The Film Encyclopedia 7th Edition: The Complete Guide to Film and the Film Industry Paperback – May 1, 2012

The late Ephraim Katz, as one can discern in the preface to the original edition ( 1979 ) of this monumental encyclopedia, was a man who possessed both erudition and a stoic level of discipline in bringing this colossal work to completion. Arranged alphabetically, 'The Film Encyclopedia' contains as complete a level of descriptive knowledge ( technical, artistic, historical ) as one could *reasonably* expect to find in a single volume. Note that the one area this book does not cover is, as Mr. Katz wrote in his preface: "the factual and critical survey of specific motion pictures" , which he specifically requested the publishers drop ( it would have added many hundreds of pages to a work that, in its print form, contains over 1600 pages ). Nevertheless, in the entries for directors and actors, one will often find brief summaries ( and opinions ) of particular films, agree or disagree as one may.If the prospective buyer of this volume is concerned about the form in which he should purchase this work, I would simply point out that the last hardbound edition was printed with cheap paper, and that its long-term value is somewhat diminished on that score. As to the Kindle version being reviewed, the issue seems to be one of accessibility; personally, I would say it is not that much harder to "swipe through" the Kindle version in looking for particular entries than it is to "page through" the print format. It's about 50/50 split in terms of relative convenience in either medium; perhaps readers will take the path I chose, and have copies in both formats. It should be noted that the Kindle edition contains the most recent update ( such as it is, dating to 2012 ).Writing as a common viewer, I would venture to say that 'The Film Encyclopedia' ( coupled with Leonard Maltin's equally gigantic movie guide ) would probably meet the essential reference needs of the majority of movie buffs. I can't in good conscience give it less than five stars.

I should first note that I purchased the Kindle edition of "The Film Encyclopedia 7e" and I am using a Kindle Paperwhite to access it. I mention this only because I have learned that Kindle eBooks accessed via non-Kindle devices, or even Kindle Fire devices running the Android OS, do not have the indexing and searching capabilities of a Kindle device running the native Kindle OS. In sum, accessing this eBook via my Kindle Paperwhite, I find that it has good indexing and searching capabilities (although it may take a few hours to complete the indexing after downloading), so please keep this in mind when reading other reviewers' comments to the contrary.That being said, this eBook is an excellent reference for those of us who love films, film history, and film technology. It's all here. Unlike the various movie review guides (which I also love), this eBook concentrates on the histories of the people behind the films: the actors, directors, and producers, as well as the lesser-known cinematographers, art directors, film editors, music composers, special and visual effects artists, costume designers, and others who are essential to producing films. It also addresses the history of the technologies and equipment used in making films, from the late 1800s to the present. Finally, it spends time on film-making trends, approaches, or movements, such as Expressionism, Neo-Realism, Film Noir, and so on.So, if you are interested in the histories of the people, things, or ideas that are involved in film making, this is the reference book for you! You might find it useful if you're on the beach somewhere, and you don't have (or don't want to have) access to IMDb, Wikipedia, and so on. You might also find that, in many cases, this eBook is actually more thorough and accurate than IMDb or Wikipedia (at least up to its publication date).

Turning pages at random, I found that the title of the entry in boldface at the top right hand corner of the right page was the name of a person 49/50 times.Technical terms are present, but the articles tend to be short, without much description. "Producer" and "Editing" each get less than a page. "Digital effects" gets less than half a column."ADR" (which I often read in credits) does not have an entry, thus defeating the newcomer; "automated dialogue replacement" sends me to "looping," which gets only three lines. I would have liked a page or more describing the process and telling how it is done, and what makes the difference between a convincing result and dialogue that sounds disconcertingly like an interior although the characters are seen walking in open air.I did not find an entry for "intellectual property."It should be useful for students of the history of film, as the material about people goes back a long way and illuminates the history of film technique, production and distribution companies, etc. So read the description carefully before you buy this book, and consider what areas you want covered that may not be found in this "complete" guide to film.

Muy eficientes los trabajadores de Amazon. MUY contento con mi libro.Gracias

In a book of this size I wanted a listing for movie titles too. If you don't have an actor or actress name, or director or some name, I would like to look up a movie title.

Definitive comprehensive resource

Before there was an internet, this was the only single volume comprehensive way to research an actor's or director's entire body of work. My father and I always looked in the Leonard Maltin guide to find out who directed or acted in a film and then straight to the Katz for their history.More importantly, though, we learned the biographical information and context within which these people affected the art and industry of film. Even with IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Wikipedia, et al, there is still so much more insight in these pages to absorb. Information is easy to gather with a keyboard, but this encyclopedia imparts knowledge, a much more valuable commodity.

Ik dacht dat je op filmtitel kon opzoeken, maar dit is niet het geval.

Got as a xmas present for my 86 year old film buff dad who is not Internet savvy and he is thoroughly enjoying it !

This is the best reference for anything related to movies. If you need a book which has information on all the actors, directors, genres etc., this is the must buy.

I like films - mostly the old and not the hyped sci-fi which seems to have no obvious plot. This book gives lots of information about film not found in a reviewer.

I got this as a present from my parents for Christmas and am rather pleased with it as it has a lot of great information about the film industry which I can spend hours looking at as I am a massive film buff. However I feel especially now it is out of date. Because it was published in 2012 it is missing about 5 years of film. This means it looks at older filmmakers and actors more than more recent filmmakers with Shane Black, Edgar Wright and Taika Waititi (some of my favourite modern filmmakers) missing. As a whole it has some great information it's just in need of an update.