This comprehensive guide offers cinema enthusiasts everything they need to know about the history of film. The book covers the film industry's most epic periods, including the early years of film starting in the 1830s, the silent years in the first quarter of the twentieth century, the pre–World War II sound era, the rise and fall of the Hollywood studios, and the transition into the twenty-first century. Along the way, readers learn about the most iconic films and directors from around the world, as well as how history, politics, and the cultural zeitgeist influenced cinema.