Cinema was the first & is arguably still the greatest of the industrialized art forms that came to dominate the cultural life of the twentieth century Today it continues to adapt & grow as new technologies & viewing platforms become available & remains an integral cultural & aesthetic entertainment experience for people the world over Cinema developed against the backdrop of the two world wars & over the years has seen smaller wars revolutions & profound social changes Its history reflects this changing landscape & more than any other art form developments in technology In this Very Short Introduction Nowell-Smith looks at the defining moments of the industry from silent to sound black & white to colour & considers its genres from intellectual art house to mass market entertainment ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introduction series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable