TENTH EDITION
AN INTRODUCTION
David BordweIl Kristin ThompsonUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
ConnectLeamSucceed
BRIEF CONTENTS
Preface xiv
PA RT 1 • Film Art and Filmmaking
1 Film as Art: Creativity, Technology, and Business 2
PA RT 2 • Film Form
2 The Significance of Film Form 50
3 Narrative Form 72
PART 3 • Film Style
4 The Shot: Mise-en-Scene 112
5 The Shot: Cinematography 160
6 The Relation of Shot to Shot: Editing 218
7 Sound in the Cinema 266
8 Summary: Style as a Formal System 308
PAR T 4 • Types of Films
9 Film Genres 328
10 Documentary, Experimental, and Animated Films 350
PAR T 5 • Critical Analysis of Films
11 Film Criticism: Sampie Analyses 402
Appendix: Writing a Critica,1 Analysis of a Film 450
PART 6 • Film History
12 Historical Changes in film Art: Conventions and Choices, Tradition and Trends 458
Glossary 500
Credits 506
Recommended DVO and Blu-Ray Supplements 506
Index 507
vi
Preface xiv
PA RT 1 • Film Art and Filmmaking
CONTENTS
Art VS. Entertainment? Art vs. Business? 3Creative Decisions in Filmmaking 4
V DECISIO S To See into the Night in Collateral 5
Mechanics of the Movies 9Illusion Machines 9
Making rilms with Photographie Film 9
Films as Digital Media /3
Making the Movie: Film Production /6Thc Scriptwriting and Funding Phase /7
Thc Preparation Phase /8
Thc Shooting Phase 20
Thc Assembly Phase 24
A CLOSER LOOK-Some Terms and Roles in Film Production 24
Artistic Implications of the Production Process 28
Modes of Production 29Largc-Scale Production 29Exploitation, Independent Production, and DIY 30
Small-Scale Production 3J
Artistic Implications of Different Modes of Production 32
Bringing the Fi Im to the Audience: Distribution and Exhibition 34Distribution: The Center of Power 34Exhibition: Theatrical and Nontheatrical 39
Ancillary Markets: Taking Movies beyond the Theater 4J
Artistic Implications of Distribution and Exhibition 43
SUMMARY 47
RECOMMENDED DVD AND BLU-RAY SUPPLEMENTS 47
CHAPTER 1and Business
Film as Art: Creativity, Technology,2
PART 2 • Film Form
CHAPTER 2 The Significance of Film Form 50
The Concept of Form in Film 5/Form as Pauem 5/
"Form" Ycrsus "Content" 52
Formal Expectations 54
Conventions anel Experience 56
Form and Feeling 56
Form ami Meaning 57
Evaluation: Good, Bad, or Indifferent? 60
viii CONTENTS
Principles of Film Form 62
Function 62
Similarity and Repetition 63
A CLOSER LOOK-Creative Decisions: Picking Out Patterns 64
Difference and Variation 66
Development 67
Unity and Disunity 69
SUMMARY 70
RECOMMENDED DVD AND BLU-RAY SUPPLEMENTS 71
Narrative Form 72CHAPTER 3
Principles of Narrative Form 72What ls Narrative? 73
Telling the Story 74
CREATIVE DECISIONS-How Would You Tell the Story? 74
Plot and Story 75
Cause and Effect 77
Time 79
A CLOSER LOOK-Playing Games with Story Time 82
Space 84
Openings, Closings, and Patterns of Development 85
Narration: The Flow of Story Information 87
Range of Story Information: Restricted or Unrestricted? 87
Depth of Story Information: Objective or Subjective? 90
The Narrator 93
A CLOSER LOOK-Creative Decisions: When the LightsGo Down, the Narration Starts 94
CREATIVE DECISIO S-Choices about Narration in Storytelling 96
The Classical Hollywood Cinema 97
Narrative Form in Citizen Kane 99
Overall Narrative Expectations in Cilizen Kane 99
Plot and Story in Cilizen Kane 100
Cilizen Kane's Causality 102
Time in Cilizen Kane 103
Motivation in Cilizen Kane 105
Cilhen Kane's Parallelism 106
Patterns of Plot Development in Cilizen Kane 107
Narration in Cilizen Kane 108
SUMMARY Il()
RECOMMENDED DVD AND BlU-RAY SUPPLEMENTS 110
PAR T 3 • Film Style
CHAPTER 4 The Shot: Mise-en-Scene 112
What ls Mise-en-Scene? 112
The Power 01' Mise-en-Scene 113
Components of Mise-en-Scene 115
Setting 115
Costume and Makeup 119
Lighting 124
Staging: Movement and Performance 131
A ClOSER lOOK-The Film Actor's Toolkit 134
Pulting 11 All Together: Mise-en-Scene in Space anel Time 140
IVE DECISIO S-Mise-en-Scene in a Sequence from L'Avventura 141
Space 143
C EATIVE DECISIONS-Mise-en-Scene in Two Shots from Day of Wrath 149
Time 150
Narrative Functions of Mise-en-Scene in Our Hospifality 154
SUMMARY /58
RECOMMENDED DVD AND BlU-RAY SUPPLEMENTS 159
CHAPTER 5 The Shot: Cinematography 160
The Photographie Image 160
Thc Range 01' Tonalities 160
Speed or Motion 165
A ClOSER lOOK-From Monsters to the Mundane 166
Perspeetive 169
Fram ing 178
A ClOSER LOOK-Virtual Perspective: 3D 180
Frame Dimensions and Shape 182
C TIVE DECISIONS-Using Widescreen Framing /84
Onscreen and Offscreen Space /86
Camera Position: Angle, Level, Height, and Distance of Framing /88
LPEAf VE OECISIO S-Camera Position in a Shot fromThe Social Network 192
The Mobile Frame 195
EATIV DECISIONS-Mobile Framing and Film Form:Grand Illusion and Wavelength 204
Dur:nion of the Image: The Long Take 210
Real Time Is ... What? 2/l
FlInctions of the Long Take 211
The Long Take and the Mobile Frame 2/2
SUMMARY 216
RECOMMENDED DVO ANO BlU-RAY SUPPLEMENTS 216
CHAPTER 6 The Relation of Shot to Shot:Editing 218
What Is Ecliting? 219
C TI EDEC SIO -Why Cut? Four Shots from The Birds 220
Dimensions of Film Editing 221
Graphie Relations between Shot A and Shot B 221
Rhythmie Relations belween Shot A and Shot B 226
Spatial Relations between Shot A and Shot B 227
Temporal Relations between Shot A and Shot B 228
Conlinllity Editing 232
Spatial Continuity: The 1800 System 233
Continuity Editing in The Ma/lese Fa/con 235
Continuity Editing: Some Fine Points 239
CONTENTS ix
x CONTENTS
CR OECISIO -Are You Looking at Me? Point-of-View Cutting in Rear Window 243
Crosseutting 246
Temporal Continuity: Order, Frequeney, and Duration 247
A ClOSER LOOK-Intensified Continuity: Unstoppable. L. A. Confidential, and Contemporary Editing 248
Alternatives to Continuity Editing 255
Graphie and Rhythmie Possibilities 255
Spatial and Temporal Diseontinuity 257
C E TI OECISIO S-Discontinuity Editing in October 26/
SUMMARY 26·/
RECOMMENDEO DVD AND BLU-RAY SUPPLEMENTS 265
CHAPTER 7 Sound In Cinema 266
Sound Decisions 266
Thc Powers of Sound 267
Sound Shapcs Our Understanding of Images 268
Sound Directs Our Attention 268
Fundamentals or Film Sound 270
Pcrceptual Propertics 270
hoosing, Altering, and Combining Sounds 273
r.pEATIVE DECISIONS-Editing Dialogue: Ta Overlap orNot to Overlap? 275
Dimensions of Film Sound 28/
Rhythm 28/
Fidelity 283
Spaee 284
A CLOSER LOOK-Offscreen Sound and Optical Point of View:The Money Exchange in Jackie Brown 286
Time 294
Functions of Film Sound: The Prestige 298
Transported Men 298
The Sounds of Magie 299
Eehoes, Visual and Auditory 30/
Two Journals 302
Hinting at Seerets 303
The Opening 304
SUMMARY JOt)
RECOMMENDEO DVD AND BLU-RAY SUPPLEMENTS 307
CHAPTER 8 Summary: Style and Film Form 308
The Concept or Style 308
TI OECISIO S-Style and the Filmmaker 309
Deeision Making: Techniques Working Together 3/0
Watehing and Listening: Style and the Viewer 310
Analyzing Style 3//
1. What Is the Film's Overall Form') 3/2
2. What Are lhe Primary Teehniques Being Used') 312
3. What Patterns Are Formed by the Teehniques') 3/2
4. What Funetions Do the Teehniques and Patterns FuInll? 3/4
A CLOSER lOOK-Stylistic Synthesis in Shadow of a Doubt 3/5
Style in Citizen Kane 316
Myslery and the Penetrarion of Space 317
Style and Narration: Resrriction and Objectivity 319
Style and Narration: Omniscence 321
Narrative Parallels: Settings 321
Paralleis: Other Techniques 322
A Convincing Newsreel 324
Plot Time through Editing 324
SUMMARY 326RECOMMENDED DVD AND BLU-RAY SUPPLEMENTS 326
PA RT 4 • Types of Films
CHAPTER 9 Film Genres 328
Understanding Genre 329Defining a Genre 330
Analyzing a Genre 331
Genre History 333
A CLOSER LOOK-Creative Decisions in a Contemporary Genre:The Crime Thriller as Subgenre 334
The Social Functions of Genres 338
Three Genres 339
The Western 339
The Horror Film 341
The Musical 344
SUMMARY 348
RECOMMENDED DVD AND BLU-RAY SUPPLEMENTS 348
CHAPTER 10 Documentary, Experimental,and Animated Films 350
Documentary 350
What Is a Documenrary~ 350
The Boundaries between Documenrary and Fiction 352
Genres of Documentary 353
Form in Documentary Films 354
Categorical Form: Introduction 355
C EATIVE DECISIONS-Engaging Viewers UsingCategorical Form 356
An Example of Categorical Form: Gap-Toolhed Women 357
Rhetorical Form: lntroduction 362
An Example of Rhetorical Form: The River 364
Experimental Film 369
A Range of Technical Choices 370
Types of Form in Experimental Film 371
Abslract Form: Introduction 371
eR JIVE OE ISIO S Designing Form in an Abstract Film 371
An EX<lmple 01' Abstract Form: Ballet Mecanique 373
Associational Form: lntroduction 378
An Example of Assoeiational Form: Koyaanisqalsi 379
CONTENTS xi
xii CONTENTS
The Animated Film 386
Types of Traditional Animation 387
Types of Computer Animation 389
An Example of Traditional Animation: Duck Amuck 392
An Example of Experimental Animation: Dimensions 0/ Dialogue 395
SUMMARY 398
RECOMMENDED DVD AND BLU-RAY SUPPLEMENTS 399
PAR T 5 • Critical Analysis of Films
The Classical Narrative Cinema 403
His Girl Frida)' 403
Norrh !Jy Norrhwesr 406
/)" The Riglzr Thing 410
Narrative Alternatives 10 Classical Filmmaking 4/5
Brearh/ess (A !Jout de soujfle) 415
Tokyo Story (Tokyo Monogatari) 420
Chungking Express (Chung Hing sam 10m) 425
Documentary Form and Style 429
Man wirh a Movie Camera (Che/ovek s kinoappararom) 429
The Thin B/ue Line 433
Form, Style, and Ideology 439
Meer Me in Sr. Louis 439
Raging Bu" 445
Appendix: Writing a Critical Analysis of a Film 450
Preparing to Write 450
Step 1: Develop a Thesis That Your Essay Will Explain and Support 450
Step 2: Draw Up a Segmentation of the Entire Film 450
Step 3: Note Outstanding Instances of Film Technique 45/
Organizing and Writing 451
Introducing Your Thesis 452
The Body: Reasons, Evidence, Examples 452
Wrapping Things Up 453
Summary: Key Questions for an Analytical Essay 453
A Sam pie Analytical Essay 453
Fantasy and Reality in The King of Comedy 454
Sample-Analysis Films on DVD 456
CHAPTER 11 Film Criticism: Sampie Analyses 402
PA RT 6 • Firn Art and Film History
CHAPTER 12 Historical Changes in Film Art:Conventions and Choices, Tradition and Trends 458
CRE TlVE DECISIONS-Film Form and Style across History 459
Traditions and Movements in Film History 461
Early Cinema (1893-1903) 462
Photography and Cinema 463
Edison VS. Lumiere 463
Early Form and Style 464Melies, Magie, and Fietional Narrative 465
The Devclopment of the Classical Hollywood Cinema (1908-1927) 466
Hollywood and the Studio System of Produetion 466Classical Form and Style in Place 468
German Expressionism (1919-1926) 469
French Impressionism and Surrcalism (1918-1930) 472Impressionism 473
Surrealism 474Soviet Montage (1924-1930) 476
Artists and the State 476
NEP Cinema 477
The Priority of Editing 478The Movement Ends 478
The Classical Hollywood Cinema after the Coming of Sound, 1930s-1940s 480
Converting to Sound 480
Problems and Solutions 480
Studios, Genres, and Spectacle 481Deep Focus and Narrative Innovations 482
Ilalian Neorealism (1942-1951) 483Leaving the Studio 484
A New Model of Storytelling 484The Movement's End and Its Legacy 485
The French New Wave (1959-1964) 485
Movie Critics Become Moviemakers 486A New Wave Style 486
Neorealism Recast 487Into the Mainstream and Beyond 487
The New Hollywood and Independent Filmmaking, 1970s-1980s 488
Blockbusters and Indie Pictures 489The Rise of the Movie Brats 489Other Paths 490
The 1980s and After 491Hollywood and Independents, To Be Continued 493
Hong Kong Cinema, 1980s-1990s 494
A Local Tradition Goes Global 494
The New Generation: Two SchooIs 494Story and Style 495
Legaey Overseas 496
RECOMMENDED DVD AND BlU-RAY DISeS 49R
Glossary 500Credits 506Recommended OVO and Blu-ray Oiscs 506Index 507
CONTENTS xiii