Light and Shadows: A History of Motion Pictures

by Thomas W. Bohn

Light and Shadows presents a balanced overview of major historical movements in film from the artistic perspective of the movies to the technical, business, and social perspectives.

537 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Conrad Wesselhoeft · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the assigned text in a film course I took at Ohio State years ago. I've returned to it again and again--mostly because it's such a joy to read and wonderfully illustrated with historic photos. Just today I found this choice nugget from Sergei Eisenstein, the Russian director of such historical epics as "Battleship Potemkin" and "Alexander Nevsky": "The most important thing is to have the vision. The next is to grasp and hold it."

Written with grace, insight, and a deep appreciation for the roots and influence of motion pictures.

[Jill H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book at the library and it turned out to be a textbook. Now that's fine as some text books provide new information for the film buff; however, I believe this might have been targeted to Film 101 class. It provided very basic film history and I guess I was looking for something beyond that. It was well written but generally didn't hold my interest.

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I acquired this film history text (published 1975) well after I'd delved into David A. Cook's famous "A History of Narrative Film" and several others. But looking at it on its own, it's a solid treatment. A nice addition to my film reference library.