Film and Radio Guide (Oct 1945-Jun 1946)

January, J^946 FILM AND RADIO GUIDE 19 WHAT SHALL WE READ ABOUT THE MOVIES? A Guide to the Many Books about Motion Pictures: Their History, Science, Industry, Art, Future — Compiled as an Aid to Photoplay Appreciation. BY WILLIAM LEWIN, Ph.D. Department of Secondary Teochers, National Education Association Books about motion pictures have multiplied rapidly. Today a complete library of such books would include more than a thousand volumes. However, because of the creative evolution through which screen art has been passing, many of these volumes are either obsolete or obsolescent. Accordingly, what the compiler of the present bibliography did was to peruse practically all the books in the field — old and new, good and bad — and then make a descriptive list of the books worth reading today. Twelve years ago the compiler prepared a list of 116 books in this field. So rapidly have conditions changed that only 8 of these books are retained in the present list and 65 are added. A few years hence, some of these newer books will probably not be worth retaining in the list, and some fine new books will have to be added.-*The photoplay is indeed a creative evolution. Reference Books The best reference books on the motion-picture industry are those of Alicoate (21*) and Ramsaye (35). The Americana Annual and the Britannica Book of the Year (2 and 13) provide the best yearly summaries of '■'The number given in parenthesis after each name refers to the numerical listing of the book in the annotated bibliography which follows. film product and film events. For Visual Educators The best books on visual education are those of Uent (8) and Hoban (73). For High-School Students The writings of the following will appeal to students of highschool age: Bendick (41), Brooker (65), Child (55), Disney (10), Feild (6), Gale (34), Riesling (67), Lewis (39), Look Editors (48), Pryor (37), Ramsaye (45), Strasser (1), and Wenger (40). For Technical Readers Technical information about movies is most readably presented in the books of Eisenstein (22), Hubbell (70), Ricketson (42), Ross (64), Simon (38) , and Wing (66) . Histories of the Screen The story of the development of the screen may be found in the volumes of Bardeche (30), Hampton (31), Hardy (53), Jacobs (60), Ramsaye (44), and Rotha (49). Biographical Accounts Among the more interesting biographical and autobiographical volumes are those of Barry (27), DeMille (32), Feild (6), Lancaster (36), and Powell (72). Th ree Classics Three books read and re-read by thoughtful cinema students are those of Lindsay (5) , Muensterberg (54), and Pudovkin (51). 1. AMATEUR MOVIES AND HOW TO MAKE THEM. By Alex Sfrasser. New York: The Studio Publications, Inc., 1937. Pp. 80, with 16 figures and 31 tipped-in plates. The most charming and deluxe pre-war book of its kind. Printed in large type, a visual delight, yet practical in content. An ideal gift to an amateur movie-maker. Simplifies all the technical and artistic principles and devices of cinema. 2. AMERICANA ANNUAL. A. H. McDannald, Editor. New York; Americana Corporation. Published annually. This yearbook, which supplements the E)icyclopedia Americana, one of America’s great reference books, includes each year, in addition to encyclopedic reviews of events of the year, a notable illustrated article on motion-picture developments of the year, usually prepared in scholarly and critical style by Philip T. H a r t u n g, motion-picture critic of The Commonweal, leading Catholic cultural periodical. 3. AMERICAN THEATER, THE. By John Anderson. Together with THE MOTION PICTURE IN AMERICA. By Rene Fulop-Miller. New York: The Dial Press, 1938. Pp. 430, copiously illustrated. This beautiful volume, containing concise histories of the stage-play and of the photoplay