This concise book introduces the reader to key currents and areas of research in film theory, as well as the stages of cinema's evolution—from the invention of the first camera and the work of the Lumière brothers to the influence of psychoanalysis and feminism on film criticism, Hollywood and genre cinema, "Third Cinema," and postmodern theory. Structured as the screenplay for an imaginary film, the "guide" features dialogues between a student, their professor, and various directors, critics, and philosophers; the text by Richard Osborne—a professor of the theory and philosophy of art at the University of London—is accompanied by amusing sketches by artist Angie Brew.