CINEMA YEAR BY YEAR

review by

Mike Nappa

CINEMA YEAR BY YEAR: The Complete Illustrated History of Film

edited by Robyn Karney

(DK Publishing)

Reader Appeal: Film Fans of All Ages

Genre: Reference / Film

Did you know that one of the first short films ever copyrighted was simply a man named Fred Ott who sneezed at the camera? Or that creative makeup artists made Boris Karloff look 18 inches taller and 65 pounds heavier for his now-classic role as the Frankenstein monster?

How about this: Did you know that he screenwriter for 1960's sword-and-sandals epic, Spartacus, was actually blacklisted by Hollywood brass, and that Spartacus was the first film in which he was allowed to receive writer's credit after being blacklisted? Or that Spartacus featured over 8,000 Spaniards as "extras" in the film (which was shot on location in Madrid, Spain)?

And, just for good measure, did you know that 2000's surprise hit, foreign language film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, was actuallly based on a book written nearly 70 years before, a 1930s novel written by author Wang Du Lu.

Well, you would know all these wonderful facts - and more - if you had a copy of Cinema Year By Year on the coffee table of your home. Oversized and presented in a prestige format that includes an abundance of full-color photos, this new tome is a welcome addition to the history of film. Beginning in 1894 and continuing through 2006, is it jam-packed with everything the budding cinephile in your family could hope for.

Each section in this book is organized by year, with a summary/overview that includes Academy Award Winners and important events in film history that occurred during that year. Next come the real treasures: reprints of news stories and reviews of highlighted films that were run when the movie in question first came out. Reading initial reactions to classics like Hitchcock's Psycho or recent pop culture events like The Lord of the Rings is simply fascinating, and provides an interesting cultural glimpse of American media through the decades.

In all, there is enough trivia and insight in these pages to keep you flipping through pages for hours and hours at a time. Accessible for nearly any reader, yet thorough enough for a true student of the movie industry, this delightful reference book will inspire, educate, and entertain. Easily recommended for the film fans in your house.

FAMILYFANS RATING:  A

 --MN