The 12-Hour Film Expert: Everything You Need to Know about Movies

by Noah Charney, James Charney

Overview

The only book you need to become an expert on film history, technique, and appreciation. This "gateway book will deepen readers’ appreciation of milestone movies." (Library Journal)
If you are looking at this book, then you probably love watching movies and television shows. Who doesn’t? But most of us do so as passive entertainment—to wind down, relax, and escape into alternative worlds. Pay close attention though, and you can enhance your movie-watching experience and deepen your appreciation for the art of film. This book will show you how.
In The 12-Hour Film Expert, Noah Charney and James Charney offer readers all they need to know about how films are made and how to watch them in a more thoughtful way. Through twelve chapters covering a wide array of genres and periods, the authors highlight key films in each area of focus and explore important figures and more recent films to help readers develop their core understanding of films, ranging from comedies to silent films, noirs to romances, and everything in between.
Most importantly though, readers will learn how to truly watch movies. The 12-Hour Film Expert asks essential questions: What did the key films do differently? How did they push the envelope, establish new precedents? The result is a capsule-sized “course” in film appreciation. The only book readers need to master their grasp of film history, technique, and appreciation, it is perfect for movie lovers of all ages. Grab the popcorn and settle in!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538173428
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/18/2024
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Noah Charney is an art historian by training and is the founding director of the Association for Research into Crimes against Art (ARCA), a non-profit think tank and consultancy group on art crime prevention and solution. He has been written about internationally, including feature articles in the New York Times Magazine, Italy's Ventiquattro, Time Magazine, and has made appearances on National Public Radio, MSNBC, CNBC and ITV television, and many other news outlets. His novel, The Art Thief, was published in 2007 and has sold in sixteen other languages to date.


Dr. Noah Charney is the internationally best-selling author of more than a dozen books, translated into fourteen languages, including The Collector of Lives: Giorgio Vasari and the Invention of Art, which was nominated for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Biography, and Museum of Lost Art, which was the finalist for the 2018 Digital Book World Award. He is a professor of art history specializing in art crime, and has taught for Yale University, Brown University, American University of Rome and University of Ljubljana. He is founder of ARCA, the Association for Research into Crimes against Art, a ground-breaking research group (www.artcrimeresearch.org) and teaches on their annual summer-long Postgraduate Program in Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection. He has written for dozens of major magazines and newspapers, including The Guardian, the Washington Post, the Observer and The Art Newspaper. His recent books on art include The Devil in the Gallery: How Scandal, Shock and Rivalry Shaped the Art World, Making It: The Artist's Survival Guide, The 12-Hour Art Expert: Everything You Need to Know About Art in a Dozen Masterpieces, and Brushed Aside: The Untold Story of Women in Art, several of which were Amazon #1 best-sellers in their category. He also published the critically-acclaimed The Slavic Myths (Thames & Hudson) in the fall of 2023 and The Thefts of the Mona Lisa: The Complete Story of the World's Most Famous Artwork (Rowman & Littlefield, February 2024), which was praised in The New York Times Book Review and The Telegraph among others. He recently fronted an influencer campaign for Samsung, in 2022 he presented a BBC Radio 4 documentary, China's Stolen Treaures, his TED Ed videos (some on art crime) have been viewed by millions each, and he featured in a recent Amazon Prime documentary, The Picasso of Thieves. A course of his, “Lost Art,” featured this summer for The Teaching Company's Great Courses/Wondrium, the first of several that are scheduled, and he teaches online courses for Atlas Obscura, the Smithsonian, the National Gallery UK, and Yale University on art theft and forgery. He lives in Slovenia with his wife, children and their hairless dog, Hubert van Eyck (believe it or not). Learn more at www.noahcharney.com

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Invention of the Movies
A Trip to the Moon, The Great Train Robbery
Chapter 2: The Golden Age of Silent Movies
The Gold Rush, Sunrise, or A Song of Two Humans
Chapter 3: Classic Hollywood
Casablanca, Citizen Kane
Chapter 4: The Western
Stagecoach, The Searchers, Red River
Chapter 5: Film Noir
Double Indemnity, Out of the Past, Touch of Evil, Chinatown
Chapter 6: Comedy
Bringing Up Baby, Airplane!, When Harry Met Sally
Chapter 7: Musicals
Top Hat, Singing in the Rain, Moulin Rouge
Chapter 8: Suspense
The Wages of Fear, The Birds, The Italian Job
Chapter 9: Horror
Cat People, Halloween, The Babadook
Chapter 10: Action
The Bourne Identity, Nobody, Run Lola Run
Chapter 11: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Superhero Films
X-Men, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Chapter 12: International Art House
Bicycle Thieves, Seven Samurai, Nostalghia
The Movie Playlist
Behind the Scenes Movie Job Titles
Recommended Reading
Notes
Index
About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

Noah Charney and his film seminar developer/facilitator father, James, team up to help readers watch films thoughtfully, encouraging a focus on the industry’s history and path-breaking productions rather than treating films as passive entertainment. They select movies from the U.S. and abroad and across a variety of genres. Each of the book’s 12 chapters is designed to be an hour’s worth of reading. Categories include the invention of film, silent movies, classics, Westerns, film noir, comedies, musicals, suspense, horror, action, sci-fi/fantasy, and international auteur-centered art films…. This gateway book will deepen readers’ appreciation of milestone movies. A variety of readers, not just film fans, will want to peruse this engaging title.” —Library Journal, Starred Review

“Finally! I've always wondered why there isn't a book with a brief history of film, as a textbook for beginners and at the same time a guide for connoisseurs. And now my wish came true! Thanks to the Charneys for filling that gap. Whether the reader is a film consumer or a creator, this book is a useful treat. I swallowed it myself in one gulp, certainly in less than twelve hours.” —Branko Ðuric, actor, screenwriter, and director

“The perfect introduction for anyone interested in a comprehensive guide to the entertainment industry. An enjoyable blend of informative history that both illuminates and engages Hollywood enthusiasts. Level up on how to watch, understand, and enjoy film.” —Adam Alcabes, film and television producer

“Orson Welles famously told Dick Cavett “the whole bag of movies can be learned in about a day and half.” Well, perhaps for Orson Welles. But I do believe one can quickly learn cinema history and this book is a wonderful introduction to the magic of movies, giving a great foundation for any aspiring Cinephile.” —Joseph Greco, writer and director, CANVAS, starring Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden

“This book is a great tool against the know-it-all mentality prevailing on social media. Read it and you will know what you are talking about when you talk about film.” —Miha Mazzini, award-winning writer and filmmaker

“After 25 years in the film business, I found Noah Charney and James Charney’s book an enjoyable and informative walk-through motion picture history. Recommended reading for anyone wanting to learn about the origins and evolution of cinema.” —James Clayton, film and television producer

“The best and most practical companion to cinema that I've read.” —Franc Roddam, film director

From the Publisher

The best and most practical companion to cinema that I've read.

Franc Roddam

After 25 years in the film business, I found Noah Charney and James Charney’s book an enjoyable and informative walk-through motion picture history. Recommended reading for anyone wanting to learn about the origins and evolution of cinema.

James Clayton

Orson Welles famously told Dick Cavett “the whole bag of movies can be learned in about a day and half.” Well, perhaps for Orson Welles. But I do believe one can quickly learn cinema history and this book is a wonderful introduction to the magic of movies, giving a great foundation for any aspiring Cinephile.

Joseph Greco

This book is a great tool against the know-it-all mentality prevailing on social media. Read it and you will know what you are talking about when you talk about film.

Miha Mazzini

How long does it take to read a book that comes in at a smidge less than 250 pages? The father-and-son team of James and Noah Charney want you to know that their cinematic primer, The 12-Hour Film Expert; Everything You Need to Know about Movies, will clock in at the appointed time. At which point, you’ll be ready to win friends and influence people with your knowledge about critical flicker fusion.

New York Sun

Finally! I've always wondered why there isn't a book with a brief history of film, as a textbook for beginners and at the same time a guide for connoisseurs. And now my wish came true! Thanks to the Charneys for filling that gap. Whether the reader is a film consumer or a creator, this book is a useful treat. I swallowed it myself in one gulp, certainly in less than twelve hours.

Branko Ðuric

The perfect introduction for anyone interested in a comprehensive guide to the entertainment industry. An enjoyable blend of informative history that both illuminates and engages Hollywood enthusiasts. Level up on how to watch, understand, and enjoy film.

Adam Alcabes

Finally! I've always wondered why there isn't a book with a brief history of film, as a textbook for beginners and at the same time a guide for connoisseurs. And now my wish came true! Thanks to the Charneys for filling that gap. Whether the reader is a film consumer or a creator, this book is a useful treat. I swallowed it myself in one gulp, certainly in less than twelve hours.

Branko Djuric