A Chronology of Film by Ian Haydn Smith

A Chronology of Film

A Cultural Timeline From the Magic Lantern to the Digital Screen

Ian Haydn Smith

WW Norton · Print & ebook · May 27, 2025

An entirely new and delightful perspective on the history of cinema, this illustrated volume uses timelines to trace its development from the earliest moving images to now.

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Who it’s for
Timelines connect film milestones with technical, social, and artistic change.
Themes
Cinema history, Film and society, Technical innovation
Genres
Film History

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About this book

An entirely new and delightful perspective on the history of cinema, this illustrated volume uses timelines to trace its development from the earliest moving images to now. A Chronology of Film presents a fresh perspective on the medium by tracing the complex links between technical innovations, social changes, and artistic interventions in the order that they occurred.

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Organized around a central timeline that charts the development of film from the earliest moving images to present-day blockbusters, this volume features key films, film commentaries, and contextual information about the period in which they were produced. By revealing the social, political, and cultural environments in which these films were created, this book reveals new insights into great directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Federico Fellini, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Jane Campion, Barry Jenkins, Pedro Almodo´var, and Bong Joon-ho and films such as Bonnie and Clyde, The Godfather, Moonlight, and Parasite. The book features lavish film stills, commentaries, and lively “In Focus” features with information about the social, stylistic, technical, political, and cultural events of each period.

Cinema on a Timeline

Timelines connect film milestones with technical, social, and artistic change.

Come here for

  • A central timeline from early moving images to today
  • Commentaries on key films

Expect

  • Context on the periods in which films were produced
  • In Focus features on social, stylistic, technical, political, and cultural events

Where it sits

Film History97%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Film & Video Art
  • Film & Cinema
  • Film Guides & Reviews
Authors
Ian Haydn Smith
Publisher
WW Norton
Published
May 27, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Cinema history · Film and society · Technical innovation
Reading lane
Film & Video Art