Cinema ― Concept & Practice

In this unique study of the process of filmmaking, director Edward Dmytryk blends abstract film theory and the practical realities of feature film production to provide an artful and elegant analysis of the conceptual foundations of filmmaking and film studies. Dmytryk explores the technical principles underlying the craft of filmmaking and how their use is effective in developing the viewer’s involvement in the cinematic narrative.

Originally published in 1988, this reissue of Dmytryk’s classic book includes a new critical introduction by Joe McElhaney.

Edward Dmytryk (1908-1999) was an Oscar-nominated American filmmaker, educator, and writer. Over an acclaimed forty-year filmmaking career, Dmytryk directed over fifty award-winning films, including Crossfire (1947), The Caine Mutiny (1954), Raintree County (1957), and The Young Lions (1958). Entering academic in the 1970s, Dmytryk lectured on both film and directing, first at the University of Texas at Austin and later at the University of Southern California. He is the author of several classic books on the art of filmmaking, including On Film Editing, On Screen Directing, On Screen Writing, On Screen Acting, and Cinema: Concept & Practice, all published by Focal Press/Routledge.

Joe McElhaney (contributor) is the author of The Death of Classical Cinema: Hitchcock, Lang, Minnelli (2006) and Albert Maysles (2009), and the editor of Vincente Minnelli: The Art of Entertainment (2009) and A Companion to Fritz Lang (2015). His numerous publications in major film journals and edited volumes include essays on the work of Howard Hawks, Preston Sturges, Roman Polanski, Chris Marker, and R.W. Fassbinder. He is Professor of Film Studies at Hunter College of the City University of New York.