Cover: The Anatomy of Film, 6th Edition by Bernard F. Dick

The Anatomy of Film

Sixth Edition ©2010 Bernard F. Dick

Anatomy of Film provides a solid foundation of film fundamentals while offering rich examples from the past and present. Designed to be used in film-as-literature or introduction to film courses in English, film, or communication departments, Anatomy of Film covers all of the...
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Cover: The Anatomy of Film, 6th Edition by Bernard F. Dick

A brief, affordable, readable, and jargon-free guide to film basics

Anatomy of Film provides a solid foundation of film fundamentals while offering rich examples from the past and present. Designed to be used in film-as-literature or introduction to film courses in English, film, or communication departments, Anatomy of Film covers all of the essential elements of film — from genre, lighting, and editing to music, sound, and narration — and its student-friendly approach makes it ideal for those new to the discipline. Along with a strong focus on genre, this text also features a chapter devoted to the connection between film and literature. Ultimately, this comprehensive text demonstrates a genuine enthusiasm for the medium while exploring both the humanistic and analytical aspects of film criticism.

Features

Clear, jargon-free prose. Anatomy of Film welcomes students to the art of film and film watching through lively prose that avoids film jargon.

Provides a solid foundation of film fundamentals. The organization starts with the basics, beginning with the terminology and key components of film. It then moves to discussions of genre and film analysis, and ends with basic concepts of film theory and criticism.

Offers rich examples from the past and present. Anatomy of Film illustrates film techniques with references to contemporary films alongside a solid core of examples from early cinema and classic Hollywood.

A full chapter on genre thoroughly examines musicals, westerns, crime films, film noir, combat films, comedies, women’s films, documentaries, horror films, and science fiction.

New to This Edition

New features to aid student study and retention include highlighted key terms, end-of-chapter summaries, and new appendices that make this edition even more student-friendly.

New section on writing about film includes practical advice and guidelines about the entire writing process from viewing through analysis and revision. Annotated student papers model the art of writing by pointing out both mistakes and successes in concrete written examples.

More attention to new trends in viewing, such as digital film, DVD, YouTube, and other online film resources. It also features a wide range of recent films by international directors and producers, as well as more films produced and directed by women.

Film images and text are updated to reflect the newest contemporary classics and offer in-depth coverage of recent films adapted from fiction including Pride & Prejudice and Brokeback Mountain.
"I love Anatomy of Film.  It offers a comprehensive exploration into the study of film as a genre.  It is clear and concise so that students are not overwhelmed by information, but at the same time, it provides the essential groundwork of what students need to know to become proficient in the analysis of cinema."
— Julie Gustafson, Samford University

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Table of Contents

1. UNDERSTANDING THE MEDIUM

Film as a Hybrid Art

The Creation of the Narrative Film

The Diversity of the Medium

Examining a Film Text

2. GRAPHICS AND SOUND

Graphics

Sound

3 FILM, SPACE, AND MISE-EN-SCÈNE

The Shot

Combining Shots: The Sequence

From Shot to Shot

Assembling the Shots

Mise-en-scène

4. ENHANCING THE IMAGE: COLOR, LIGHTING, AND VISUAL EFFECTS

Coloring the Image

Lighting the Image

Special Effects/Visual Effects (SFX, VFX)

5. FILM GENRES

The Musical

The Western

The Crime Film

Film Noir

The Combat Film

Comedies

The Reflexive Film

The Woman’s Film

Documentary

The Horror Film

Science-Fiction

Understanding Genre

6. FILM SUBTEXT

Mythic Associations

Visual/Iconic Associations

Intellectual Associations

Musical Associations

7. THE FILM DIRECTOR

Auteurism

Collaboration

Variety

Repetition

Quotations

Borrowings

An Interview with Billy Wilder

An Interview with Alan Alda

8. FILM AND LITERATURE

The Flashback

The Flashforward

Point of View

Film Adaptation

The Nature of Screenwriting

9. FILM ANALYSIS

Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)

Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)

The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2001)

10. FILM THEORY AND CRITICISM

The History of Film Criticism

Practical Criticism

Guidelines for Film Criticism

APPENDIX I: Films Discussed and Directors

APPENDIX II: Sample Student Papers

APPENDIX III: Video and DVD Rental and Purchase Sources and Web Sites

GLOSSARY OF MOTION PICTUTE TERMS

INDEX
Headshot of Bernard F. Dick

Bernard F. Dick

Bernard F. Dick is Professor of Communication and English and Co-Director of the School of Art and Media Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Teaneck, New Jersey, campus. He is the author of a number of books on film including The Star-Spangled Screen: The American World War II Film; Engulfed: The Death of Paramount Pictures and the Birth of Corporate Hollywood; Hal Wallis: Producer to the Stars; Forever Mame: Rosalind Russell; and She Walked in Beauty: Claudette Colbert.  He has just completed a biography of Loretta Young, Hollywood Madonna.