalism. It also includes coverage of theorists common to both, Barthes, Lacan and Bakhtin among others. Robert Stam, renowned for his clarity of writing, will also include studies of cinema specialists providing readers with a depth of reference not generally available outside the field of film studies itself. Other material covered includes film adaptations of works of literature and analogies between literary and film criticism.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, School, Media Tie In, Architecture, Art, College

396 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Fateme Beygi · Rating 3 out of 5]

این کار و ترجمه اش به شدت برای من غیر قابل هضم بود. این که ذهن من اطلاعات طبقه بندی شده رو دوست داره به کنار اما واقعا این که هرکدوم از مقاله ها توسط یه فرد ترجمه شده بود کمی اذیت می کرد به خصوص اون ترجمه ای که سعی کرده بود واژه سازی بکنه و من درک نمی کردم چرا وقتی یه واژه معادلش ساخته شده و متداوله باید از نو واژه ی دیگه ای براش ساخت این کمی آزار دهنده است وقتی الزام داره که اون معادل فارسی کاملا غلط باشه.

مطالب کتاب هم چون موضوع درش اولویت داره اطلاعات مختلف رو از جغرافیا و تاریخ های متفاوتی زیر یک بث جای می ده که این باعث آشفتگی می شه(البته اگه قبلش تئوری های اساسی فیلم رو خونده باشین اوضاع کمی بهتره) و در کل خوندنش برای من تا یه میزانی سخت بود و باید سعی می کردم مطالب رو طبقه بندی کنم.

[Aslı Can]

Çok geniş kapsamlı, dönemin felsefi ve politik eğilimleri ile sinema arasındaki bağlara ağırlık veren bir yerden ele alıyor. Aynı zamanda felsefe tarihi okumuş oluyorsunuz yani. Bence gayet faydalı ve zevkli.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

At times Stam's summaries of other people's critical stances and theories was helpful (especially when so often you have to read confusing translations of the originals) but usually I would have preferred just an anthology of theory and the original articles rather than Stam's interpretations and opinions.

[Bob Gray · Rating 1 out of 5]

Robert Stam escribió este ensayo de forma tan críptica por dos razones: porque en su infancia y juventud no tuvo amig@s, y porque ahora tampoco tiene. El dato: se cita muchas veces a sí mismo en tercera persona.

[lulo · Rating 2 out of 5]

creo que leí lo suficiente como para sobrevivir hasta mi graduación

[Hrafnkell Úlfur · Rating 1 out of 5]

Í engri bók sem að inniheldur orðið INTRODUCTION í titlinum á að vera hægt að finna eitthvað líkt þessu:

""Chronophotographe" stresses the writing of time (and light) and thus anticipates Deleuze's (Bergsonian) emphasis on the "time image," while "Kinetoscophe," again anticipating Deleuze, stresses the visual observation of movement."

Því þó að þetta sé ágætlega auðskyljanlegt að þá er þetta einn af helstu vöndum bókarinnar, og á þetta sér stað á nánast hverri einustu blaðsíðu. Stam finnur fyrir þvílíkri þörf til þess að flexa sífellt í átt að lesandanum um hvað hann veit mikið um heimspeki. En það leiðir einungis til þess að textinn verður bara leiðinlegur.

[Michel Gutwilen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talvez o livro mais essencial no meu estudo teórico de cinema até aqui. Não só pelo escopo geral, uma preocupação de Stam com o terceiro mundo, mas realmente completo e conciso em resumir tudo dos grandes pensadores da teoria cinematográfica até o momento. Um erro no entanto que não deve ser cometido nem por mim e por ninguém é parar nele. Trata-se de um livro introdutório. Não saia falando de estruturalismo na internet se você só leu o capítulo dele aqui no livro. Pesquise agora os livros e autores que Stam cita. Para mim, o grande diferencial do livro é que a cada capítulo e teoria, o Stam primeiro apresenta sua principal ideia, faz você achar ela brilhante, para logo em seguida mostrar as críticas a ela, fazer você pensar que as críticas tem razão, e aí ao fim ele também se posiciona sobre o assunto. Ou seja, tudo é exposto de modo muito honesto e imparcial (quase sempre, acho ele severo nas críticas ao autorismo) para você tirar suas próprias conclusões.

[Kati Vuks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sissejuhatus juba rohkem kui sajandivanuse filmiteooria ajalukku ei saa ilmselgelt üks lihtne lugemine olla. Stam on suutnud aga päris hästi luua loogika ja struktuuri autorite ja igasuguste -ismide virvarris, tuues asjakohaseid filminäiteid ja lektüürisoovitusi sügavamks süvenemiseks. Kui pärast “Filmiteooria” lugemist veel muidugi jaksu jätkub. Kohati ajab juhtme kokku, kohati leidub äratundmist. Kui enda filmiteoreetiline pagas veel hõre on, siis vōib tekst vahel täitsa tuumafüüsikaks muutuda, aga kel huvi, sel vastupidavust. See ongi just sedasorti teos, mida esimese lugemisega kōige paremini ei hoomagi, aga tasub uuesti kätte vōtta ja peatüki kaupa lahti harutada. 3.5/5

[Stuart Iversen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having never read much film theory I was looking for a broad introduction and that's exactly what this was. It is rooted (by its own admission) in the west and isn't always the snappiest read, but it gave me what I was looking for.

[Carles Granell · Rating 5 out of 5]

aquí empecé a saber de qué estaba hablando/de qué me estaban hablando exactamente cuando hablaba/ me hablaban de cine: estructuralismo y semiótica, postestructuralismo y estudios culturales, cognitivismo, teoría de la recepción, ... una joyita para empezar a conceptualizar, estoy muy agradecido

[Alireza Lotfi · Rating 3 out of 5]

میتونه نقطه‌ی ورود به هر بحث نظری سینما باشه، بیشتر یکجور لیست فشرده‌ست از آدم‌ها و کتاب‌های هر بحث. چیز زیادی اما از توضیحات خود کتاب تو ذهن نمیمونه.

[Ketab Dozd · Rating 3 out of 5]

ترجمه‌ش خیلی خوب نبود ولی قابل تحمل بود.

[Atilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bir başlangıç kitabı için çok şey bilmenizi varsayıyor.

[Tanner Pratt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boooo

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the campus library because I've recently become quite interested in silent cinema and this book has several brief sections on it, including a quick summary of the theories of folks like Jean Epstein and Sergei Eisenstein. I thought these sections were decent if somewhat sketchy, personally I would have liked to see more focus here but I guess brevity was necessary in order for Stam to cover an entire century of theory.

The other thing I found appealing about this book was the inclusion of some of the theories of Mikhail Bakhtin, my favorite literary critic. The discussion of Bakhtin was somewhat unfocused, however, and I was never sure exactly how his ideas were being applied. Still, Bakhtin is perhaps the most quoted theorist here so Stam inevitably managed to include some sections on him that I found satisfying.

Anyway, I found myself skimming over the post-silent sections of the book and only reading long passages when Stam hit on an area that I was particularly interested in. This seemed to happen less frequently as time went on, which I think is probably more due to my lack of interest in certain theories (I have little use for Structuralism or its related theories in literature or film, for instance) than any problems inherent in Stam's work.

Overall, this offers a decent introduction to a diverse field. This could surely help someone ease into a less general work on film theory, depending on the interests of the individual. Unlike some other reviewers, I was glad that Stam offered summaries of the work of many theorists rather than extensive excerpts from a few in this introduction.

[Unathi Ngada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book!

[Adam Shawcross · Rating 3 out of 5]

3

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good summary of several film theories over history. A good start!