WHEELER WINSTON DIXON is the James Ryan Professor Emeritus of Film Studies at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He is the author of many books, including Black and White Cinema: A Short History (Rutgers University Press), and an internationally known experimental filmmaker.GWENDOLYN AUDREY FOSTER is Willa Cather Professor Emerita of Film Studies at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She is an award winning experimental filmmaker and a prolific author.

"This is the film history book we've been waiting for." - David Sterritt (chairman, National Society of Film Critics) "A Short History of Film is a comprehensive and detailed overview of the last 100 years of international film history. It will prove to be a useful reference tool for all students of film, both in and out of the classroom." - Paula J. Massood (Brooklyn College, CUNY) "A new history of international film at an affordable price. Nothing like those text book prices for a change. Includes perspectives on women and minorities in film along with innovations in technology, genres, studios, and conglomerates." - Stephanie Ogle (Cinema Books) "This excellent introduction stands out in a crowded field with its lively, accessible writing, broad coverage, and particular focus on traditionally marginalized figures in film history. . . . Illustrations abound, and even the best-versed cineaste will find new films to track down after reading the breezy, enthusiastic analysis in this book. Highly recommended for all collections, this text would also make an excellent textbook for introductory film-studies courses." (Library Journal, starred review) "With the goal of offering 'a fast paced tour' of movie history, Dixon and Foster have produced a study in the tradition of Paul Rotha's The Film till Now. The authors touch all the bases-they address new trends in international moviemaking, technologies, and critical theory and the emergence of new national and ethnic cinemas-and relate film history to social history. Each new technique, style, school, trend, and newly visible ethnic or feminist group takes its place in the larger history, and Dixon and Foster make it all accessible to the neophyte reader without ever breaking the pace. Uncommonly well-reproduced stills and a topically organized bibliography enhance the discussion. Highly recommended." (Choice) "Significant University Press Titles for Undergraduates, 2012-2013" (Choice) "A comprehensive and detailed overview of the last 100 years of international film history-what to watch while 'sheltering-in-place!'" (LitHub)

• CONTENTSAcknowledgmentsTimeline 1832–20121          The Invention of the Movies2          The Birth of an American Industry3          World Cinema: The Silent Era4          The Hollywood Studio System in the 1930s and 1940s5          International Cinema through World War II6          Postwar Challenges to the Movies7          World Cinema in the 1950s8          The 1960s Explosion9          World Cinema 1970 to the Present10        The New HollywoodGlossary of Film TermsBibliographyIndex