Film Viewer's Guide

by David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson

Packaged free with each copy of Film Art , this new guide by David Bordwell explains how to analyze and write about films.

Genres: Film

33 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 2000

About the author

David Bordwell, Jacques Ledoux Professor at the University of Wisconsin, is arguably the most influential scholar of film in the United States. The author, with his wife Kristin Thompson, of the standard textbook Film Art and a series of influential studies of directors (Eisenstein, Ozu, Dreyer) as well as periods and styles (Hong Kong cinema, Classical Hollywood cinema, among others), he has also trained a generation of professors of cinema studies, extending his influence throughout the world. His books have been translated into fifteen languages.

Reviews

[Clorisu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Takeaway points:
1. "Whether you’re watching a film for diversion or for deeper
understanding, as part of an evening’s entertainment or as a class
assignment, you’ll appreciate the film most fully if you have an overall
sense of how it’s put together. This means developing the habit of thinking
of any part, no matter how small, in relation to the rest of the film."
2. "Some people are naturally endowed with an ability to recall lines of dialogue,
but anyone can increase what she or he retains from experiencing a
movie. You can decide to notice certain aspects of film technique."
3. "Some people say that watching for technique distracts them from the
story, and it is true that many movies try not to call attention to their
style. But you can learn to watch for both technique and story. It’s
multitasking, like driving a car while carrying on a conversation. It just takes practice."
4. "The best reviews aren’t simply thumbs-up-thumbs-down opinions. Most good films aren’t perfect, and many weak films have some good points. The sensitive critic tries to take both pluses and minuses into account."
5. "Moreover, most critics recognize that not all readers have the same
tastes. So the review might offer something like this: “If
you like shameless wallowing in old-fashioned rich-girl-poor-boy
romance, you’ll love Titanic. For me, a little schmaltz goes a long way.”"
6. "Reviewers are also expected to mention striking aspects of the film:
impressive sets or costumes, notable visual qualities such as color design
or editing or music, and, above all, acting."
7. "Reviewers also compare the film at hand with other films that belong to
the same genre, which are made by the same filmmaker, or which raise
similar thematic issues. This convention demands that the critic be
familiar with a wide range of films and some film history."

[Kasper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very handy.

[Daniel Crouch · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is fairly elementary but undoubtedly handy. The analysis of The King of Comedy is also very interesting.