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The Photoplay

A Psychological Study

Downloads: Under 100
First published: 1916
Pages: 87

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About this book

Before treating film as an art, Hugo Münsterberg traces the devices that made moving pictures possible. Optical toys, revolving disks and Muybridge's photographs of a horse supply the opening examples. From these experiments he turns to the spectator's mind, examining depth, movement, attention, memory, imagination and emotion. The Photoplay connects the machinery of early cinema with the mental activity involved in watching a screen.

The discussion also compares film with the stage. Münsterberg describes how a change of scenery can express a character's feelings, imagining a violinist whose shifting emotions appear through spring landscapes, autumn leaves and stormy seas. His concern is how pictures communicate experiences that cannot be heard or directly seen.

About the author

Hugo Münsterberg

Hugo Münsterberg (1863-1916) was a German-American psychologist who also worked as a philosopher, physician and university teacher. He helped develop applied psychology, taking his research into industry, law, medicine, education and business. His titles include "Psychology and Industrial Efficiency" and "The Photoplay".