The History of Cinema for Beginners

Writers & Readers Documentary Comic Book #75

by Jarek Kupść

Chronicles more than one hundred years of international film history, from the struggles of the early pioneers to the major players of today's blockbusters, exploring various film genres, the groundbreaking achievements of the medium, and the key figures. Original. IP.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Comics

384 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1998

Reviews

[Roxana · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book does cover a wide array of films from all over the world, it does not go into depth into any of them. It's titled "The History of Cinema for Beginners" but the history is glossed over in favor of listing films with brief descriptions for each of them.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the way more film references/histories/primers should be. It takes the "for dummies" approach, but is not bland. Kupsc has that relentless kind of Eastern Euro worldly bemusement brand of humor that gives the text sparkle and personality. His stab at the world canon is admirable; he hits (most of) the highlights and trends and titles and adds some obscurities from the Third World and (showing a little home fries bias), Eastern Europe, that should probably be more widely discussed in the greater context of movie history. But it's hard to when so many such films are unobtainable. We have to take Kupsc's word for it. But it's his book, and he can promote whatever he wants. It's short and liberally and humorously illustrated. Fun for beginners and well-versed connoisseurs alike.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a resource it was terrific - especially regarding foreign films, the international aspect is very well covered - but otherwise it becomes a bit of a slog. There are so many films included that it's impossible to discuss specific films or filmmakers properly. As a result the whole exercise turns into a list, which isn't overly entertaining to read. That said, this book gave me a lot of titles to add to my 'Must See' list. Good for an overview, to spark other reads or viewings.

[Ilhom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Udat

[Utkarsh Mani Tripathi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not how you write a book for beginners. The craft lacks in its execution. A bungled up set of Wikipedia entries. Not worth it. A list of paraphernalia is all.

[Benjamin Britton · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Week after week, we return almost religiously to the dim auditorium of a movie theatre. We sit there in silence and awe, surrounded by strangers, as the little beam of flickering light lures us into a self-contained universe of dreams, passions, and fears-a place suspended disbelief and possibility without limits. Is watching shadows projected onto a movie screen comparable to Plato's cave allegory, where illusion substitutes for the real world? If so, perhaps even we, the speculators, are drawn to the celluloid illusion as a replacement for our unfulfilled expectations of life."

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amusing and puts forth the history of film in a simple, informative and suprsingly comprehensive manner. It has little cartoons throught-out with facts, dates, etc. When I read the book I made a list of all the films that I hadnt seen or never heard of that I wanted to see. I still have the list 8 years later, but sadly still havent seen most of the movies on it.

[Ventsislav Dyankov · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing guide through the history of Cinema, written with a quite enjoyable wit, by an author who definitely knows what he is dealing with.