Charles Musser – författare

The Documentary Film Reader brings together an expansive range of writing by scholars, critics, historians, and filmmakers to provide a stimulating foundational text for students and others who want to undertake study of nonfiction film. While documentary has long been a mainstay of universities and cinematheques, its popularity of late has grown tenfold as reality television has flourished and as the ranks of novice filmmakers have swelled. There are now dozens of film festivals dedicated exclusively to documentaries. This reader presents an international perspective on the most significant developments and debates from several decades of critical writing about documentary. It integrates historical and theoretical approaches, offering a collection that is particularly well suited to meet the needs of large undergraduate survey courses on nonfiction film, as well as providing sufficient depth for graduate classes.

The Documentary Film Reader brings together an expansive range of writing by scholars, critics, historians, and filmmakers to provide a stimulating foundational text for students and others who want to undertake study of nonfiction film. While documentary has long been a mainstay of universities and cinematheques, its popularity of late has grown tenfold as reality television has flourished and as the ranks of novice filmmakers have swelled. There are now dozens of film festivals dedicated exclusively to documentaries. This reader presents an international perspective on the most significant developments and debates from several decades of critical writing about documentary. It integrates historical and theoretical approaches, offering a collection that is particularly well suited to meet the needs of large undergraduate survey courses on nonfiction film, as well as providing sufficient depth for graduate classes.

Oscar Micheaux—the most prolific African American filmmaker to date and a filmmaking giant of the silent period—has finally found his rightful place in film history. Both artist and showman, Micheaux stirred controversy in his time as he confronted issues such as lynching, miscegenation, peonage and white supremacy, passing, and corruption among black clergymen. In this important collection, prominent scholars examine Micheaux's surviving silent films, his fellow producers of race films who alternately challenged or emulated his methods, and the cultural activities that surrounded and sustained these achievements. The relationship between black film and both the stage (particularly the Lafayette Players) and the black press, issues of underdevelopment, and a genealogy of Micheaux scholarship, as well as extensive and more accurate filmographies, give a richly textured portrait of this era. The essays will fascinate the general public as well as scholars in the fields of film studies, cultural studies, and African American history. This thoroughly readable collection is a superb reference work lavishly illustrated with rare photographs.

Oscar Micheaux—the most prolific African American filmmaker to date and a filmmaking giant of the silent period—has finally found his rightful place in film history. Both artist and showman, Micheaux stirred controversy in his time as he confronted issues such as lynching, miscegenation, peonage and white supremacy, passing, and corruption among black clergymen. In this important collection, prominent scholars examine Micheaux's surviving silent films, his fellow producers of race films who alternately challenged or emulated his methods, and the cultural activities that surrounded and sustained these achievements. The relationship between black film and both the stage (particularly the Lafayette Players) and the black press, issues of underdevelopment, and a genealogy of Micheaux scholarship, as well as extensive and more accurate filmographies, give a richly textured portrait of this era. The essays will fascinate the general public as well as scholars in the fields of film studies, cultural studies, and African American history. This thoroughly readable collection is a superb reference work lavishly illustrated with rare photographs.

The origins of motion picture technologies are described and analyzed by Charles Musser in this lavishly illustrated volume. He considers social and economic as well as aesthetic aspects of the beginnings of movie making.

Presidential campaigns of the twenty-first century were not the first to mobilize an array of new media forms in efforts to gain electoral victory. In Politicking and Emergent Media, distinguished historian Charles Musser looks at four US presidential campaigns during the long 1890s (1888-1900) as Republicans and Democrats deployed a variety of media forms to promote their candidates and platforms. New York-the crucial swing state as well as the home of Wall Street, Tammany Hall, and prominent media industries-became the site of intense struggle as candidates argued over trade issues, currency standards, and a new overseas empire. If the city's leading daily newspapers were mostly Democratic as the decade began, Republicans eagerly exploited alternative media opportunities. Using the stereopticon (a modernized magic lantern), they developed the first campaign documentaries. Soon they were exploiting motion pictures, the phonograph, and telephone in surprising and often successful ways. Brimming with rich historical details, Musser's remarkable tale reveals the political forces driving the emergence of modern media.

Presidential campaigns of the twenty-first century were not the first to mobilize an array of new media forms in efforts to gain electoral victory. In Politicking and Emergent Media, distinguished historian Charles Musser looks at four US presidential campaigns during the long 1890s (1888-1900) as Republicans and Democrats deployed a variety of media forms to promote their candidates and platforms. New York - the crucial swing state as well as the home of Wall Street, Tammany Hall, and prominent media industries-became the site of intense struggle as candidates argued over trade issues, currency standards, and a new overseas empire. If the city's leading daily newspapers were mostly Democratic as the decade began, Republicans eagerly exploited alternative media opportunities. Using the stereopticon (a modernized magic lantern), they developed the first campaign documentaries. Soon they were exploiting motion pictures, the phonograph, and telephone in surprising and often successful ways. Brimming with rich historical details, Musser's remarkable tale reveals the political forces driving the emergence of modern media.

Before the Nickelodeon by Edwin S. Porter and the Edison Manufacturing Company offers an in-depth look at one of the most formative periods in cinema history, from the earliest days of commercial motion pictures through 1909. Written by a leading scholar in film history, this book explores the extraordinary contributions of Edwin S. Porter, the filmmaker behind The Great Train Robbery, and his intricate relationship with the Edison Manufacturing Company, one of the earliest players in the motion picture industry. Edwin S. Porter was not just a filmmaker but a pioneer whose work shaped the path of early cinema. This book examines his role within the rapidly evolving practices of the pre-Griffith era, exploring how his innovative films, such as Life of an American Fireman and The Great Train Robbery, marked milestones in cinematic storytelling and technical advances. The book delves into the industrial history of the Edison Manufacturing Company and how Porter''s work there played a key role in the company''s evolution. The study also sheds light on the complex dynamics between Porter''s creative processes and the business practices of the Edison company, particularly during a time when the production and exhibition of films were being centralized under one management. Drawing from extensive research, primary sources, and surviving films, Before McKeimon goes beyond traditional biographical work to position Porter as a critical figure in the history of early cinema. This book not only honors Porter''s creative legacy but also offers a comprehensive look at the intersection of film production, commercial practice, and cultural significance during cinema''s formative years. Ideal for film historians, scholars, and cinema enthusiasts, this work illuminates an essential chapter of film history that has often been overlooked. This title was originally published in 1991. Before the Nickelodeon by Edwin S. Porter and the Edison Manufacturing Company offers an in-depth look at one of the most formative periods in cinema history, from the earliest days of commercial motion pictures through 1909. Written by a leading scholar

The entrepreneur of phonograph concerts and motion-picture programs Lyman H. Howe was the leading traveling exhibitor of his time and the exemplar of an important but until now little examined aspect of American popular culture. This work, with its numerous and lively illustrations, uses his career to explore the world of itinerant showmen, who exhibited all motion pictures seen outside large cities during the 1890s and early 1900s. They frequently built cultural alliances with genteel city dwellers or conservative churchgoers and in later years favored "high-class" topics appealing to audiences uncomfortable with the plebeian nickelodeons. Bridging the fields of American studies and film history, the book reveals the remarkable sophistication with which exhibitors created their elaborate, evening-length programs to convey powerful ideological messages. Whether depicting the Spanish-American War, the 1900 Paris Exposition, or British colonialism in action, Howe's "cinema of reassurance" had many parallels with the music of John Philip Sousa. Originally published in 1991.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The entrepreneur of phonograph concerts and motion-picture programs Lyman H. Howe was the leading traveling exhibitor of his time and the exemplar of an important but until now little examined aspect of American popular culture. This work, with its numerous and lively illustrations, uses his career to explore the world of itinerant showmen, who exhibited all motion pictures seen outside large cities during the 1890s and early 1900s. They frequently built cultural alliances with genteel city dwellers or conservative churchgoers and in later years favored "high-class" topics appealing to audiences uncomfortable with the plebeian nickelodeons. Bridging the fields of American studies and film history, the book reveals the remarkable sophistication with which exhibitors created their elaborate, evening-length programs to convey powerful ideological messages. Whether depicting the Spanish-American War, the 1900 Paris Exposition, or British colonialism in action, Howe's "cinema of reassurance" had many parallels with the music of John Philip Sousa. Originally published in 1991.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This literary counterpart to Charles Musser and Maria Threese Serana's documentary Our Family Album includes brief essays by those involved in its production as well as an annotated script with selected images from the film. The book, like the documentary, reflects on the construction, nature and meaning of family photography. In an era of globalization, the filmmakers move back and forth between two countries whose relationship was forged by war and a half century of colonization – the Philippines and the United States. How they and their son negotiate their lives between these two cultures is some of the work done by and through the family album. This intimate portrait moves outward to engage scholars, archivists, and fellow filmmakers who have different perspectives and even conflicting views on the nature of family photography and how they deploy it in their personal and professional lives. Commentators include Paolo Cherchi Usai, Lorna Johnson, Nick Deocampo,Vanessa Toulmin, Ashish Avikunthak and Thomas Elsaesser.Reimagines The Family of Man for the 21st Century.