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New Perspectives on Early Cinema History

Concepts, Approaches, Audiences

Daniel Biltereyst editor Mario Slugan editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Published:30th Jun '22

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New Perspectives on Early Cinema History cover

Provides a theoretical reconceptualization of the paradigms of early cinema, highlighting the latest methods in studying the period.

In this book, editors Mario Slugan and Daniël Biltereyst present a theoretical reconceptualization of early cinema. To do so, they highlight the latest methods and tools for analysis, and cast new light on the experience of early cinema through the application of these concepts and methods. The international host of contributors evaluate examples of early cinema across the globe, including The May Irwin Kiss (1896), Un homme de têtes (1900), The Terrible Turkish Executioner (1904) and Tom Tom the Piper’s Son (1905). In doing so, they address the periodization of the era, emphasizing the recent boon in the availability of primary materials, the rise of digital technologies, the developments in new cinema history, and the persistence of some conceptualizations as key incentives for rethinking early cinema in theoretical and methodological terms. They go on to highlight cutting-edge approaches to the study of early cinema, including the use of the Mediathread Platform, the formation of new datasets with the help of digital technologies, and exploring the early era in non-western cultures. Finally, the contributors revisit early cinema audiences and exhibition contexts by investigating some of the earliest screenings in Denmark and the US, exploring the details of black cinema going in Harlem, and examining exhibition practices in Germany.

[New Perspectives] questions the established notions of early cinema and points to new frontiers, but it is not an attempt to sever ties with the achievements of preceding research. However, it does not hesitate to challenge the common parlance of early film history ... Although it covers highly theoretical issues and successfully meets the challenges of history and historiography, New Perspectives on Early Cinema History is very accessible not only for scholars and students of film, but also for laypersons with an interest in film and history. * Nineteenth Century Theater and Film *
This outstanding collection, expertly curated by the editors, interrogates the current state of early cinema study by re-examining how we have come to understand this complex phenomenon and suggesting what more there is to learn. Adopting distinct approaches, uncovering novel sources, and providing exciting scholarly discoveries, New Perspectives on Early Cinema History more than fulfills the promise of its title. -- Charlie Keil, University of Toronto, Canada
Fifty years ago, studying the first decades of film claimed a special place in the wider history of cinema. Since then, it has become one of the liveliest and most productive areas for theorising not only old but increasingly also new media, as this welcome collection of new studies demonstrates. -- Ian Christie, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK

  • Runner-up for BAFTSS (British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies) Award for Best Edited Collection 2023 (UK)

ISBN: 9781350181977

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

304 pages