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Richard Gilman referred to How to Read a Film as simply “the best single work of its kind.” And Janet Maslin in The New York Times Book Review marvelled at James Monaco’s ability to collect “an enormous amount of useful information and assemble it in an exhilaratingly simple and systematic way.” Indeed, since its original publication in 1977, this hugely popular book has become the definitive source on film and media. Now, James Monaco offers a special anniversary edition of his classic work, featuring a new preface and several new sections, including an “Essential Library: One Hundred Books About Film and Media You Should Read” and “One Hundred Films You Should See.” As in previous editions, Monaco once again looks at film from many vantage points, as both art and craft, sensibility and science, tradition and technology. After examining film’s close relation to other narrative media such as the novel, painting, photography, television, and even music, the book discusses the elements necessary to understand how films convey meaning, and, more importantly, how we can best discern all that a film is attempting to communicate. In addition, Monaco stresses the still-evolving digital context of film throughout–one of the new sections looks at the untrustworthy nature of digital images and sound–and his chapter on multimedia brings media criticism into the twenty-first century with a thorough discussion of topics like virtual reality, cyberspace, and the proximity of both to film. With hundreds of illustrative black-and-white film stills and diagrams, How to Read a Film is an indispensable addition to the library of everyone who loves the cinema and wants to understand it better.

Reviews

‘A great book and a must have for anyone interested in the film industry. ‘How to read a film’ is a long and extensive read, containing the history of the film industry. The many changes in styles and technology through the years.

If you are after a book that tells you how to understand a film, the techniques used to tell a story etc then the section in this book is short and there are better books out there that cover it more extensively.

With that being said it’s an interesting book and contains a lot of interesting information and details. So, it’s still a must read and good reference to have.’

‘This is a seminal paper or book. It’s easy to read but engages you in how films have been made and the hidden sub-text or meaning that comes through via everything from the use of symbols, camera angles, choice of actor, lighting, sound, etc. It provides a historical context too, so that you can see how film making and the stories told through film have evolved with the changes in technology, society and culture… from the variety shows that spun off from the early vaudeville traditions and theatre to today’s evolution of reality TV concepts that have emerged as a result of the web and technology bringing the audience closer to the production. I sense it was written for someone who wants to study the art of film making and the origins of the Art BUT, even if you are simply a film buff or want to have a better appreciation of the art and the hidden meaning in films (whether for TV or the big screen) it’s a rewarding read… it can make a dinner conversation more interesting.’

Monaco is the author of a number of books on the film industry and the media, including The Dictionary of New Media (HEP 2000), The Connoisseur’s Guide to the Movies (Facts on File 1985); American Film Now (Oxford University Press 1979, 1984); and the best-selling How to Read a Film (Oxford University Press 1977, 1981, 2000, 2009). Translations of various titles have appeared in German, Dutch, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Czech, Greek, Polish, Indonesian, and Farsi. He has also edited a number of basic references, including Who’s Who in American Film Now (New York Zoetrope 1981, 1987),The Movie Guide (Putnam, Virgin 1992, 1993); and The Encyclopaedia of Film (Putnam, Virgin 1991). Monaco’s journalism and criticism have appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, American Film, The Christian Science Monitor, and many other publications. In the 1970s, he was a contributing editor of [More] and Cineaste and associate editor of Take One. As a media commentator for National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” in the early 1980s, Monaco’s analysis reached more than 250 affiliate stations. His television credits include appearances on all the major American networks, ABC (Sydney), BBC (London), NHK (Tokyo), CBC (Montreal), WDR (Frankfurt) and more than a hundred local stations around the country.

How To Read a Film: multimedia edition, a DVD-ROM, appeared in 2000 in conjunction with the third edition of the book—completely revised and expanded. The disc won the DVD-ROM Excellence Award of the DVD Association in 2001 and has been adopted by scores of university film courses.

Monaco is also active as a book publisher via Harbor Electronic Publishing. Recent HEP titles include Salt of the Earth: The Story of a Film, Jack Newfield’s The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America, and Doug Pratt’s DVD. HEP also produces a list of titles devoted to the East End of Long Island, including nature guides and local history. In the early 1980s he founded Baseline and its subsidiary, New York Zoetrope. With Baseline, Leonard Maltin, Pauline Kael, and others, Monaco contributed information for Microsoft’s best-selling multimedia CD Cinemania. A landmark in multimedia productions, Cinemania sold more than 2.8 million copies in the mid-1990s. Baseline, which Monaco founded in 1982, provides advanced information services for the entertainment industry worldwide. Its subsidiary, New York Zoetrope, was a specialty book-publishing company founded in 1975 which concentrated on titles in film and entertainment. Zoetrope’s publications included more than 40 reference and specialized titles including The Laser Video Disc Companion, The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows, and Who’s Who in American Film Now. In 1999 Baseline was acquired by Hollywood.com. In 2006 it became a unit of the New York Times Company.

Monaco has spoken often to industry forums in the U.S. and Europe. Engagements have included Yale’s Watson School of Management, the Information Industry Association’s Senior Management Symposium, the International Conference and Exposition on Multimedia and CD-ROM, Digital Video/Multimedia Expo, and Digital Hollywood. A former member of the faculty of The New School for Social Research in New York, Monaco also taught at Columbia University, The City University of New York, New York University, and elsewhere. He has lectured to a wide variety of professional, academic, and general audiences. Monaco has degrees from Muhlenberg College and Columbia University.

Monaco is a long-time member of the Author’s Guild and was a founder of the American Book Producers Association. He is a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, London. He has served on the Boards of Directors of Carron Trading Corp. and Galloway Internet Ltd. He was also a member of the Advisory Committee for the Program for Art on Film, Inc. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Interactive Services Association and was Chairman of the Videotext Marketing Consortium.

Born and raised in New York City, Monaco currently lives and works in Manhattan and Sag Harbor with his wife, Susan Schenker, an educator. They are the parents of three adult children.