Background Sources
Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema by
Covering the full range of Indian cinema, from Hindi musicals to the impressive diversity of regional Indian Art Cinemas, this edition of the reference text includes expanded coverage of mainstream productions from the 1970s to the 1990s.
Location: Mugar Reference X PN1993.5.I8 R277 1999Publication Date: 1999
The Oxford History of World Cinema by
From its humble beginnings as a novelty in a handful of cities, cinema has risen to become a billion- dollar industry and the most spectacular and original contemporary art form. It has spread to all parts of the globe, and is enjoyed by audiences that cut across all sections of society. The Oxford History of World Cinema traces the history of this enduringly popular entertainment medium. Covering all aspects of its development, stars, studios, and cultural impact, the book celebrates and chronicles over one hundred years of diverse achievement from westerns to the New Wave, fromanimation to the Avant-Garde, and from Hollywood to Hong Kong. An international team of distinguished film historians tells the story of the major inventions and developments in the cinema business, its institutions, genres, and personnel; other chapters outline the evolution of national cinemasround the world - the varied and distinctive filmic traditions that have developed alongside Hollywood. A unique aspect of the book are the special inset features on the film-makers and personalities - Garbo and Godard, Keaton and Kurosawa, Bugs Bunny and Bergman - who have had an enduring impact inpopular memory and cinematic lore. With over 300 illustrations, a full bibliography, and an extensive index, this is the buff's ultimate guide to cinema worldwide.
Location: Mugar Reference X PN1993.5.A1 O96 1996 and OnlinePublication Date: 1996
Featured Books/Ebooks
Indian Cinema in the Time of Celluloid: from Bollywood to the emergency by
In Indian Cinema in the Time of Celluloid, Ashish Rajadhyaksha argues that any exploration of the social uses to which cinema is put in a place like India can only make sense if it transforms our understanding of cinema itself. Taking as his timeframe the era of celluloid, which is also marked by public experiences of spectatorship and uses of cinema by the state, Rajadhyaksha examines three moments of crisis for the Indian State in which cinema played a central role.
Location: Mugar Stacks PN1993.5.I8 R2775 2009Publication Date: 2009
National Identity in Indian Popular Cinema, 1947-1987 by
Although Indian popular cinema has a long history and is familiar to audiences around the world, it has rarely been systematically studied. This book offers the first detailed account of the popular film as it has grown and changed during the tumultuous decades of Indian nationhood. The study focuses on the cinema's characteristic forms, its range of meanings and pleasures, and, above all, its ideological construction of Indian national identity. Informed by theoretical developments in film theory, cultural studies, postcolonial discourse, and "Third World" cinema, the book identifies the major genres and movements within Bombay cinema since Independence and uses them to enter larger cultural debates about questions of identity, authenticity, citizenship, and collectivity. Chakravarty examines numerous films of the period, including Guide (Vijay Anand, 1965), Shri 420 [The gentleman cheat] (Raj Kapoor, 1955), and Bhumika [The role] (Shyam Benegal, 1977). She shows how "imperso-nation," played out in masquerade and disguise, has characterized the representation of national identity in popular films, so that concerns and conflicts over class, communal, and regional differences are obsessively evoked, explored, and neutralized. These findings will be of interest to film and area specialists, as well as general readers in film studies.
Location: Mugar Stacks PN1993.5.I8 C48 1993Publication Date: 1993
The Politics of Hindi Cinema in the New Millennium: Bollywood and the Anglophone Indian Nation by
Mainstream Hindi film, which transformed after the economic liberalization of 1991, is unrecognizable in the new millennium. The rise of the English language to a position of dominance has played a key role here. Hindi cinema, which played a unifying ‘national’ role after 1947 by addressing an undifferentiated public, is now divided. With the multiplex revolution and the rising incomes of the ascendant classes, Hindi cinema is addressing a public which has more in common with Indians in the diaspora than with its compatriots a few hundred miles away. At the same time, there is another kind of cinema addressing a more traditionally oriented populace—although the term ‘traditional’ may not mean what it did. This book is devoted to analyses of important Hindi films in the new millennium, films such as Rang De Basanti , Bunty Aur Babli , Lage Raho Munna Bhai , 3 Idiots , and Dabangg . It is focused on overt and covert political discourse and the detection of tendencies identifiable with India’s transformation in the global age. Popular culture is taken to be transparent, but the mainstream film has political implications which are far from obvious. The book concludes with speculation about the transformation of India’s polity after 2000 based on its reading of Hindi cinema, since popular film audiences represent vocal sections of the public and the films themselves address the public.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2014
Bollywood and Globalization: Indian popular cinema, nation, and diaspora by
Commercial cinema has always been one of the biggest indigenous industries in India, and remains so in the post-globalization era, when Indian economy has entered a new phase of global participation, liberalization and expansion. Issues of community, gender, society, social and economic justice, bourgeois-liberal individualism, secular nationhood and ethnic identity are nowhere more explored in the Indian cultural mainstream than in commercial cinema. As Indian economy and policy have gone through a sea-change after the end of the Cold War and the commencement of the Global Capital, the largest cultural industry has followed suit. This book is a significant addition to the study of post-Global Indian culture. The articles represent a variety of theoretical and pedagogical approaches, and the collection will be appreciated by beginners and scholars alike.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2010
Film Databases
- FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window Indexes, abstracts, and provides full text of articles from academic and popular film journals. Also includes several film reference books. Abstracts late 19th century - present; full text 1930s - present.
- Screen Studies Collection This link opens in a new window Screen Studies Collection brings the Film Periodicals Database, Film Index International, and the AFI Catalog together in one site.
Film Collections
- The Cambridge South Asian Archive The Cambridge South Asian Archive is an unusual collection of materials, covering a period of over 200 years, include 600 written collections, 900 maps, 100,000 photographs, and 80 collections of cinéfilms. Together they paint a rich and unique picture of the Raj and the early decades of post-colonial South Asia.
- Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire This website holds detailed information on over 6000 films showing images of life in the British colonies. Over 150 films are available for viewing online. You can search or browse for films by country, date, topic, or keyword.
- Ethnographic Video Online, Volume I-II: Foundational Films This link opens in a new window Contains classic and contemporary ethnographies, documentaries and shorts from every continent, providing teachers visual support to introduce and contextualize hundreds of cultural groups and practices around the world.
- Kanopy This link opens in a new window Kanopy is a provider of documentaries, training films, and theatrical releases available as streaming video. Clips from the videos can be embedded in presentations or shown in class. Films in the Boston University Libraries catalog are licensed to Boston University for educational and research use only, for BU students, faculty, and staff.
- Academic Video Online This link opens in a new window Academic Video Online delivers more than 67,000 titles spanning a range of subject areas including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more. It includes documentaries, films, demonstrations, and other content types.
