FilmQuake

An alternative introduction to cinema, focusing on the stories of 50 key films that consciously questioned the boundaries, challenged the status quo and made shockwaves we are still feeling today.

Discover films that dared to be different, risked reputations and put careers in jeopardy. This is what happens when filmmakers take tradition and rip it up. In FilmQuake, Ian Haydn Smith selects the 50 movies that shook the cinematic world, telling the fascinating stories behind their creation, reception and legacy. Causing fascination and intrigue in some and rejection and scorn in others - these cutting-edge totems, which celebrate novelty, technology and innovation, help define what cinema means today.

From unbelievable developments in technology (Citizen Kane) to feminist triumphs (Wanda); films that kickstarted New Queer Cinema (Paris is Burning) to others that challenged law-makers (A Short Film About Killing) - FilmQuake presents the fifty most ground-breaking movies ever made. By discussing each film with the context of its production in mind, the book will give readers true insight into why they were so pivotal. FilmQuake is an alternative introduction to cinema, focusing on the stories of 50 key movies that questioned boundaries, challenged the status quo and made shockwaves we are still feeling today.

This second book in a new series introducing the most disruptive cultural moments of the past 150 years. See also ArtQuake, MusicQuake and FashionQuake.

About the Author

Ian Haydn Smith is a London-based writer. He is the update editor on 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and is the editor of BFI Filmmakers Magazine and Curzon Magazine. Ian is also the author of Selling the Movie: The Art of the Film Poster, The Short Story of Photography and Cult Filmmakers.