The Great Art Of Light And Shadow: Archaeology of the Cinema

by Laurent Mannoni, Richard Crangle (Translator)

Widely regarded by historians of the early moving picture as the best work yet published on pre-cinema, The Great Art of Light and Archaeology of the Cinema throws light on a fascinating range of optical media from the twelfth century to the turn of the twentieth. First published in French in 1994 and now translated into English, Laurent Mannoni's account projects a broad picture of the subject area now known as 'pre-cinema'.

 

Starting from the earliest uses of the camera obscura in astronomy and entertainment, Mannoni discusses, among many other devices, the invention and early years of the magic lantern in the seventeenth century, the peepshows and perspective views of the eighteenth century, and the many weird and wonderful nineteenth-century attempts to recreate visions of real life in different ways and forms. This fully-illustrated and accessible account of a strange mixture of science, magic, art and deception introduces to an English-speaking readership many aspects of pre-cinema history from other European countries.

Genres: Media Tie In, History

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Henrique Quadros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laurent Mannoni atravessa a história moderna para buscar as origens mais distantes do que hoje conhecemos como o espetáculo cinematográfico. Em uma pesquisa que começa no século XVI e termina no suposto nascimento do Cinema em 1896 (quando os cinematógrafos dos irmãos Lumiére são produzidos em massa), o autor reúne fontes históricas de todos os tipos, como cartas, patentes, cartazes, biografias, autobiografias, anúncios, até referências em peças teatrais e livros de ficção. O resultado é uma narrativa tão completa e envolvente que realmente te faz se imaginar assistindo um seriado de televisão ou um desses filmes hyperlink cheios de personagens e tramas.

Recomendo demais, é uma leitura essencial para quem quer entender a origem do cinema, eu diria.

[Alison McMahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book before, but it is a gift that keeps on giving, so in the last few months I've read most of it again. This is one of the best books out there for modern readers to understand how people living in the pre-cinematic era related to the world around them.