BRWC Review: Filmish

17th November 2015

Investigating the ways in which film has shaped our perception of the world; Edward Ross combines two of the twentieth century’s greatest art forms, cinema and graphic novel to present an entertaining and exciting (although occasionally preachy) journey into the impact and influence of cinema in shaping our lives and perceptions.

Advertised as a journey through ‘the history of cinema’, Filmish is less of chronological journey than a discussion of key aspects of film theory. Likely presenting nothing new to the film theorist; for the more casual film and comic lover Edward Ross presents a friendly and free-flowing introduction into the world of cinema theory. Written in a friendly style that combines conversational prose with exiting and interesting images, Filmish is very easy to read without losing out on content. Ross’s interesting choice to place himself at the scene of the crime with illustrations of himself imposed in movie scenes transforms dense academic material into a cinematic journey that is both enjoyable and thought provoking.

Heavily critical of what Ross describes as the ‘patriarchal’ world of cinema, Ross’s work can sometimes feel like a re-education detracting from lightness of the book and whilst the message is important and Ross accurately describes the failures and bigotry of the cinematic world Ross’s work itself can come across as slightly oppressive. Nonetheless, overall, this book is highly appealing and incredibly entertaining. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in film theory and honestly, any film lover would fail to read Filmish and come away without a new appreciation for the power and impact of film.

An original ideal and a great piece of non-fiction; Filmish is published by self-made hero and ground breaking in its style.

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