The Way Hollywood Tells It: Story and Style in Modern Movies

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AuthorDavid Bordwell
PublisherUniversity of California Press
PublishedJan 08 2018
Book FormatPaperback
ISBN-139780520246225
Dimensions8.98 X 6.12 X 0.66 inches
Weight 1.29 pounds
BISAC
CategoriesPerforming Arts > Film - History & Criticism
LanguageEnglish

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Book Description

Hollywood moviemaking is one of the constants of American life, but how much has it changed since the glory days of the big studios? David Bordwell argues that the principles of visual storytelling created in the studio era are alive and well, even in today's bloated blockbusters. American filmmakers have created a durable tradition--one that we should not be ashamed to call artistic, and one that survives in both mainstream entertainment and niche-marketed indie cinema. Bordwell traces the continuity of this tradition in a wide array of films made since 1960, from romantic comedies like Jerry Maguire and Love Actually to more imposing efforts like A Beautiful Mind. He also draws upon testimony from writers, directors, and editors who are acutely conscious of employing proven principles of plot and visual style. Within the limits of the classical approach, innovation can flourish. Bordwell examines how imaginative filmmakers have pushed the premises of the system in films such as JFK, Memento, and Magnolia. He discusses generational, technological, and economic factors leading to stability and change in Hollywood cinema and includes close analyses of selected shots and sequences. As it ranges across four decades, examining classics like American Graffiti and The Godfather as well as recent success like The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, this book provides a vivid and engaging interpretation of how Hollywood moviemakers have created a vigorous, resourceful tradition of cinematic storytelling that continues to engage audiences around the world.

Author Bio

David Bordwell is Jacques Ledoux Professor of Film Studies, Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin–Madison. Professor Bordwell has written several books focusing on the history of film style, film narration, and the poetics of cinema.

In 2013, film historian and theorist David Bordwell deposited approximately 125 film prints at the Academy Film Archive, all in 35mm. The David Bordwell Collection is particularly noteworthy for the strength of its Hong Kong holdings, some of which are unavailable in any other English-translated format. The collection includes such titles as “Crippled Avengers” (1979), “Once Upon a Time in China I-V” (1991-1994), “Iron Monkey” (1993), “Green Snake” (1994), and “Naked Killer” (1995), as well as non-Hong Kong titles such as “Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985), “Prospero’s Books” (1991), and “The Long Day Closes” (1992).

Research Interests

Introduction to Graduate Study in Film
Seminar in Film Analysis
Seminar in Contemporary Film Theory
Seminar in Contemporary Film Criticism
Narrative Theory and Film
Japanese Cinema
Japanese Cinema of the 1930s
Technology and Technique in American Cinema
Space and Narration in the Fiction Film
The Films of Jean-Luc Godard
Cognitive Poetics of Cinema
Stylistic Analysis of Film
The Film Spectator
Contemporary Asian Cinema
Comparative Film Analysis

Education

B.A. (English) State University of New York at Albany, 1969
M.A. (Speech and Dramatic Arts, concentration in Film) University of Iowa, 1972
Ph.D. (Speech and Dramatic Arts, concentration in Film) University of Iowa, 1974.
Honorary degree: Doctora philosophiæ honoris causa, University of Copenhagen. Awarded 13 November 1997.

Source: davidbordwell.net and Oscars.org