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  • © 2017

The Long Take

Critical Approaches

Palgrave Macmillan
  • The first book in English exclusively devoted to the long take, one of the key elements of film style
  • The collection is devoted to the detailed critical analysis of specific long takes, explored in terms of how they function within their contexts, the meanings they generate and the effects they create
  • Specially commissioned chapters (only one previously published) by established and younger scholars
  • An exciting collection that analyses works from a range of film-making traditions selected to represent varied long take practices and associated debates
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Palgrave Close Readings in Film and Television (CRFT)

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Table of contents (16 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
  2. Introduction 1: The Long Take—Critical Approaches

    • John Gibbs, Douglas Pye
    Pages 1-26
  3. The Average Long Take

    • Christian Keathley
    Pages 59-71
  4. Roberto Rossellini Presents

    • Adam O’Brien
    Pages 117-132
  5. 13 Ways of Looking at a Lake

    • Alison Butler
    Pages 177-191
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 253-263

About this book

This is the first book in English exclusively devoted to the long take, one of the key elements of film style. Increasingly visible in contemporary international media, the long take currently attracts a good deal of attention in criticism and commentary. There are also significant strands of film theory in which duration has become a recurrent concern.

In keeping with the approach of Palgrave Close Readings in Film and Television, this collection is devoted to the detailed critical analysis of specific long takes, explored in terms of how they function within their contexts, how they shape the visual field, the meanings they generate and the effects they create. The Long Take: Critical Approaches brings together essays by established and emerging scholars (all but one essay commissioned for this volume) in an exciting collection that analyses works from a range of filmmaking traditions, from the 1930s to the present day, selected to represent varied long take practices and to explore associated debates.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Department of Film, Theatre & Television, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom

    John Gibbs, Douglas Pye

About the editors

John Gibbs is Professor of Film and Douglas Pye is Senior Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Film, Theatre and Television at the University of Reading, UK. They are series editors of Palgrave Close Readings in Film and Television and members of the editorial board of Movie: A Journal of Film Criticism

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access