How to Read a Film

Richard Gilman referred to How to Read a Film as simply "the best single work of its kind." And Janet Maslin in The New York Times Book Review marveled at James Monaco's ability to collect "an enormous amount of useful information and assemble it in an exhilaratingly simple and systematic way." Indeed, since its original publication in 1977, this hugely popular book has become ...

Richard Gilman referred to How to Read a Film as simply "the best single work of its kind." And Janet Maslin in The New York Times Book Review marveled at James Monaco's ability to collect "an enormous amount of useful information and assemble it in an exhilaratingly simple and systematic way." Indeed, since its original publication in 1977, this hugely popular book has become the definitive source on film and media. Now, James Monaco offers a special anniversary edition of his classic work, featuring a new preface and several new sections, including an "Essential Library: One Hundred Books About Film and Media You Should Read" and "One Hundred Films You Should See." As in previous editions, Monaco once again looks at film from many vantage points, as both art and craft, sensibility and science, tradition and technology. After examining film's close relation to other narrative media such as the novel, painting, photography, television, and even music, the book discusses the elements necessary to understand how films convey meaning, and, more importantly, how we can best discern all that a film is attempting to communicate. In addition, Monaco stresses the ever-evolving digital context of film throughout--one of the new sections looks at the untrustworthy nature of digital images and sound--and his chapter on multimedia brings media criticism into the twenty-first century with a thorough discussion of topics like virtual reality, cyberspace, and the proximity of both to film. With hundreds of illustrative black-and-white film stills and diagrams, How to Read a Film is an indispensable addition to the library of everyone who loves the cinema and wants to understand it better.

James Monaco is President of UNET 2 Corporation and author or editor of more than a dozen books on film and media, published in more than 40 editions, which have been as successful in translation in Europe and Japan as in English in the UK and North America.

With Baseline, the worldwide information source for the entertainment business which he founded in 1982, he’s responsible...

James Monaco is President of UNET 2 Corporation and author or editor of more than a dozen books on film and media, published in more than 40 editions, which have been as successful in translation in Europe and Japan as in English in the UK and North America.

With Baseline, the worldwide information source for the entertainment business which he founded in 1982, he’s responsible for both a film guide and an encyclopedia and is the only American film writer to have products in both of those niches. An experienced TV talk show guest and radio commentator, Monaco is also well-known as a leader of the internet and new media industries.