Short History of the Movies, A

by Gerald Mast, Bruce F. Kawin

The eleventh edition of A Short History of the Movies continues its long-standing tradition of scrupulously accurate details, up-to-date information, and jargon-free writing style that has made it the most widely adopted film history textbook. This edition offers students a panoramic overview of the worldwide development of film. From the early experiments with motion photography, through the American studio years of the 1930’s and 1940’s, from Neorealism and the New Wave, up to the present age of digital cinema, A Short History of Film provides a comprehensive presentation of the history of cinema. This eleventh edition has been revised and updated to include current scholarship, recent industry developments, and new films and filmmakers.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, History, Media Tie In, Textbooks, Reference, School

800 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Professor of English and Humanities at the University of Chicago

Reviews

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the best textbooks I've read. The fascinating subject matter helps, of couse, but Mast and Kawin offer a superb overview of the entire history of cinema, from its very beginnings to the present day. Aside from wishing that asian cinema were more thoroughly explored, I have no complaints. I recommend this book to any film enthusiasts; I'm not a film student myself, and I loved the read (it introduced me to a lot of great movies, too).

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best single-volume history of film I have ever come across. I re-read it regularly. The sections on the birth and early years of cinema are essential reading for any film buff, and the in-depth analyses of key films are full of original insights. I have the 4th Edition, published in 1986 and written by Gerald Mast. Later editions (the 11th came out in 2011) were authored by Bruce Kawin, after Mast died of AIDS in 1988, at age 48.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required reading for me in a film appreciation class at university, this is a nice benchmark for anyone interested in studying film.

[Hogfather]

History books can and should be easily readable. Unless it's dealing with a very particular subject in a very particular book written exclusively for experts, the people looking for these books are probably not very familiar with this subject and are trying to educate themselves on it. I tend to think that that's a very noble endeavor, and as a result, I look down upon poorly written history books as being more than failures of literature, but as being pathetic in a deeper way.

All of this is an overwrought way of saying that A Short History of the Movies is a dull and often difficult to read tome that does a rather poor job of introducing film students or the general public to film history. The first few chapters go extremely in-depth into the technological history of film, which taught me a lot that I didn't know, but that level of detail is only repeated in the final two chapters about digital cinema; as a result, the book feels unbalanced, and much of its length felt to me like fluff. Partisan editorializing towards certain movies and the unexpectedly large number of factual inaccuracies didn't endear me to the book either.

I've read better general film history books and I will likely read more in the future. Until then, I can only warn you to avoid the reanimated corpse of Gerald Mast's book, saved from blissful obsolescence and kept in print by that pedagogical Doctor Frankenstein, Bruce F. Kawin.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chapters on film history and the technical advances that the medium has enjoyed over the last century were easily the most fascinating for me. It almost read like a narrative. However, a lot of these middle chapters end up being gauntlets of plot summaries, complete with SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS. So if you see a title on your watchlist mentioned, feel free to start liberally skimming. Overall, an excellent and invaluable text for film buffs.

[B.J. Ellison · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very informative, if technically out of date, book from 2015. It is written in a dry, encyclopedia like format and it's a bit long-winded, but, if you can put up with that, it is an informative read.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to take a point off because 608 pages and not one mention of Charlotte Greenwood. Just doesn't seem right.

[Jim Manis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in 1981, and that edition is not listed in Goodreads' data base.

[RetroHound · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very opinionated, but good history of global film.

[river · Rating 4 out of 5]

don’t know if i’d consider this as part of my reading goal, but i read the entire thing for my film class. so, therefore, im documenting this accomplishment.

[Chris Cox, a librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georgia State University
THEATER 370

Phil always sat behind me in class. But that was fine with me, as he was one of those happy people who seemed to always be in a good mood. In fact, I don’t ever remember seeing him without a grin or offering up a cheerful hello. Phil was in row three, seat two. As the power of deduction might lead you, I sat in row two, seat two, so I was always in earshot of anything he had to say.

Phil: Hey, Chris did you see the movie The Night the Bridge Fell on TV last night?

Chris: (mystified). Are you kidding?. I watched the last episode of M*A*S*H. I assumed everyone else did too!

Phil: (laughing) M*A*S*H isn’t really my kind of humor, but I admit there probably weren’t too many of us out there that watched The Night the Bridge Fell.

Chris: Well did it?

Phil: Did it what?

Chris: The Bridge. Did it fall?

Phil: Oh, yeah. It fell all right. I wouldn’t think you could have a movie called The Night the Bridge Fell without the bridge actually falling!

Chris: If a bridge falls on network television and nobody watches does anyone hear it?

Phil: Uh, I’m not sure. I do know that it had that guy Desi Arnaz in it.

Chris: Junior or Senior?

Phil: Hmm. I guess I’m not really sure.

(Phil and Chris have a moment of uncomfortable silence.)

Phil: Anyway, we still got a lot to plow through in this book. I mean why do we have to go through all this on Czech and Swedish movies?

Chris: Well, the Swedish section would include Ingmar Bergman, one of the great filmmakers of all time and the Czechs apparently made a lot of important films in the 60’s, though I confess I haven’t seen any yet. But let us not complain, my friend. You can’t beat watching movies and getting credit for it.

Phil: I’ve liked some of them. Like that John Wayne movie.

Chris: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon? Oh, did you know John Wayne played a Roman soldier at Christ’s crucifixion in The Greatest Story Ever Told?

Phil: That’s not right.

Chris: No really, he did.

Phil: I know and I’m saying that’s not right.

(Chris and Phil laugh)

Phil: I wasn’t too sure about that French film we saw.

Chris: Oh, Rules of the Game. That’s one that might be better placed under the ‘may improve with additional viewings’ column.

Phil: Maybe. By the way, you think the bookstore will take our textbook back after this class is over?

Chris: This course is offered every year; you might be able to get a couple of bucks for it. Still think I’m going to hold onto my copy. I might want to refer to it from time to time. You never know when I might want to see a movie from the Czech renaissance. In fact, I wrote down a few notes on that subject for the test.

Phil: And you’re going to share it with me I take it.

Chris: Of course. Listen to this. (clears throat)
A Short History of Movies by Gerald Mast. Third Edition. 1981. Page 355.

Jifi Menzel’s Closely Watched Trains.
“Despite It’s Wartime Setting, the film seems to be a sex comedy, concentrating on the sexual inadequacies, failures and fears of the inexperienced boy, who is a clumsy apprentice at love as well as at work…but beneath the sexual comedy are darker elements…the ultimate seriousness is the film’s climax…we realize in this strange variation on the familiar Buildungsroman…the result of the boy’s ultimate and final coitus is the mammoth orgasm of the exploding train…the long comic apprenticeship produces a period of maturity that is strikingly and tragically brief.” I like it.

(Phil politely pretends to be interested and nods his head in agreement)

Chris: (Noticing that Phil’s interest isn’t genuine) But I guess after The Night the Bridge Fell everything must be anti-climactic.

(Phil laughs, flashing that trademark smile of his one last time.)
_____________________________________________

Twenty-five years later:

. I still have my copy of A Short History of the Movies, Third Edition and still refer to it on occasion, though many of the pages are falling out.

· Sadly, author Gerald Mast died of AIDS in 1988 at the age of 48. Many subsequent editions of A Short History of the Movies have been published without him.

· Through repeated viewings, Rules of the Game has indeed become one of my favorite films.

· I never saw Phil after the class ended. But I wish him well, I’m guessing he’s still a happy guy.

· I finally watched Closely Watched Trains!

· But as of this date, I still haven’t seen The Night the Bridge Fell.

[Michael Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good place to start for anyone interested in film history.

[Kylos · Rating 4 out of 5]

you'll feel full for sure if you finish this meal.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

So informative. Read it for a class and learned a lot!

[Yvette Bustamante · Rating 4 out of 5]

dense with info on u.s and foreign film history. though the book can read a bit dry at times it has taught me most of what i know about the great and the good films out there :)

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive and understandable. I still find myself referring to this book often.

[Derek Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting trivia plus some more erudite analytical stuff.

[Ke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many History books, the authors may have emphasized some events/films more than others. But, overall, they were quite concise.

[Nick Livanos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my only book on cinema history, so I like it.

[Darrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is okay. The author has really done his homework. The reader is directed to many interesting points.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short history of the movies by Gerald Mast (1986)