Abstract

Written with college and university students in mind, the essays in R. J. Cardullo’s "Required Screening: Fifteen Must-See Films for the Art-House Connoisseur, 1924-1980" cover some of the central films treated—and central issues raised—in today’s cinema courses and provide students with practical models to help them improve their own writing and analytical skills. "Required Screening" is aimed not only at students, however: it is also directed at teachers and cinephiles with an interest in world cinema in particular and cinema studies in general, as well as at those educated or cultured readers with an interest in the practice of film analysis and criticism. This casebook is geographically diverse, with ten countries represented: Germany, Russia, the United States, France, Italy, Sweden, Japan, India, Cuba, and Australia. Among the films and directors treated are Battleship Potemkin, Rashomon, Truffaut, Fellini, Apocalypse Now, The Blue Angel, Bergman, Satyajit Ray, La notte, Memories of Underdevelopment, Chaplin, and Murnau. Moreover, the essays in "Required Screening" are clear and readable—that is, sophisticated and meaty yet not overly technical or jargon-heavy. This makes them perfect introductions to their respective films as well as important contributions to the field of film studies in general. In addition, the book’s critical apparatus features credits, images, bibliographies for all films discussed as well as a general bibliography, filmographies for all the directors, a glossary of film terms, a guide to film analysis, and a list of topics for writing and discussion, together with a thoroughgoing index.