New Perspectives on Early Cinema History: Concepts, Approaches, Audiences

Editors Mario Slugan and Daniël Biltereyst present a theoretical reconceptualization of early cinema, highlighting the latest methods and tools for analysis and evaluating examples across the globe. Contributors address the periodization of the era, emphasizing the availability of primary materials, digital technologies, new cinema history, and the persistence of conceptualizations. They also highlight cutting-edge approaches to the study of early cinema, such as the use of the Mediathread Platform, the formation of new datasets, and exploring the early era in non-western cultures. Finally, they revisit early cinema audiences and exhibition contexts by investigating some of the earliest screenings in Denmark and the US, exploring black cinema going in Harlem, and examining exhibition practices in Germany.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 30 June 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

In their book, editors Mario Slugan and Daniël Biltereyst present a comprehensive theoretical reimagining of early cinema. To achieve this, they emphasize the latest analytical methods and tools, shedding new light on the early cinema experience through their application. A diverse international group of contributors assesses examples of early cinema from around the world, including The May Irwin Kiss (1896), Un homme de têtes (1900), The Terrible Turkish Executioner (1904), and Tom Tom the Pipers Son (1905). By doing so, they address the periodization of the era, highlighting the recent surge in the availability of primary materials, the rise of digital technologies, the advancements in new cinema history, and the persistence of certain conceptualizations as driving forces for rethinking early cinema in theoretical and methodological terms.

The contributors further explore cutting-edge approaches to studying early cinema, such as utilizing the Mediathread Platform, creating new datasets through digital technologies, and delving into the early era in non-western cultures. Additionally, they revisit early cinema audiences and exhibition contexts by examining some of the earliest screenings in Denmark and the United States, exploring the intricacies of black cinema in Harlem, and scrutinizing exhibition practices in Germany.

This book serves as a valuable resource for scholars, students, and enthusiasts alike, offering a fresh perspective on early cinema and its historical significance. By employing innovative analytical techniques and interdisciplinary approaches, the contributors contribute to our understanding of this pivotal period in film history and its enduring impact on the medium.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350181977