"Come with us on a long journey through the history of cinema! Let's see how it has become the most popular entertainment in our century and how it has become a bold, exciting art." David Parkinson, the Radio Times critic invites his readers for an adventurous, variable journey with hills and slopes and full of photos in his history of film.
He surveys the history of motion picture and stresses some important periods, makes a survey of different film styles, the greatest filmmakers, the most famous films and stars. His book is a kind of guide for people who like and know cinema, yet want to get more information about the secrets of this wonderful world and for those who are now getting acquaintance with the history of this almost 100-year-old art.
The Cinema part of this journey leads from the beginnings of the world-conquering road of celluloid to the present day of CD-ROM through five chapters.
The writer is able to make his readers fly away to the ancient world of the Greeks with the help of historical sources, where people were first to be fascinated by light and shadow play. Then he makes a detour to India and China in the Middle Ages to initiate us into the mystery of shadows. Europe got acquainted with the ancient "magic" only in the 18th century, but for the first real visual experience we had to wait another century. The cinematography , the Grand Café and the Lumiere brothers mark the beginning of the new art from where we have to take only a few steps to occupy the place it deserves.
Parkinson evokes the features of the age of the silent film, the earlier stars' careers and guides us through the history of film from the thirties to the present day. He gives answer to the question of how the traditional scale of values of the cinema changed, what the witch hunt of the 20th century was, and why they called the generation in the sixties ‘new wave' and some more questions about what brought changes to the world of film.
The journey through the history of film is followed by a chapter ‘Topics and Stories', in which Parkinson deals with the most important and well-known film styles. We can know the difference between costume films and action films from the viewpoint of professionals and also we get some information about the remakes of 007 films and the musicals which we must see and so on. The theoretical part is illustrated by colour photos- this way he helps our understanding and interpretation. The summary of the history of film art and the following theoretical part are rounded off by a practical introduction to the production of a film where we are given a clear picture of how films are made. Parkinson explains who the film group consists of in detail: who is responsible for what, what a minuted and thorough work results in the ready production.
The last chapter contains some statistics about films winning Oscar prizes, best films by film critics and other interesting things about films. The book is completed by a small index and a short appendix which help us to clarify oft-used expressions using simple explanations which help to inform. The whole volume is useful reading matter and a good source of information.
David Parkinson used to teach Film and Drama in a secondary school so it is not surprising that he wrote the book mostly for the Youth. It can be used as a primary or auxiliary source, and can be instructive from an educational viewpoint.
Parkinson, David: The Cinema (Holló és Társa Könyvkiadó, Budapest 1996. 162 p.)
