The Great Art of Light and Shadow: Archaeology of the Cinema (Exeter Studies in Film History)

Description

This work seeks to throw light on a range of optical media from the 12th century to the turn of the 20th. First published in French in 1994 and now translated into English, Laurent Mannoni's account projects a broad picture of the subject area now known as "pre-cinema". Starting from the earliest uses of the camera obscura in astromony and entertainment, Mannoni discusses, among many other devices, the invention and early years of the magic lantern in the 17th century, the peepshows and perspective views of the 18th century, and the many weird and wonderful 19th-century attempts to recreate visions of real life in different ways and forms. The book introduces to an English-speaking readership many aspects of pre-cinema history from other European countries.