Mark Cousins is known for fronting the now defunct 'Moviedrome'-series and the excellent 'Scene by Scene'- which also now seems defunct- where he interviewed figures like David Lynch and Martin Scorsese while taking in scenes from their brilliant careers. 'The Story of Film' advances on Cousins' journalistic work and combines with his academic work in the medium in Scotland...
'The Story of Film' does what he says on the cover really, a concise history of cinema focusing on movements and scenes accompanied by still-images from many of the films discussed. It's extremely user-friendly and would make an ideal primer to anyone interested in Film Studies - and a lot cheaper than books like 'Film Art' too! A book I'd rank up there with 'The Cinema Book' , 'The Oxford Guide to Film Studies' & Susan Hayward's book of film definitions (though the list of terms and further reading is a little short at the end- I'd like to have seen more titles included, a minor gripe though...)
'The Story of Film' is a riveting read that contextualises the greatest art form of the 20th Century and covers such figures as Werner Herzog, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Scorsese, Ken Loach, Lynch, Jean-Luc Godard, Steven Spielberg, Luchino Visconti...and so on. Great part on The New German Cinema, on the influence of Bertolucci's masterpiece 'The Conformist' (1970) on The New American Cinema (notably Paul Schrader) & on how the U.S. blockbuster (The Exorcist, Jaws, Star Wars IV: A New Hope) ultimately ruined the auteurist movement established by 'Easy Rider','Bonnie & Clyde','Taxi Driver','The Conversation' & 'American Gigolo.'
'The Story of Film' is excellently written, extremely informative and a breeze to read - ANYONE interested in film should read it...