Transcendental Style in Film – Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer, With a New Introduction

"A welcome opportunity to revisit one of the few essential works of film theory. You can take issue with Schrader's categories and critera and argue with him as you go, but it's the ground on which the exchange between author and reader occurs that matters most. By exploring and identifying the territory of the transcendental, Paul Schrader and his groundbreaking text illuminate what is most precious in the cinema and, by extension, in art itself."—Kent Jones, filmmaker, writer, festival director "For students interested in spirituality and cinema, Transcendental Style in Film is the one book I would label indispensable. A well-read copy should be in every cinephile's library."—Kenneth R. Morefield, Professor of English, Campbell University "As a materialist, I have issues with a transcendental approach toward style, even while supporting Paul Schrader’s critical gifts and his passionate interest in three of my favorite filmmakers. But in his new introduction, his observations about slow cinema from Tarkovsky to Kiarostami to Tarr are every bit as compelling as his earlier insights into film noir."—Jonathan Rosenbaum, author of Placing Movies: The Practice of Film Criticism "Schrader's book is a classic—one of the very few seminal books on religion/spirituality and film. His new introduction linking transcendental style to the time-images of Deleuze and Tarkovsky, as well as slow cinema, which followed, only adds to its importance. A must read!"—Robert K. Johnston, Professor of Theology and Culture, Fuller Theological Seminary, and author of Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue "Before most of us, Paul Schrader sensed, deep in the bones of cinematic form, a potential for spiritual expression. This seminal work has set the terms of the film and religion…