The history of international cinema is now available in this concise, compact and comprehensive book, illustrated with over 300 rare stills and illustrations.The best one-stop source for the history of world film on the market, it’s the story, accessibly and authoritatively told, of the major movements and events, directors, stars and studios from the 1880s to the present. The illustrations bring readers face to face with the key players and films that have made this modern world history such an exciting one. The book presents full sweep of cinema and its major events and technological developments, from the invention of the kinetoscope, through the introduction of sound and colour, to the computer-generated imagery of the twenty-first century. This history is original and satisfying in throwing its spotlight on the great filmmakers, on Hollywood, Bollywood and the New Wave cinemas of Britain, Europe and South America, but also bringing into the frame minority and independent films and filmmakers, women filmmakers and the cinemas of developing nations that have so often been overlooked in histories of cinema.