100 Ideas That Changed Film
David Parkinson
Laurence King
The history of film is broad, diverse and complicated, so any text that manages to distil 120 years of the moving image into a concise and stimulating read deserves celebrating.
David Parkinson has managed to chronicle the most influential ideas that have shaped film since its inception, covering topics ranging from 鈥淢agic Lanterns鈥 and 鈥淭rick Films鈥 to 鈥淐ensorship鈥 and 鈥淔eminist Film Theory鈥 in a way that makes you want to return to a time before Orange Wednesdays and the all-consuming film franchise. It asks instead: What would it have been like to attend The Lumi猫re Brothers鈥 10-film presentation at the Grand Caf茅, Paris in December 1895?
Looking ahead, Parkinson considers the possibility that cinema as a communal pastime may come to an end in the near future. Given the richness of the movements in this book, and the open-ended nature of the discussion, one would hope that film in its various forms will continue to inspire and challenge audiences long after they return this book to the shelf.
Bethany Rex