A journey through a century of motion-picture history

Even before the Lumiere brothers began projecting motion pictures in Paris in the nineteenth century, humanity was captivated by the art of visual storytelling-and continues to be. The art and science of cinematography have created fantastic, visionary, daring films, and the world's best are showcased here.
From the sweeping beach kiss in From Here to Eternity to the Bogart-Bergman chemistry in Casablanca, this volume offers fascinating background on one hundred films-from conceptualization and filming to post-production. Award-winning directors such as Mira Nair, Jane Campion, Richard Attenborough, and Lars von Trier, catalogued here alongside many other greats, transport viewers to another world in breathtaking ways.
The striking breadth of directors and artistic styles portrayed in this book highlights the rich heritage of world filmmaking: from Orson Welles to Akira Kurosawa, and from Fritz Lang to Pedro Almodovar, this in-depth look at the world's most beautiful, groundbreaking movies (including High Noon, Pulp Fiction, Au Revoir les Enfants, La Dolce Vita, M, Kolya, The Pianist, Farewell My Concubine, Lord of the Rings, and others) shows how directors, actors, and films are shaped culturally and artistically to stunning effect.