Behind the Screen: The Best Books on Cinema
Cinema is the technique and art of creating and projecting moving images. Etymologically, the term, which is an abbreviation of "cinematography," was a neologism coined in the late 19th century and composed of two Greek words: physiotherapist, which means "movement", and Graphs, which was intended to refer to images that move or scroll within a screen.
At Manifesto of the Seven Arts, written by Ricciotto Canudo in 1911, the author mentions cinema as the seventh art, equating it with disciplines such as painting, music, poetry/literature, dance, sculpture, and architecture, with cinematography being a blend of all of the above. If you'd like to learn more, we invite you to read our list of the best books on film.
Best books about cinema
What is cinema? (2023), by André Bazin
This is the kind of book that every aspiring filmmaker or film student should always carry, but with one added bonus: it's written by someone who loves the seventh art and everything it represents. First published in 1975 and translated into Spanish by José Luis López Muñoz, This is a volume that brings together the main articles published by André Bazin in the specialized press.
About the volume and the author, François Truffaut went so far as to say: "More than a critic, Bazin was a film writer, who was more concerned with writing about films than judging them." Among the many editions the book has had, Bazin has always been talked about as an essential critic among film buffs., becoming a role model for greats such as Orson Welles and Federico Fellini.
Quotes by André Bazin
- "Rossellini's concern with the child's face in Allegro Anno Zero is completely opposite to Kuleshov's with the close-up of Mozhukhin. Rossellini is concerned with preserving its mystery."
- "The role of cinema here is neither to serve nor betray painting. Rather, it is to endow it with a new form of existence. The film of a painting is an aesthetic symbiosis between the screen and the painting, as lichen is between algae and fungi. To be upset about this is as ridiculous as condemning opera in the name of theater and music."
Cinema according to Hitchcock (2010), by François Truffaut
Through the pages of this book, the history of some of the most iconic films, as well as their legendary author, is unraveled. Thanks to his unusual vision, Hitchcock became one of those filmmakers who transcended the boundaries of time., and Truffaut, lucky as few, had the opportunity to prepare a conversation that lasted fifty hours and was based on a questionnaire of fifty questions.
The text explores the circumstances surrounding the genesis of each Hitchcock film, the writing of the scripts, the difficulties of staging, and the final results. These are just some of the elements that inform the fascinating dialogue between the two filmmakers. If you're a fan of cinema and suspense, this book should be on your bookshelf.
Quotes by François Truffaut
- "There are excellent films that have technical flaws. And there are films that are technically very well made, but they have an inner emptiness and dryness that's sad. For me, inspiration, the desire to say something, to do something, is much more important. Everything else is less important."
- "I don't make my films with an intellectual audience in mind; I think they're films for everyone. They're films that aim to be popular; they try to interest the viewer in things pertaining to feelings, emotions, and affectivity."
- "I discovered what my films truly meant afterward. I discovered their meaning after they were finished, because my creation was spontaneous, instinctive, and barely intellectual."
Film School: They thought they were going to make history, but they were just making movies. (2020), by Jaime Bartolomé and Álvaro Espinosa
This is an ensemble novel that reveals the world of cinema through nine students at The American Film School, a fictional film school located in Los Angeles. In the work, A very interesting behind the scenes look is exposedWe tend to think of cinema as a universe filled with luxury and success, but, generally, the beginnings of geniuses are made up of failures, sixteen-hour jobs, and bad meals.
The book answers questions that every fan of the footage must have asked themselves at some point, such as: What should a person study to become a film critic or producer?, how commissioned scripts are written, what a novice director faces when the actors are more experienced than he is, and other revealing questions addressed with humor, passion, and knowledge.
Quotes by Jaime Bartolomé
- "I like to tell stories: when I'm a comedian, I like to tell stories from a stage; when I improvise and have to create things from scratch, and when I write scripts or novels, I'm obviously constructing stories, creating structures." (Interview at historiadelcine.es)
- "My father was a movie fanatic, and from a very young age, he took me to the movies a lot. And he didn't take me to see Bambi, or The Three Little Pigs, or Disney movies. Instead, he took me, the bastard, to a double feature of Bogart, the Marx Brothers, Lubitsch, Billy Wilder... So, I grew up watching really good movies." (Interview at historiadelcine.es)
Easygoing bikers, raging bulls: the generation that changed Hollywood (2008), by Peter Biskind
Hollywood is synonymous with success, but it wasn't always that way, at least not for everyone. Only the wealthiest and most important executives made it there. However, in 1969, with the release and success of Easy Rider, A low-budget biker film, it marked the beginning of a new era of creators and titlesAmong that generation of young directors were Scorsese, Coppola and Spielberg.
These guys began filming alongside actors who were still relatively unknown, such as Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Jack Nicholson. Over time, they all became the new and powerful rulers of Hollywood. The book is comprised of hundreds of interviews with creatives: stars, agents, screenwriters, wives, ex-wives, and family members.
Peter Biskind Quotes
- "There's nothing I find more violent: a man who shows the worst of himself to make people laugh... to free himself from his complexes. Everything he does for cinema is therapeutic."
- "Classy gangsters are a Hollywood invention. Having class was the aspiration of all real gangsters."
History of cinema (2016), by Román Gubern
Cinema is a complex element, the execution of which requires a large team of workers.: directors, screenwriters, camera assistants, photographers, musicians, actors, costume designers, lighting technicians, sound technicians, among many other professionals who make it possible to bring complete works to the world's screens that use all types of art to tell a story, and that is what this volume is about.
You could say this is a teaching text, perfect for teaching and learning about the evolution of the seventh art. First published in 1969 and translated into virtually every language, Gubern's book has become a classicIts pages tell the story of the birth of cinema and how it evolved from an innovative medium to a fusion of various arts.
Quotes by Román Gubern
- "Cinema is, like photography and the phonograph, a technical process that allows man to grasp an aspect of the world: the dynamism of visible reality."
- "The Bible, which does not require royalties, has broken all records for film adaptations."
Sculpting in Time: Reflections on the Art, Aesthetics, and Poetics of Cinema (2023), by Andrei Tarkovsky
In this brief but truly evocative book, the director shares his work diary, exploring, through an obvious but astonishing perspective, the fundamental challenges of his career and how he has faced the various aspects it entails. He talks about the way he has handled actors, scripts, montages, shots, music, and other elements pertaining to cinematographic creation.
At the same time, the book is written without any systematic order, which, curiously, gives it an air of familiarity. Similarly, It states that the solutions are not and should not be dogmatic, but must arise from real dialogues that address equally true issues. Its numerous editions prove that this is a reference for all film lovers.
Quotes by Andrei Tarkovsky
- "Silence has more power than words; it reveals what cannot be expressed."
- "Life is a collection of fleeting moments; capturing them is the filmmaker's job."
- "The true power of cinema lies in its ability to make us question our existence."
- "Cinematic technique must be at the service of the emotional content of the work."
