Eleventh Edition, Separated Powers and Federalism

Assigned as text for "Cinema as Art" class. The book is comprehensive. Photo captions are good. Prose is dreadful.
Sole virtue is its popularity among cinematography instructors. Grossly overpriced. Do not buy. Instead, rent
DVDs and study appended commentaries.

This item was listed as free shipping, and ordered on September 2nd. I find out that it won't be shipped until September 20th...I won't order free shipping again and will probably look elsewhere to buy. This is rediculous!

Gianetti's classic textbook has been around for a long time, and gone through several printings and new editions. There's a reason for that: it is one of the best introductions to the analysis and appreciation of film that is around. This is the book I was assigned when I took my first film class ("Film as Humanities") in college, and it opened up my eyes to a whole range of elements that contribute to the making of film meaning. Now, a few editions later, I am still assigning the book for my introduction to film studies classes.

What makes it so useful is that Gianetti focuses a chapter each on all of the different components that contribute to the significance of the final film product. He has a chapter on photography -- that introduces vocabulary for describing the images of film, the lighting, the framing, and the way in which the arrangement of elements on screen can direct the eye of the viewer. He has other chapters on movement, composition, editing, acting, story, drama, sound, and ideology, among others.

A refreshing feature of the book, especially for an introductory level text, is that it does not make a sharp distinction between "art" films and "entertainment" flicks -- all of the elements he discusses apply to any films, and he illustrates them with copious examples from both the history of cinema and also from popular and accessible films of the last decade and even last year. At the same time, he is not timid about making judgments about films -- and giving his readers several tools for making critical judgments about what makes some films better than others.

A guiding theme of the book, that lends continuity to each of the chapters and to the book as a whole, is Gianetti's emphasis on a distinction between the "realist" and the "classicist" and the "formalist" tendencies in film. In his chapter on story, among other helpful analyses of narrative styles and the formation and development of genres of film storytelling, he also explains what one would expect from a realist approach to storytelling versus a classicist (i.e. mainstream Hollywood) style versus a formalist approach. He similarly discusses realist and formalist approaches to editing and composition and acting and sound. This basic distinction turns out to be the key to understanding a wide range of differences between approaches to film.

While he doesn't go into film theory directly, he points out where some of the critical ideas he raises have provoked controversy among film theorists, and he is able to capture clearly the key ideas that are debated by film theorists without in any way bogging the text down in jargon. He maintains througout an emphasis on what might be called first-level film analysis -- before we can apply theory to films, before we can reflect on the nature of film, or on the deeper meanings of films, we really do need to learn how to get clear about what is on the surface: what is happening on the screen and in the sound and in the story, and why. While there are other good introductory film books out there that focus on different aspects of film (like Bordwell's Film Art), I really can't imagine a better guide than Gianetti's to getting clear about what is there on the surface. Highly recommended for those interested in the nature of film.

"Understanding Movies" is an excellent primer book for anyone starting to learn the art of film. It is not a book that tells you why certain films are great, or why some are inferior. Rather, its objective is for the readers to acquire a good awareness of film art so they will be able to form their own opinions about the films they see. The book is comprised of 11 chapters which can be read out of sequence: Photography, Mise en Scene, Movement, Editing, Sound, Acting, Drama, Story, Literature, Ideology, Theory. Every chapter begins with an short overview (abstract) that points out the key ideas in the chapter, then it proceeds to elaborate on them. Emphases are made not just on the technical aspects of film-making, but artistic ones as well. For instance, the chapter on photography discusses not only things like f/stop, aperture, and exposure, but also how photography can achieve certain dramatic and psychological effects.

Without any hint of snobbery, the book uses examples from all kinds of films, from revered classics to recent box-office hits, to illustrate aspects of the art form. For instance, it cites James Cameron's TITANIC as an example of a filmmaker's subtle use of different flesh tones to evoke a sense of optimism or doom.

The chapter on "Ideology" was not available on some earlier editions. It provides a fascinating discussion on how movies often contain either implicit or explicit political leanings, religious beliefs, ethical values, and other allusions that reflect the attitudes of the filmmakers. It also includes a discussion on portrayals of gays and lesbians in films.

The book is replete with still photos from movies, each accompanied with a wonderful caption that serves as a mini-analysis of a certain aspect of the movie itself, so that readers can get a quick lesson on film art. Illustrations that stand out include: a series of screenshots from the Odessa Staircase sequence in THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN, storyboards from the crop-dusting scene in NORTH BY NORTHWEST, a shot-by-shot analysis of a scene from Hitchcock's SABOTAGE that demonstrates that sometimes an actor's performance can be made more effective when his or her face is unseen.

This is not a film review book. You won't see capsule reviews, cast biography, production history, etc. written about every single movie. This book does cite from about 300 films, but it only uses them as examples for discussing certain aspects of film art. It often assumes the readers have already seen the films in question. That brings up my biggest concern: the book often gives away plot details of the movies it discusses. To compensate for that, a lot of films cited by the book are popular hits that have likely been seen by most people, such as PRETTY WOMAN, TITANIC, DIE HARD, etc.

Each new edition of the book differs from earlier ones mainly in the selection of still photos. Newer editions contain more stills from recent films. The first three editions came out in 1971, '75, and '80 respectively. Hence, if you want to see more coverage of, say, films made in the 70s, be sure to get at least the 3rd edition or later.

Last but not least, the book ends with a comprehensive appraisal of CITIZEN KANE that (a) analyzes the movie itself, (b) serves as a grand summation for the book, and most importantly, (c) invites the reader to apply all the knowledge gained from the book to becoming a more astute film viewer.

And put it back together again.
There are many good books on the market that specialize one or two aspects if films and/or the film industry. However this book "Understanding Movies" by Louis Giannnetti, takes you from near ground zero to a good understanding of such aspects as:
Photography
Mise en Scène (pronounced meez on sen, with the second syllable nasalized)
Movement
Editing
Sound
Acting
Drama
Story
Literature
Ideology
Theory
The films used for examples range from classics to contemporary. You will have seen most if not all of them. The author did not go off in some mission to describe some weird out of the way movie. This helps you focus on the subject being discussed.
A side benefit is that this book is a great picture book to remember your favorite movie and occasionally the one you missed.

I bought and read the original version of this book way back in the 1970s, when I was a student of Lou Giannetti. It was then, and is now, THE standard text on which all others must be evaluated. It covers all aspects of film. Be aware, however, the book is intended for students of cinema, rather than someone with simply a casual interest in movies. On the other hand, this book (as well as the many courses I took from Lou as a graduate student in the early 1970s) gave me such a broad knowledge of film, that I can appreciate movies on an aesthetic level as well as simply enjoying them on TV on a Saturday afternoon. That is the gift that this book gives one. My one disappointment is that the book is so expensive that most people interested in film probably will not buy it -- unless being forced to as a student. By the way, I have my original first edition, which probably cost less than $10, and is still quite useful today.

Giannetti's book is an excellent and very comprehensive resource for anyone interested in the art of filmmaking. Countless films (both classic and modern) from around the globe are dissected and illustrated throughout the book alongside each chapter's content, and I found the material as entertaining and interesting as it was informative. As a novice in the field, I learned plenty about the art of creating films and I gained a newfound respect for many popular and obscure titles. I applaud Giannetti for writing such a detailed, yet readable textbook and would recommend this book to all students, teachers, and general film enthusiasts.

This was the text book I studied from in college (CSULA), many years ago. This was the second edition of the book, but if the later editions are any thing like this one, then they are worth having in your library for reference and study. Be forewarned though, that this book is not for the faint-of-heart. It is a text book and as such, it can be quite dry. However, of the text books that I kept from college, it is the only one I keep in the living room along with my other more recent books. And I pull it out to look up stuff, particularly when watching old "classic" movies or when I am curious about a particular film technique.

Please note that I was neither a "film major" nor did I work in the "film industry", nevertheless, the text is thorough.

There is no shortage of comprehensive textbook tomes in this competitive market (several new ones have appeared since this 8th edition). But Giannetti achieves the "right" level of diction, readability, and detail whereas the other books tend to disappoint more frequently. Some are simply too obvious, unacademic, unselective in use of illustrations and others too weighted down by film jargon left over from graduate school. Even if Giannetti's distinction between "formalism" and "expression" occasionally seems difficult and overly arbitrary, it provides his overview with a focus that is lacking in the competition.

This is an essential book for students of cinema. It does one thing and it does it quite well: it introduces you to the language of film analysis, the categories that critics use to analyze a film. It doesn't try to cover film technology or history.

I totally agree with the other reviewer that the new editions are completely unnecessary, and serve only to destroy the market for used copies. Buy one of the older editions unless it's for a college class and you need the same edition as the class.

I think this book is very informative on techniques of film making, but it seems a bit bias when it comes to directors and films. He tends to dislike many directors and films, and openly speak about it. I believe the viewers should make that decision themselves!

This book was the fountain of knowledge when I first started movie making. The first three chapters are really technical. I still review it from time to time to refresh my memory, and I'd recommended to anyone intersted in movies, and movie making especially. This book is kind of thorough, but I think it discusses frame and composition real deep.

This book is excellently written. Louis Giannetti explains film terms in easy to understand language. His book has lots of examples and covers many great movies. I bought this book for a class but I am keeping it because it was a great read - this is not something you hear everyday about a textbook!