Feature  Films  As  History

Editor:  KRM  Short
Published  by  Croom  Helm, 
London,  1981 
Price:  Approx. R21.95 

192pp. 

Represented  in South  Africa
by Oxford University  Press
ISBN  0-7099-0459-2

Film presents  enormous  possibilities  to historians  both  as a
source  of historical  evidence and  as a focus  for  study  in its
own right.

Bringing  together  the work  of  7 leading  film historians, this
book  illustrates  the breadth  of methodological  approaches  adopted
by  the  field  and  the variety  of  its  interests.  It  considers
feature  films  in particular, showing  their potential  as histori-
cal  source material, and  discussing  how they provide a  clearer
understanding  of  the societies  and  intellectual  trends  they  both
reflected  and  affected.  By using  films as historical  documents,
the articles  demonstrate  how  important  new insights may  be gain-
ed  into  the history  of the Soviet  Union, France, Germany, Great
Britain  and  the United  States.

Dealing with  a  period  from about  1924-1945, the book  provides
both detailed  in-depth  studies and a general  introduction  on  the
variety  and problems  of  the type of documentation  appropriate
to the study  of film history.  As  such, the book  will  be wel-
comed by  social  and cultural  historians, as well  as by  students
of film and  film historians.

K.R.M.  Short  is senior  lecturer  in History  at Westminster  College,
Oxford.  His  contributors  are drawn mainly  from  film studies.