Second Takes: A Fresh Look at Classic World Cinema: Essays

Movie critic Naser Mojtahed invites readers on an inspiring journey into the world of film analysis. Second Takes samples a broad spectrum of movies from the “golden years” of filmmaking, highlighting outstanding artists who have created the hallmarks of the medium. The book is a collection of fifty essays focusing exclusively on classic cinema, each exploring the themes, cultural contexts, and creative ideas that came together to deliver fascinating films–some of which have retained their original appeal for nearly one hundred years. Mojtahed employs traditional values in film criticism to create fresh takes on classics. Readers will discover how interactions of visual elements with components such as sound effects, music, color, dialogue, and editing create a dynamism that shapes our response to films. Detailed examinations reveal how this synergy of diverse elements leads to a thematic cohesion, or a recurring motif, that audiences relate to both emotionally–and intellectually. While we can often explain the impact of mise-en-scene or camera movement, the unconscious emotional response to what we see on the screen guides our intellectual reading of a moment in movies. Film aficionados will learn how to apply the essays’ blending of theoretical concepts with practical guidelines to any film of interest. In additional to traditional classics, Second Takes also includes several important films that are overlooked or seldom discussed, and a list of “Suggested Further Reading” provides readers with a vast resource to expand their perspective on the art of cinema even further.