The Routledge Encyclopedia of Film Theory makes explicit the implicit assumptions behind each film theory by defining and contextualising the theory's terminology, in clear 'everyday' language that students will find accessible.
"The Routledge Encyclopedia of Film Theory is an astonishing achievement. Comprehensive - organized around no fewer than 83 distinct concepts - and authored by recognized specialists, it is sure to establish itself as a great teaching resource. Entries are concise and informative, written in clear language, which makes them especially helpful to students coming to film theory for the first time and seeking a user-friendly, but focused guide. The Editors are to be highly commended for the way they cross-list entries and map the connections between them."
Thomas Elsaesser, Professor Emeritus, University of Amsterdam
"Branigan and Buckland's Encyclopedia of Film Theory is an extraordinary accomplishment. The entries present with clarity and order concepts from the entire history of film theory, often revealing surprising connections and filiations among ideas and authors. In the crowded field of theory overviews, this will be the essential reference work for many years to come for both beginning and advanced researchers."
D. N. Rodowick, Glen A. Lloyd Distinguished Service Professor in Cinema and Media Studies, The University of Chicago
"The Routledge Encyclopedia of Film Theory is both a wonderful map and intriguing maze. The encyclopedia retraces the history of film theory through more than eighty entries. Each reconstructs a debate, but also offers an up-dated perspective. My advice to the reader: (1) investigate your question; (2) then proceed randomly, as if you were surfing the Internet; (3) make connections be as strange as possible; (4) challenge the path from light to dark suggested by Branigan in the Epilogue, and disrupt it by finding new ways to make film live. Above all, savour the reading: it brings to light important chapters in the history of thought, and rediscovers what we thought we knew and what we think now."
Francesco Casetti, Professor, Film Studies Program, Yale University
"This volume attempts to address shortcomings in previous guides to film theory, which often can seem unwelcoming to the uninitiated... [and] offers a reference that is accessible to novice users through the use of concise, straightforward prose, which grounds discussion of key concepts in a limited number of canonical texts...this should prove to be a valuable reference for students engaged in film studies...Summing Up: Recommended."
W. D. Walsh, Georgia State University, in CHOICE
