Description
Book SynopsisA great movie’s first few minutes provide the key to the rest of the film. In
Cinematic Overtures, Annette Insdorf discusses the opening sequence, inviting viewers to turn first impressions into deeper understanding of cinematic technique. She offers a series of revelatory readings of individual films by some of cinema’s leading directors.
Trade ReviewCinematic Overtures is about openings; it serves as an opening to a much wider field of films. It is, therefore, a kind of overture itself. It's surprising that nobody has thought to do this before, and it leads to a fascinating subject ripe for in-depth discussion. This book's strengths lie in the erudition Annette Insdorf brings to the subject, her extensive experience of writing about and teaching film, and the precision of her formal analysis. -- Ed Sikov, author of Film Studies: An Introduction
Table of ContentsPreface
1. The Crafted Frame (Saul Bass,
Talk to Her,
Knife in the Water,
Camouflage)
2. The Opening Translated from Literature (
The Conformist,
The Tin Drum,
The Unbearable Lightness of Being,
All the President’s Men,
Cabaret)
3. Narrative Within the Frame: Mise-en-Scene and the Long Take (
Touch of Evil,
The Player,
Aguirre: The Wrath of God,
The Piano,
Bright Star,
In Darkness)
4. Narrative Between the Frames: Montage (
Z;
Hiroshima, mon amour;
Seven Beauties;
Schindler’s List;
Three Colors: Red;
The Shipping News;
Shine)
5. Singular Point of View (
The Graduate,
Taxi Driver,
Apocalypse Now,
Come and See,
Lebanon,
Good Kill)
6. The Collective Protagonist (
La Ciudad,
3 Backyards,
Little Miss Sunshine,
Le Bal,
Day for Night,
A Separation,
Where Do We Go Now?)
7. Misdirection/Visual Narration (
The Hourglass Sanatorium,
Before the Rain,
Ajami,
Under Fire,
The Conversation,
Rising Sun,
Psycho,
The Truman Show)
8. Voice-Over Narration/Flashback (
Sunset Boulevard,
American Beauty,
Fight Club,
Badlands)
Notes
Index
Color Plates
