This core textbook offers a concise yet complete introduction to film, responding to shifts in the medium while addressing all of the main approaches that inform film studies. The rise of on demand internet-based video has transformed the way films are distributed and exhibited, with many previously unobtainable and obscure films becoming available for global audiences to view instantly. Interweaving historical and current theoretical approaches, Nick Lacey presents a tightly-focused and coherent overview of a discipline in transition, which can be read 'cover to cover' or in distinct chapters.

With its original narrative line and student-oriented philosophy, the text greatly enriches student's appreciation of cinema, while equipping them with the essential skills and vocabulary to succeed in film studies. This is an ideal foundational text for all lecturers, undergraduate or A-level students of film and cinema studies, as well as enthusiasts of film and cinema looking for a comprehensive guide.

New to this Edition:
- Content reflecting the increasing importance of production contexts, in chapters focusing exclusively on the film business, distribution and exhibition
- A more detailed chapter on representation and greater emphasis on audience
- Updated content addressing the significance of transnational cinema, drawing on a more global, non-Hollywood range of film examples and case studies from Europe, Asia and Latin America
- Text is broken up by a wider variety of film stills, representing world cinema from the classics to the latest in contemporary cinema