This authoritative anthology presents key selections from the best contemporary work in philosophy of film and motion pictures. Designed for classroom use, the essays that comprise this volume have been specially chosen for their clarity, precision, philosophical depth, and consonance with current cognitive science and psychology.

The volume's eight sections, each introduced by the editors, cover topics such as

Film as art The nature of film Documentary cinema Narration and emotion in film Film criticism Film's relation to knowledge and morality

Whether addressing assumptions about the objectivity of documentary film, fear of movie monsters, or moral questions surrounding the viewing of pornography, this text is replete with examples and discussion of moving pictures throughout.