by Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994, 860 p., ill., ISBN 0-07-006449-0 (hardcover), 0-07-006445-8 (paperback)

The ideal companion to Bordwell and Thompson's bestseller Film Art: An Introduction (now in its fourth edition; a fifth one is forthcoming), this awesome compendium of the current knowledge in film history fulfills a double purpose. First, it provides the reader with a compact yet crystal-clear summary on the first hundred years of cinema, complete with annotated bibliographies and discussions of several open questions in the field. In doing so, the authors had in mind the fact that no comprehensive and updated manual on film history was available to English-speaking students. A second, admittedly more ambitious aim of the book is to challenge a widespread opinion, according to which - given the spectacular developments in the field and its extreme sectorialization - a comprehensive history of cinema can no longer be written. Judging from the results, the answer suggested by this book is clear: a general history of cinema may well be beyond the abilities of single individuals, yet a historical profile of the medium can (and, indeed, must) be written. The much necessary effort to fill the many gaps in our knowledge should not prevent from trying to grasp the overall implications of what has been accomplished so far.

Predictably enough, several attempts in this direction have been made as the so-called Centennial of cinema was approaching; Robert Sklar's History of Cinema (New York: Knopf, 1993) and the forthcoming Oxford History of Cinema by Geoffrey Nowell-Smith are two remarkable symptoms of this trend. While it is far too early to evaluate the comparative impact of such works on the film studies community, some distinctive aspects of Film History: An Introduction are worth pointing out. The most evident one is the sheer amount of information and analysis on the films the authors have actually seen, about three thousand if one looks at the index of titles. Virtually all the illustrations in the book are frame enlargements from actual prints. If this somehow diminishes the visual appeal of the layout (some degree of improvement in printing quality - especially in the color plates - may be felt as desirable in a future edition of the book), it also gives an unprecedented feel of authenticity and directness of concept, showing that Film History: An Introduction was written in the screening room and in front of the viewing table as much as at the computer keyboard; this is not a history of cinema based solely on existing written sources, as most of the predecing works have been.

Equally crucial is the sense that the authors have regarded their enterprise as a collaborative effort between scholarship and film archives (the book is dedicated to Gabrielle Claes, director of the Royal Film Archive in Brussels). Bordwell and Thompson have visited film collections and festivals all over the world, paying much attention to the most neglected aspects of film production in developing countries, revising and often challenging common assumptions about film canons, representative works, monuments of cinephile culture. In doing so, they have contextualized the historical tradition within the framework of the many recent discoveries made by the archives in the last decades. It is refreshing to see the names of Georg af Klercker and John Randolph Bray together with those of Mauritz Stiller and Walt Disney, an unquestionable indication of the fact that the relentless and often unrewarding effort made by film archives of every continent in the preservation of our visual heritage has not been done in vain.

As Thompson and Bordwell point out, every history "will be modified in the light of further research. Part of the excitement of film history as an activity of inquiry is that every attempt to make sense of it is open to continuous revision and renewal". It could be argued that some sections of the book may deserve further development, and that a few factual details ought to be revised; on a more general level, the limited space attributed to documentary cinema is in itself an indicator of the need for a large-scale effort on this topic (the recent Amsterdam Workshop and the forthcoming 1995 Pordenone Silent Film Festival, both devoted to nonfiction, are signs of a renewed attention to the subject). The acknowledgment of these unexplored fields, however, increases the value of this staggering display of well-organized and brilliantly displayed information. Concentrating so much in a single volume is in itself a spectacular feat. The effort in accomplishing it with the neutrality required to a textbook can be felt in its controlled, somehow dry prose. Still, the jargon-free language and the relentless labor for clarity of concept make sure that every chapter is perceived more as an invitation to further research rather than a take-it-or-leave-it, authoritarian approach to the subject.

From such standpoint, Film History: An Introduction has the unique merit of transmitting a sincere enthusiasm for research, so contagious that a whole new generation of historians is likely to spring from this body of stimulating insights, rediscovered territories, unanswered questions. Thanks to its fertility, film history as a discipline makes a major, exciting leap forward. (Paolo Cherchi Usai)