Thinking About Movies: Watching, Questioning, Enjoying - Softcover

"Lehman and Luhr deftly balance two tasks: to introduce the multiplicity of approaches to film study and to provide close readings that show how various theories can illuminate specific films. The basic discourses about cinema are introduced in a format and language that is neither condescending nor oversimplified. The authors respect film's unique language but also suggest the broader cultural and social issues that are raised by the medium. Thinking About Movies can be recommended not only for the classroom but for autodidacts who want one readable introduction to the field." Elisabeth Weis, Brooklyn College and The Graduate Center, CUNY "This inspiring book lets students apprehend the films of the past by revealing the core of contemporary films in their lives. Thinking about Movies engages new students and knowledgeable aficionados in a dialogue about the aesthetic and social facets of the cinema that affect all of our thoughts and experiences." Don Staples, University of North Texas

Thinking About Movies, 2nd edition is a comprehensive guide for students and movie lovers who want to learn how to watch movies critically and analytically. Intended for the beginner, the text offers the critical building blocks required to understand film as an important narrative and cultural form. Guiding readers through basic film concepts - narrative structure, authorship, genre, actors, and stars - as well as more complex analyses of race, class, gender, film theory, audience, and reception, Thinking About Movies offers an intelligent and lively introduction to the ways in which movies are constructed, achieve their effect, and convey their powerful messages. This second edition has been fully revised and updated to cover new developments in filmmaking and recent movie releases. Including extensive illustrations and discussions of a diverse selection of important films, from Citizen Kane to The Sixth Sense, this is the ideal textbook to get students thinking about this important cultural medium. Thinking About Movies, 2nd edition is accompanied by a website at http: //www .blackwellpublishing.com/lehman featuring resources for both academics and students.