The Emergence of Cinema - (History of the American Cinema) by Charles Musser (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The origins of motion picture technologies are described and analyzed by Charles Musser in this lavishly illustrated volume. He considers social and economic as well as aesthetic aspects of the beginnings of movie making.

From the Back Cover

From the beginnings of cinema through the first boom in the specialized moving-picture theaters known as nickelodeons, The Emergence of Cinema looks at the first twelve years of projected motion pictures and their aural accompaniment. Early American cinema is examined as an industry and as an influential cultural practice in the context of a centuries-long history of projected images.

Review Quotes

"Massively detailed, scrupulously and exhaustively researched, copiously graphed and illustrated, heavily footnoted, examining each period from several critical and sociological perspectives, these three books are perfectly representative, in many ways, of the state of academic film research today."--Michael Wilmington, "Los Angeles Times Book Review

About the Author

Charles Musser is Assistant Professor of American Studies and Film Studies at Yale University and author of Before the Nickelodeon (California, 1990).