In 'The American Cinema,' Andrew Sarris presents a groundbreaking exploration of the evolution of American filmmaking, detailing the creative triumphs and struggles of its visionary directors. This insightful work organizes American films into categories, shedding light on the artistry behind the camera and the cultural impact of each movement. Sarris introduces the concept of the auteur theory, arguing that the director is the pivotal creative force behind a film. With sharp critiques and vivid anecdotes, he invites readers to reconsider their understanding of cinema as an artistic medium. Embark on a journey through the reels of time and discover the soul of American film like never before.
By Andrew Sarris
Published: 1996
""To define the cinema is to define the presence of the artist within the medium, revealing the intricate dance between individual vision and collective experience.""
"The American Cinema is the Citizen Kane of film criticism, a brilliant book that elevated American directors from craftsmen to artists, launched the careers of numerous film critics, and shaped the aesthetics of a whole generation of viewers by providing new ways of looking at movies."--Emanuel Levy, author of George Cukor, Master of Elegance The auteur theory, of which film critic Andrew Sarris was the leading American proponent, holds that artistry in cinema can be largely attributed to film directors, who, while often working against the strictures of studios, producers, and scriptwriters, manage to infuse each film in their oeuvre with their personal style. Sarris's The American Cinema, the bible of auteur studies, is a history of American film in the form of a lively guide to the work of two hundred film directors, from Griffith, Chaplin, and von Sternberg to Mike Nichols, Stanley Kubrick, and Jerry Lewis. In addition, the book includes a chronology of the most important American films, an alphabetical list of over 6000 films with their directors and years of release, and the seminal essays "Toward a Theory of Film History" and "The Auteur Theory Revisited." Over twenty-five years after its initial publication, The American Cinema remains perhaps the most influential book ever written on the subject.
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“"To define the cinema is to define the presence of the artist within the medium, revealing the intricate dance between individual vision and collective experience."”
The American Cinema
By Andrew Sarris
Discover a world of knowledge through our extensive collection of book summaries.
Andrew Sarris (1928-2012) was a prominent American film critic, author, and a leading champion of the auteur theory, which emphasizes the director's role as the primary creative force in filmmaking. He is best known for his influential books, including "The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929-1968," which offered insightful critiques and analyses of notable filmmakers and their works. Sarris's writing is characterized by its passionate advocacy for cinema as an art form, as well as its witty, accessible prose that appeals to both casual movie-goers and serious film scholars alike. His contributions helped shape the modern discourse around film criticism and elevated the status of film studies in academic circles.
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