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Rating: 
Summary: Thorough and Meticulous Guide
Review: For those who wish to extend beyond the wisdom of the typical movie buff -- knowing how much a particular film grossed; memorizing the dialogue of a film word for word; spotting discrepancies in plots -- this book is for you. Do you know how films came to be? Who and what were the catalysts that aided the popularity of the motion picture industry? What's the story on the current Hollywood studios? Although sometimes tedious, this book is the complete guide for those who are curious about both motion pictures and the interesting history that entails.
Rating:
Summary: much more than "the definitive work"
Review: Isn't this more than "the definitive work"? One could imagine its insights and grand scope to be inspiring and instructive for the later reflections that were to shape the concerns that became the American Museum of the Moving Image. As in along the lines that society shapes the individuals who shape society, we have here no less than "media shaped culture". Forwards, or backwards to the future, these illuminations give us sober pause to consider those powers -- and so by extension -- to be afraid of our forthcoming "videogame savageries". When you and I look back to those early inventions which are now mirrored by today's electronic magic, we might be both tickled and informed -- and afraid for Columbine.
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Summary: Perfect
Review: Sklar's Movie Made America was assigned as my textbook for a film class I just finished here at UCLA. At first I thought it to be a bit boring, especially because I thought it was just repeating what the professor had discussed in class. However, when I truly began to appreciate this book and take the time to read every word, I realized that Sklar not only presents the facts, but synthesizes the history of American cinema in innovative and interesting contexts. He discusses the way that film, from its start, has changed America as a social body, as a political body, as an economic body, and as a body in of itself. Certain chapters were intriguing because they took standpoints different than any other author. And while the words are a bit dated, last revised over 10 years ago, it still has a spooky sense of relevance. Overall, a wonderful book. If you're interested in the history of American film, here you go. I'm not selling this one back to the bookstore during Buy-Back time. That's for sure.
Rating:
Summary: Great Classic work
Review: This is a must read in the social and cultural history of American cinema.
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