Dr. Robert Sklar, an alumni of Princeton University and Harvard University, was a Professor of history at the University of Michigan and later became a professor of cinema studies at New York University from 1977-2009. Dr. Sklar served on the selection committee of the New York Film Festival though the 1990’s. As a Member of the National Film Preservation Board since 1997, he helped choose films to be included on the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry.
Dr. Sklar specialized in the history of cinema and published many scholarly works on the subject, including: Movie-Made America (1975), Film (1993), City Boys (1992), and A World History of Film (2001). Dr. Sklar was a trailblazer when it came to connecting the motion picture’s role in shaping our history. He also played a pivotal role in gaining acceptance of cinema studies as an academic discipline.
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A World History of Film by
This authoritative volume is a readable, illustrated history of motion pictures from pre-cinema to the present day, written from a global perspective. It covers the technological and stylistic developments of movies in the rich context of culture, politics, society and other arts. The author does not treat the history of film as a self-contained subject but rather as a dynamic medium within a constellation of other factors.
Movie-Made America by
Hailed as the definitive work upon its original publication in 1975 and now extensively revised and updated by the author, this vastly absorbing and richly illustrated book examines film as an art form, technological innovation, big business, and shaper of American values. Ever since Edison's peep shows first captivated urban audiences, film has had a revolutionary impact on American society, transforming culture from the bottom up, radically revising attitudes toward pleasure and sexuality, and at the same time, cementing the myth of the American dream. No book has measured film's impact more clearly or comprehensively than Movie-Made America. This vastly readable and richly illustrated volume examines film as art form, technological innovation, big business, and cultural bellwether. It takes in stars from Douglas Fairbanks to Sly Stallo≠ auteurs from D. W. Griffith to Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee; and genres from the screwball comedy of the 1930s to the "hard body" movies of the 1980s to the independents films of the 1990s. Combining panoramic sweep with detailed commentaries on hundreds of individual films, Movie-Made America is a must for any motion picture enthusiast.
City Boys by
Often presented as a gangster, newspaper reporter, or private eye, the "city boy" seemed the quintessential product of urban America, although he was more a model for his audience than a mirror of social actuality. While blending the stories of the professional and political lives of Cagney, Bogart, and Garfield into one fascinating narrative, Robert Sklar probes the cultural forces that produced this vivid cultural icon and examines its power over masculine self-definition.
Film: An International History of the Medium by (Requires SBU Login)
Global Neorealism by
Intellectual, cultural, and film historians have long considered neorealism the founding block of post-World War II Italian cinema. Neorealism, the traditional story goes, was an Italian film style born in the second postwar period and aimed at recovering the reality of Italy after the sugarcoated moving images of Fascism. Lasting from 1945 to the early 1950s, neorealism produced world-renowned masterpieces such as Roberto Rossellini's Roma, citt#65533; aperta (Rome, Open City, 1945) and Vittorio De Sica's Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves, 1947). These films won some of the most prestigious film awards of the immediate postwar period and influenced world cinema. This collection brings together distinguished film scholars and cultural historians to complicate this nation-based approach to the history of neorealism. The traditional story notwithstanding, the meaning and the origins of the term are problematic. What does neorealism really mean, and how Italian is it? Italian filmmakers were wary of using the term and Rossellini preferred "realism." Many filmmakers confessed to having greatly borrowed from other cinemas, including French, Soviet, and American. Divided into three sections, Global Neorealism examines the history of this film style from the 1930s to the 1970s using a global and international perspective. The first section examines the origins of neorealism in the international debate about realist esthetics in the 1930s. The second section discusses how this debate about realism was "Italianized" and coalesced into Italian "neorealism" and explores how critics and film distributors participated in coining the term. Finally, the third section looks at neorealism's success outside of Italy and examines how film cultures in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the United States adjusted the style to their national and regional situations.
Resisting Images by Frank Capra by
Frank Capra's films have had a lasting impact on American culture. His powerful depiction of American values, myths, and ideals was central famous Hollywood films as It Happened One Night, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and It's a Wonderful Life. These pre-war films are remembered for their depiction of an individual's overcoming adversity, populist politics, and an unflappable optimist view of life. This collection of nine essays by leading international film historians analyzes Capra's filmmaking during his most prolific period, from 1928 to 1939, taking a closer look at the more complex aspects of his work. They trace his struggles for autonomy against Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohn, his reputation as an amateur, and the ways in which working within studio modes of production my have enhanced the director's strengths. The contributors also place their critiques within the context of the changing fortunes of the Hollywood studio system, the impact of the Depression, and Capra's working relationships with other studio staff and directors. The contributors' access to nineteen newly restored Capra films made at Columbia during this period fills this collection with some of the most comprehensive critiques available on the director's early body of work.
Celebrating #SergeiEisenstein on his birthday with books from our Robert Sklar Film Research Collection.https://t.co/1TCNx2fYmp pic.twitter.com/Cx7MHgx0ZJ
— Southampton Library (@SBShamptonlib) January 22, 2018
The Sklar Collection itself is made up of over 4,000 works of film history, criticism and theory. The collection, which is open and can circulate to all Stony Brook University students, is utilized heavily by the MFA Film and MFA Creative Writing Departments. In addition to the Sklar Collection, each year the MFA Department at Stony Brook University presents the Sklar Prize, which is awarded to students enrolled in the MFA program who demonstrate exceptional promise in directing, producing and screenwriting. As great of a role as Dr. Sklar played in sculpting film history and cinema studies during his lifetime, he continues to play just as big a role at Stony Brook University, as his generous contributions and unparalleled works in the film industry will continue to educate and inspire students for generations to come.
Stony Brook students, faculty, and staff can request books from the Sklar collection without coming out to Southampton.
1. Log into ILLiad with your NetID and password.
2. Under Tools - Change User Info, set your pick-up location (e.g. Melville ILL Office).
3. Enter all the info you have on the item. Make sure to include the call number and location such as Southampton PN2287 .B4
4. You can check the status of your request by logging into your ILLiad account.
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