“Lively and readable, World on Film provides provocative questions, helpful background, and interesting discussion topics for any world cinema class or for anyone interested in learning about the international film scene.” Linda Mizejewski, Ohio State University.
“Students whose knowledge of movies is limited to the latest releases at the local multiplex couldn’t ask for a better guide to the foreignness of international cinema than World on Film. Starting with due consideration and respect for her readers’ understanding of Hollywood movies, Martha Nochimson leads them on an expertly guided tour through both the leading movements in international cinema and the new movie-watching habits they need to appreciate Luis Buñuel and Wong Kar-wai―and to take a fresh look at Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino.” Thomas Leitch, University of Delaware
“Nochimson leads students through close readings of key films and the works of central directors, while never losing sight of the how these films and filmmakers have been influenced and how their influence extends through time and beyond geographical boundaries. World on Film provides a logical and engaging framework for student learning, with substantive, imaginative questions and project ideas that encourage further research and continued close analysis of films in the context of nation, history, theory, and aesthetics.” Cynthia Lucia, Associate Professor and Director of Film and Media Studies, Rider University
This uniquely engaging and lively textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to international film, from the golden age of European cinema to the contemporary blockbusters of India and Asia, and the post-World War II emergence of global film culture. Providing students with basic background information on the home cultures and auteurs of world cinema, this engrossing text allows them to appreciate the significance of each film on its own terms.
In each chapter, World on Film highlights the intersections between students’ previous experiences with Hollywood and other mainstream film, and their new encounters with films from other cultures. Through in-depth discussions of individual films, and explanations of how these fit within the specific filmic and cultural history, Nochimson introduces sophisticated theories and concepts in clear and straightforward language. Including chapter summaries, key terms, discussion questions, suggestions for further reading, and illustrated with provocative film stills throughout, this comprehensive introduction demonstrates that cinema from other cultures and in other languages isn’t so foreign after all.
From the Back Cover
This uniquely engaging and lively textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to international film, from the golden age of European cinema to the contemporary blockbusters of India and Asia, and the post-World War II emergence of global film culture. Providing students with basic background information on the home cultures and auteurs of world cinema, this engrossing text allows them to appreciate the significance of each film on its own terms.
In each chapter, World on Film highlights the intersections between students’ previous experiences with Hollywood and other mainstream film, and their new encounters with films from other cultures. Through in-depth discussions of individual films, and explanations of how these fit within the specific filmic and cultural history, Nochimson introduces sophisticated theories and concepts in clear and straightforward language. Including chapter summaries, key terms, discussion questions, suggestions for further reading, and illustrated with provocative film stills throughout, this comprehensive introduction demonstrates that cinema from other cultures and in other languages isn’t so foreign after all.
About the Author
Martha P. Nochimson has taught in the Department of Film and Television at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and at Mercy College, where she developed and chaired a program in Film Studies, and she is the author of four other books, including her internationally acclaimed studies The Passion of David Lynch: Wild at Heart in Hollywood (1997); Dying to Belong: Gangster Movies in Hollywood and Hong Kong (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007); No End to Her: Soap Opera and the Female Subject; and Screen Couple Chemistry: The Power of 2. Dr. Nochimson has been invited to appear on television in her capacity as a film and media critic in the United States, Canada, and France, and she has covered international film festivals in New York, Montreal, and Istanbul for over a decade. Her numerous articles about world film and interviews of major directors have appeared in Cineaste, Film Quarterly, and The New Review of Film and Television Studies. Further information is available at her website www.marthapnochimson.com.
