The Oxford History of World Cinema

The Oxford History of

World Cinema

EDITED BY GEOFFREY NOWELL-SMITH

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

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Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York

© Oxford University Press 1996

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(maker)

First published 1996 First published in paperback 1997

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You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose the

same condition on any acquirer

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Data available

ISBN 0-19-811257-2 ISBN 0-19-874242-8 (Pbk.)

7 9 10 8 6

Printed in Great Britain on acid-free paper by Butler & Tanner Ltd Frome and London

I should like to dedicate this book to the memory of my father, who did not live to see it

finished, and to my children, for their enjoyment.

Acknowledgements

T
his book has been a long time in preparation and in the course of it I have received help

from many quarters. I am grateful first of all to my contributors, and in particular to those

who, as well as diligently writing their own contributions to the book, also acted as

informal advisers on the project -- notably Thomas Elsaesser, Charles Musser, Ashish

Rajadhyaksha, and A. L. Rees. I also received specialist advice from Stephen Bottomore,

Pam Cook, Rosalind Delmar, Hugh Denman, Joel Finler, June Givanni, David Parkinson,

Jasia Reichert, and, most valuably of all, from Markku Salmi. I had administrative help in

the early stages from my niece Rebecca Nowell-Smith, and editorial assistance -- all too

briefly-from Sam Cook. For the last two years my Assistant Editor has been Kate

Beetham, to whom my debt is indescribable. Lael Lowinstein helped with the

bibliography. Picture research was conducted by Liz Heasman, whose knowledge and

judgement are unrivalled in this tricky field. The tiresome work of tracing picture

permissions devolved on Vicki Reeve and Diana Morris. For this normally thankless task

they deserve particular thanks. And thanks, too, to my editors at the Oxford University

Press, Andrew Lockett and Frances Whistler, especially for their patience.

Translations are by Robert Gordon (
Italy: Spectacle and Melodrama, The Scandinavian

Style, Italy from Fascism to Neo-Realism, Italy: Auteurs and After
); Gerald Brooke (
The

Soviet Union and the Russian Émigrés
); Timothy Seaton (
Cinema in the Soviet

Republics
); and Nina Taylor (
Yiddish Cinema in Europe, East Central Europe before the

Second World War, Changing States in East Central Europe
).

G.N.-S.

Contributors

Richard Abel ( USA)

Rick Altman ( USA)

Roy Armes (UK)

John Belton ( USA)

Janet Bergstrom ( USA)

Chris Berry ( Australia)

Hans-Michael Bock ( Germany)

David Bordwell ( USA)

Royal Brown ( USA)

Edward Buscombe (UK)

Michael Chanan (UK)

Paolo Cherchi Usai ( USA)

Donald Crafton ( USA)

Stephen Crofts ( Australia)

Chris Darke (UK)

Rosalind Delmar (UK)

Karel Dibbets ( Netherlands)

Michael Donnelly ( USA)

Phillip Drummond (UK)

Michael Eaton (UK)

Thomas Elsaesser ( Netherlands)

Cathy Fowler (UK)

Freda Freiberg ( Australia)

David Gardner ( USA)

Douglas Gomery ( USA)

Peter Graham ( France)

David Hanan ( Australia)

Phil Hardy (UK)

John Hawkridge (UK)

Susan Hayward (UK)

Marek and Malgorzata Hendrykowski ( Poland)

Michèle Hilmes ( USA)

Vida Johnson ( USA)

Anton Kaes ( USA)

Yusuf Kaplan (UK)

Philip Kemp (UK)

Peter Kenez ( USA)

Vance Kepley ( USA)

Marsha Kinder ( USA)

Hiroshi Komatsu ( Japan)

Antonia Lant ( USA)

Li Cheuk-to ( Hong Kong)

Jill McGreal. (UK)

Joe McElhaney ( USA)

P. Vincent Magombe (UK)

Richard Maltby (UK)

Martin Marks ( USA)

Morando Morandini ( Italy)

William Moritz ( USA)

Charles Musser ( USA)

Hamid Naficy ( USA)

James Naremore ( USA)

Kim Newman (UK)

Natalia Nussinova ( Russia)

Ed O'Neill ( USA)

Roberta Pearson (UK)

Duncan Petrie (UK)

Graham Petrie ( Canada)

Jim Pines (UK)

Jean Radvanyi ( France)

Ashish Rajadhyaksha ( India)

A. L. Rees (UK)

Mark A. Reid ( USA)

Eric Rentschler ( USA)

David Robinson (UK)

Bill Routt ( Australia)

Daniela Sannwald ( Germany)

Joseph Sartelle ( USA)

Thomas Schatz ( USA)

Ben Singer ( USA)

Vivian Sobchack ( USA)

Gaylyn Studlar ( USA)

Yuri Tsivian ( Latvia)

William Uricchio ( Netherlands)

Ruth Vasey ( Australia)

Ginette Vincendeau (UK)

Linda Williams ( USA)

Brian Winston (UK)

Esther Yau ( USA)

June Yip ( USA)

Contents

SPECIAL FEATURES
XV

LIST OF COLOUR ILLUSTRATION
S
XVII

GENERAL INTRODUCTI
ON
XIX

REFERENCE
S
XXII

INTRODUCTION
3

Origins and Survival PAOLO CHERCHI
USAI
6

Early Cinema ROBERTA PEARSON
13

Transitional Cinema ROBERTA PEARSON
23

The Hollywood Studio System DOUGLAS GOMERY
43

The World-Wide Spread of Cinema RUTH VASEY
53

The First World War and the Crisis in Europe
WILLIAM URICCHIO
62

Tricks and Animation DONALD CRAFT
ON
71

Comedy DAVID ROBINS
ON
78

Documentary CHARLES MUSS
ER
86

Cinema and the Avant-Garde A. L. REE
S
95

Serials BEN SING
ER
105

French Silent Cinema RICHARD ABEL
112

Italy: Spectacle and Melodrama PAOLO CHERCHI
USAI
123

British Cinema from Hepworth to Hitchcock JOHN HAWKRID
GE
130

Germany: The Weimar Years THOMAS ELSAESSER
136

The Scandinavian Style PAOLO CHERC
HI USAI
151

Pre-Revolutionary Russia YURI TSIV
IAN
159

The Soviet Union and the Russian Émigrés NATALIA NUSSINOVA
162

Yiddish Cinema in Europe MAREK & MALGORZATA HENDRYKOWSKI
174

Japan: Before the Great Kanto Earthquake HIROSHI KOMA
TSU
177

Music and the Silent Film MARTIN MARKS
183

The Heyday of the Silents GEOFFREY NOWELL-SMIT
H
192

INTRODUCTION
207

The Introduction of Sound KAREL DIBBETS
211

Hollywood: The Triumph of the Studio System THOMAS SCHAT
Z
220

Censorship and Self-Regulation RICHARD MALTBY
235

The Sound of Music MARTIN MARKS
248

Technology and Innovation JOHN BELTON
259

Animation WILLIAM MORIT
Z
267

Cinema and Genre RICK AL
TMAN
276

The Western EDWARD BUSCOMB
E
286

TheMusical RICK AL
TMAN
294

Crime Movies PHIL HARDY
304

The Fantastic VIVIAN SOBCHACK
312

Documentary CHARLES MUSS
ER
322

Socialism, Fascism, and Democracy GEOFFREY NOWELL-SMITH
333

The Popular Art of French Cinema GINETTE
VINCENDEAU
344

Italy from Fascism to Neo-Realism MORANDO
MORANDINI
353

Britain at the End of Empire ANTONIA LANT
361

Germany: Nazism and After ERIC RENTSCHL
ER
374

East Central Europe Before the Second World War MALGORZATA

ENDRYKOWSKA
383

Soviet Film Under Stalin PETER KENEZ
389

Indian Cinema: Origins to Independence ASHISH RAJADHYAKSHA

China Before 1949 CHRIS BERRY
409

The Classical Cinema in Japan HIROSHI KOMAT
SU
413

The Emergence of Australian Film BILL ROUTT
422

Cinema in Latin America MICHAEL
CHANAN
427

After the War GEOFFREY NOWELL-SMITH
436

Transformation of the Hollywood System DOUGLAS GOMERY
443

Independents and Mavericks GEOFFREY NOWELL-SMIT
H
451

INTRODUCTION 463

Television and the Film Industry MICHÉLE HILME
S
466

The New Hollywood DOUGLAS GOMERY
475

New Technologies JOHN BELTON
483

Sex and Sensation LINDA WILLIAMS
490

The Black Presence in American Cinema JIM PINES
497

Exploitation and the Mainstream
KIM NEWMAN
509

Dreams and Nightmares in the Hollywood Blockbuster JOSEPH SARTELLE
516

Cinema Verité and the New Documentary CHARLES MUSSER
527

Avant-Garde Film: The Second Wave A. L. REE
S
537

Animation in the Post-Industrial Era WILLIAM MORIT
Z
551

Modern Film Music ROYAL
BROWN
558

Art Cinema GEOFFREY NOWELL-SMITH
567

New Directions in French Cinema PETER GRAHAM
576

Italy:Auteurs and After MORANDO
MORANDINI
586

Spain After Franco MARSHA KINDER
596

British Cinema: The Search for Iden
tity DUNCAN PETRIE
604

The New German Cinema ANTON KAE
S
614

East Germany: The DEFA Story HANS-MICHAEL BOCK
627

Changing States in East Central Europe MAREK HENDRYKOWSKI
632

Russia After the Thaw VIDA JOHNSON
640

Cinema in the Soviet Republics JEAN RADV
ANYI
651

Turkish Cinema YUSUF KAP
LAN
656