Richard Abel is Robert Altman Collegiate Professor of Film Studies in the Department of Screen Arts & Cultures at the University of Michigan. His essays have appeared in dozens of journals and collections; along with several of those essays, four of his books have won national or international awards.
For the purposes of this work, "early" cinema is defined as the period from the mid-1890s to the 1910s, although some entries cover earlier and later years. The scope is international, with some attention being paid-however briefly-to the development of cinema throughout the world, including the African colonies of the great powers. Editor Abel (film studies, Univ. of Michigan) presents nearly 1000 alphabetically arranged entries written by experts from the United States and Europe; a useful thematic index draws similar topics and concepts together, among them "Cultural Contexts" (e.g., advertising, modes of reception, world's fairs), audiences/spectatorship, "Social Contexts" (e.g., imperialism, race), technology, developments in film style, and the topic with the largest number of entries, key figures of the various national cinemas (e.g., Sarah Bernhardt). It is the latter category that may be the most problematic. While there is admirable breadth (numerous people who are all but forgotten today), most of the entries are so short as to be mentions, and some significant figures are omitted altogether. Bottom Line Like many ambitious works, this one perhaps tries to cover too much. Numerous topics, e.g., moving picture fiction and World War I, are material for entire books. Given these caveats, however, Abel and his large team have produced a considerable and distinctive contribution to an often little-known period of film history. Recommended for larger cinema collections.-Roy Liebman, formerly with California State Univ., Los Angeles Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
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