Film Theory: The Basics, 2nd Edition

1 THEORY BEFORE THEORY, 1915–1960

DOI: 10.4324/9781003171379-2

Film theory began to take shape over the first half of the twentieth century as an informal practice among individual writers, filmmakers, and enthusiasts dedicated to the new medium and its distinctive features. Although there was no formal framework or guidelines for these efforts, these early theorists did share several common aims. First and foremost, they participated in a broader effort to legitimize film. At this time, there was an overriding assumption that film did not warrant serious attention – that its popular appeal, its commercial and technological foundations necessarily meant it was antithetical to art or culture in its rarified sense. To combat these general ...