What is "Film Theory," Really?

This video lecture explains what "film theory" is by distinguishing it from "film history" and "film analysis."
The video then explains the difference between "classical film theory" and "contemporary film theory," and then provides a look at how the questions of classical film theory--what is film? how is it distinct from the other arts?--are already explored in the era of early cinema long before the major works of film theory were written.
For the playlist for the entire Film Theory course series of lectures, see: • Walter Benjamin, Polit...

[@carlmurphy2416]

Interesting how the questions asked in early film theory can be applied (and are now being applied) to video games.

[@tonibcnn]

you are the greatest teacher of film theory on the internet.thank you very mich for your classes they are really useful for my own!
Do you reccommend a contemporary book that does a kind of abstract of the current situation of film theory?
Thank you!

[@filmandmediastudieschannel]

hey thanks for saying so! here are a few books that come to mind. Richard Rushton has two books that are useful. One is called What is Film Theory? and the other is called The Reality of Film: Theories of Filmic Reality. Both are very good IMO.
A somewhat unconventional book that fits your description is Elsaesser and Haegener's Film Theory: An Introduction through the Senses.
Also good is Robert Stam's Film Theory: An Introduction, though despite its title, and maybe its intention, I'd say it's the most advanced and difficult.
If you want to get deep into one particular branch of film theory, I'd recommend the Bloomsbury books called Film Theory in Practice, e.g. "Realist Film Theory and Bicycle Thieves." From what I've read, these are smart and thorough and fairly accessible. Anna Kornbluh's contribution on Fight Club and Marxist Film Theory for instance is actually just a really smart and thorough introduction to Marxism, period.

[@tonibcnn]

Thank you very much, that's really useful :)@@filmandmediastudieschannel

[@tonibcnn]

@filmanmediastudieschannel The comment was deleted, I don't know why, and I cannot see anymore the references you commented

[@BabakBahmani]

🙏Thank You, It was FANTASTIC.

[@sanjinv]

Thank you for the excellent video! Could you insert the link to the course videos in the description?

[@filmandmediastudieschannel]

thanks! you can now find the playlist for the entire Film Theory course in the description. a good idea!

[@sanjinv]

@@filmandmediastudieschannel Great, thank you so much! This is very helpful for us newcomers! 👌

[@omarsherief5690]

Thank you❤️🙏

[@suuluc9379]

Hi, thank you for this amazing video!! I will be analyzing Fritz Lang's Metrepolis and Bong- Joon-ho's Parasite under marxist film theory for comparative analysis. However I am not sure about Metrepolis since it came out in 1927 and Marxist film Theory can be considered as contemporary. Do you think analyzing Metrepolis would be a wrong? Thank you,

[@filmandmediastudieschannel]

That's a good question, but generally it's ok to apply a theory to a text that historically precedes the theoretical writing itself, because the aim of theoretical interpretation is not really to show that the theory directly 'influenced' the text. Theory (say, Marxism or psychoanalysis) is a way of explaining something fundamental about the world (say, about how economic systems reflect our values and beliefs, or about how our desires our shaped by our experiences as infants) and films can be read through those forms of explanation.

[@ruthhermosura460]

Me as an MA Film Studies major: Film Theory gives me a headache

[@filmandmediastudieschannel]

you're not alone!