Hugo Münsterberg
Related: film theory - early film
Biography
Hugo Münsterberg (1863–1916) was a U.S. (German-born, in Danzig(Gda?sk) psychologist.
He moved to Harvard University, encouraged by William James, and became a leading figure in American experimental psychology. He was a pioneer of industrial psychology. He held controversial views on the reliability of witness testimony.
He also became interested in film; his 1916 book The Photoplay has been called the first major work of film theory. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_M%C3%BCnsterberg [Nov 2005]
Hugo Munsterberg on Film: The Photoplay: A Psychological Study (1916) - Hugo Münsterberg
Hugo Munsterberg on Film: The Photoplay: A Psychological Study and Other Writings (2001) - Allan Langdale [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Synopsis
Hugo Muensterberg's The Photoplay (1916) is one of the first and most important early works of film theory. Munsterberg's work on the emerging art of cinema remains a key document for film scholars, but it has long been out of print. In this new edition, Allan Langdale provides a critical introduction to the seminal text and collects numerous hard-to-find writings on film by Munsterberg.
About the Author
Hugo Munsterberg was a psychologist and author of one of the first works of film theory, The Photoplay. Allan Langdale teaches in the Film Studies and Art History departments at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Book Description
Hugo Munsterberg's The Photoplay (1916) is regarded as the first serious work of film theory. In this new edition, Allan Langdale provides a critical introduction and collects numerous hard-to-find writings on film by Munsterberg.
Munsterberg argues that film is a unique medium because it speaks the language of the mind. For example, he equates the close-up with the act of attention and the flashback with the act of memory. His writings are fascinating accounts of the psychological elements of film and provide valuable insight into the reception of film as art at the beginning of the century. Hugo Munsterberg on Film will be of great interest not only to film theorists and historians, but also those interested in the history of psychology.
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