European Cinema: An Introduction

by Jill Forbes

This book is a highly original introduction to the study of European cinema. Following a wide-ranging first part which asks whether European cinema exists and, if so, what its aesthetic, political, and economic characteristics might be, the book offers a series of fascinating and informative case studies of films from the major European film-producing countries including Britain and Russia.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 6, 2001

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part II of this book contains 12 case studies; two films each from Russia, Great Britain, France, Italy and Spain. Each case study is approximately 10 pages long, include a black and white photography.

- Bronenosets Potemkin (The Battleship Potemkin) 1925 Eisenstein. Case study by Birgit Beumers
- The Lodger 1927 Hitchcock. Case study by Sarah Street
- La regle du jeu (The Rules of the Game) 1939 Renoir. Case study by Jill Forbes
- Ossessione 1943 Visconti Case study by Derek Duncan
- Viridiana 1961 Buñuel. Case study by Annella McDermott
- Alice in den Staedeten (Alice in the Cities) 1974 Wenders. Case study by Stuart Taberner
- Carman 1983 Saura. Case study by Annella McDermott
- Good Morning Babilonia 1987 Taviani bothers. Case study by Derek Duncan
- Des Verprechen (The Promise) 1984 von Trotta. Case study by Stuart Taberner
- Le Haine 1995 Kassovitz. Case study by Jill Forbes
- Trainspotting 1996 Boyle. Case study by Sarah Street
- Sibirskii tsiriul'nik (The Barber of Siberia) 1998 Mikhalkov. Case study by Birgit Beumers

Personally, I found all the case studies well written and insightful.

For me, Stuart Taberner's notes on 'The Promised' were particularly helpful, highlighting some cultural points that I would have missed as non-German.