This brief history of the cinema surveys the birth, development, and modern period of silent and sound films. The approach seeks out major "auteurs" of film, discusses their more artistic works, and places them in historical perspective. Commentary on the aesthetic nature of film includes speculation on the relationship of sound to silent films and the mechanical methods film-makers use in creating especially tense filmic moments. Narrative, "subjective," and "factual" films from a variety of countries are categorized and discussed. The book is illustrated by numerous enlargements from film frames and by many portraits of film-makers. (CH)