Theory of Film

"Kracauer's profound theoretical investigation revealed film as the form that best captured the new modes of experience that characterize modernity. Miriam Hansen's brilliant introduction chronicles the work's genesis and transformation through Kracauer's conversations with Adorno and Benjamin, his flight from the Nazis, and his uneasy assimilation into the Cold-War United States."--Tom Gunning, University of Chicago
"Just as new translations of Kracauer's early works have begun to reveal aspects of his intellectual project previously unavailable to readers of English, this most welcome new edition of Kracauer's magnum opus of media aesthetics will cast a new interpretative light on his later work, thanks especially to Miriam Hansen's highly illuminating introductory essay."--Thomas Y. Levin, Princeton University

Introduction Photography 2Basic Concepts 3The Establishment of Physical Existence 4Inherent Affinities 5History and Fantasy 6Remarks on the Actor 7Dialogue and Sound 8Music 9The Spectator 10Experimental film 11The Film of Fact 12The Theatrical Story 13Interlude: Film and Novel 14The Found Story and the Episode 15Matters of Content 16Film in Our Time Notes Bibliography Index