This volume can rightfully be called "a film school in a single book." Investigating and analyzing the elements and concepts of motion picture creation, this book looks closely at 25 films that represent a wide range of styles and subjects.Although most motion picture viewers have seen numerous movies in their lifetime, few in the general public have a firm and deep understanding of how motion pictures are created, or a grasp of the intricacies of cinematic storytelling and content. By presenting 25 films, American and international, Hollywood and independent, this book educates and enlightens readers about the details of the motion picture creation process.Some readers will have viewed certain films in the volume, but many will be introduced to major cinematic works within the canon of great and essential films for the very first time. Topics explored include animation, period films, editing, directorial style, and non-linear cinematic structure. Readers will learn about the origin of the jump cut in Breathless, time and space in Hiroshima Mon Amour, and the editing in Orson Welles's essay film F is for Fake. The Art and Craft of Motion Pictures: 25 Movies to Make You Film Literate will educate the novice and avid moviegoer alike about the inner workings of this dynamic, popular, and culturally significant art form.

AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1 Editing Choreography in an Autobiographical Film: All That JazzChapter 2 The Ultimate Period Film: Barry LyndonChapter 3 The Origin of the Creative Jump Cut: BreathlessChapter 4 Surrealism David Lynch Style: EraserheadChapter 5 Nonfiction, Diary, Essay Filmmaking, and Editing as a Magician's Tool: F for FakeChapter 6 Remakes: The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), Flight of the Phoenix (2004)Chapter 7 The Documentary as an Investigative Tool: Gimme ShelterChapter 8 Time and Space: Hiroshima Mon AmourChapter 9 Fantasy as Reality: King Kong (1933)Chapter 10 Destruction of the Well-Made Hollywood Movie: The Last MovieChapter 11 The Adult Film as Art Film: The Lickerish QuartetChapter 12 Birth of the Independent Cinema: Little FugitiveChapter 13 Parallel Storytelling, Character Connections: MagnoliaChapter 14 Mental State as Narrative: MementoChapter 15 Teamwork On and Off the Screen: Our Daily BreadChapter 16 Tempo, Content, and Directorial Style: PickpocketChapter 17 Nonlinear Structure: Pulp FictionChapter 18 The Camera as Instigator: SecondsChapter 19 The Graphic Novel Comes Cinematically Alive: Sin CityChapter 20 The Perfect Silent Film: SunriseChapter 21 Tatami Camera Style: Tokyo StoryChapter 22 The Tall Tale: The Treasure of the Sierra MadreChapter 23 The Essential Road Movie: Two-Lane BlacktopChapter 24 The 45 Minute and 56 Second Shot: WavelengthChapter 25 Stranger in a Strange Land: Exploring the Possibilities of the Detective Film: WitnessGlossaryBibliographyIndex