CHAPTER 4
The Influence of the Popular Arts
Film as a narrative form had numerous influences, particularly the popular novel of the nineteenth century1 and the theatrical genres of spectacle, pantomime, and melodrama.2
The character and narrative conventions of those forms were adapted for film through editing. The types of shots required and how they were put together are the subject of Chapter 1. This chapter is concerned with the ongoing development in the popular arts and how they affected editing choices. In some cases (radio, musicals), they expanded those choices, and in others (vaudeville, theatre), they constrained those choices.
The interaction of these popular forms with film broadened the repertoire for film and eventually influenced ...
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