Beginning with cinema’s scientific origins, it assesses the achievements of an international body of film-makers, among them D. W. Griffith and the pioneers of the classical narrative; silent artists; the directors of Golden Age Hollywood; the Italian Neo-Realists; and the auteurs of the French New Wave.

For this second edition, new chapter maps developments in form and technology from the mid-1990s to today, examining experiments in three-dimensionality, the revival of animation, and the democratisation of film-making following the digital revolution.

Parkinson also highlights the best work to have emerged globally, from Poland to China, Korea and Mexico. With a fully updated glossary and bibliography, History of Film remains the definitive survey of this dynamic and popular art form.