1
of
1
How to Watch a Movie
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 811 ratings, 131 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still
learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Summary
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3000
$3299
Elsewhere:
Unit price
/
Unavailable
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY
Found a better price? Request a price match
How to Watch a Movie
$3000
$3299
Elsewhere:
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Latest News
New Reads to add to your TBR
Fiction and Non Fiction are both pulling some big punches this week with a number...
Talking all things Romantasy with John Campbell on RNZ!
The latest book in a viral series has had some New Zealanders queuing up at...
New Hero Alert! Meet Shannon - our new Warehouse Sidekick
Meet Shannon, one of our newest Warehouse Sidekicks! With a background in inwards goods and...
New Zealand Gothic and Some Wonderfully Atmospheric Novels from Aotearoa
We may be lacking in castles and moors, but we more than make up for...
Movie Review on Sense And Sensibility
Hannah and I were both incredibly excited to go along to the movie premiere. Hannah...
See moreAn enlightening guide to all the magical workings of watching film from 'a giant in the world of film criticism' (The Times).
An enlightening guide to all the magical workings of watching film from 'a giant in the world of film criticism' (The Times)
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
From one of the most admired critics of our time, brilliant insights into the act of watching movies and an enlightening discussion about how to derive more from any film experience.
Since first publishing his landmark Biographical Dictionary of Film in 1975 (now in its sixth edition), David Thomson has been one of the most trusted authorities on all things cinema. Now, he offers his most inventive exploration of the medium yet: guiding us through each element of the viewing experience, considering the significance of everything from what we see and hear on screenβactors, shots, cuts, dialogue, musicβto the specifics of how, where, and with whom we do the viewing.
With customary candour and wit, Thomson delivers keen analyses of a range of films from classics such as Psycho and Citizen Kane to contemporary fare such as 12 Years a Slave and All Is Lost, revealing how to more deeply appreciate both the artistry and manipulation of film, and how watching movies approaches something like watching life itself.
Discerning, funny and utterly unique, How to Watch a Movie is a welcome twist on the classic proverb: Give a movie fan a film, she'll be entertained for an hour or two; teach a movie fan to watch, her experience will be enriched forever.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
How to Watch a Movie by David Thomson is highly praised for its insightful and authoritative discussion on the art of film-watching. Reviews celebrate Thomson's ability to combine intelligent analysis with engaging prose, making it a valuable read for both casual film enthusiasts and serious students. His expertise and unique perspective are often noted as providing fresh insights into the film medium, revealing the intricate relationship between cinema and the viewer's psyche.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781781250440
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 05 May 2016
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Profile Books Ltd
Edition: Main
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 20.0mm
Width: 130.0mm
Height: 196.0mm
Weight: 186g
Pages: 256
About the Author
David Thomson, 'without doubt, the greatest living film historian' (LA Times), is the author of the seminal New Biographical Dictionary of Film, now in its sixth edition, Have You Seen ... ?, Nicole Kidman and The Big Screen. Born in London, Thomson now lives in San Francisco.
Also by David Thomson
View all-
Connecticut
The third novel in David Thomson's series inspired by movie genres - an enchanting yet haunting celebration of screwball romantic comedies. In 1985, with the acclaimed Suspects, and then in 1990 with the exhilarating Silver Light, David Thomson delivered unprecedented fictions in which the characters were figures from film noir and the Western. Now a trilogy is completed with Connecticut....Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Remotely
A leading film critic on the evolving world of streaming media and its impact on society The city at night under lockdown, a time of plague and anxiety. It is an exciting new age of television, the light that flutters in every cell in the city. But no one seems to be asking: What is the endless stream doing to...Hardback$4799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Suspects
Noah Cross, Norma Desmond, Norman Bates, Harry Lime β these are a few of nearly a hundred names that inhabit the mind of the narrator as he starts to compose short biographies of some of the most famous characters in the history of film noir. He sketches in whole lives, lives as intense as the dreams put up on the...Paperback$3299Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Murder and the Movies
A renowned movie critic on filmβs treatment of one of mankindβs darkest behaviours: murder "[Thomson's] analysis of death in Hitchcock movies is gorgeous. His restlessness is palpable. There is an anxiety in this brief, hurried book that suits these political and medical times."βLisa Schwarzbaum, New York Times Book Review Included in the New York Times Book Review's "Best Books to...Hardback$4499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Silver Light
From 1865 to 1950, the multi-faceted world of the American West, its rich, colourful characters, and its many facesβhistorical, mythic, and cinematicβare captured in the story of a reclusive, elderly photographer and her friend, a writer of Western comic books. Two characters dominate the novel's foreground: a Georgia O'Keeffe-like figure, photographer Susan Garth, shrewd, cantankerous, reclusive, and still self-reliant at...Paperback$3299Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Disaster Mon Amour
A deepβand darkly comicβdive into the nature of disasters, and the ways they shape how we think about ourselves in the world As anyone in the news business knows, audiences swell with the scale of disaster; humans have always been drawn to the rumours of our own demise. In this darkly comic book, noted film historian David Thomson examines iconic...Hardback$4099Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
The Big Sleep
The Big Sleep: Marlowe and Vivian practising kissing; General Sternwood shivering in a hothouse full of orchids; a screenplay, co-written by Faulkner, famously mysterious and difficult to solve. Released in 1946, Howard Hawks' adaptation of Raymond Chandler reunited Bogart and Bacall and gave them two of their most famous roles. The mercurial but ever-manipulative Hawks dredged humour and happiness out...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Returned
Since 2012, hundreds of men and women have left Western countries to join jihadist groups fighting in Syria. Many are still there, many have been killed, but some have chosen to return to their countries of origin. French Journalist David Thomson met some of those who came back. Bilel, Yassin, Zoubeir, and Lena each has a different profile and story....Paperback$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Why Acting Matters
Why Acting Matters by David Thomson is a provocative, highly engaging essay on the art of pretending on the stage, on screen, and in daily life. Does acting matter? David Thomson, one of our most respected and insightful writers on movies and theatre, answers this question with intelligence and wit. In this fresh and thought-provoking essay, Thomson tackles this most...Paperback$4999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
A Sudden Flicker of Light
From cinema's most distinguished historian and critic comes a masterful assessment of the whole sweep of movie history. The movies traded on the liberation of secret desiresβdrive that car as fast as you can; turn your humble abode into a palace; conquer all the mean spirits in the world; be as free and winsome as the Tramp yet as rich...Hardback$7000Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
A Light in the Dark
In little more than a century of cinemaβBirth of a Nation was one hundred years old in 2015βour sense of what a film director is, or should be, has shifted in fascinating ways. A director was once a functionary; then an important but not decisive part of an industrial process; then accepted as the person who was and should be...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Fatal Alliance
βA marvellous bombshell of a book, by one of our most formidably knowledgeable and insightful writers on film, it is filled with surprises and witty asides. Though Thomson is quick to pounce on the hypocrisies and historical omissions of some of these war movies, there is nothing compromised about his own daredevil judgments. We are in the hands of a...HardbackSold Out
More from Arts & Culture
View all-
Dylan's PickBold Types
A tribute to 32 truly independent bookshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from north of Auckland down to Dunedin, and coast to coast. Jane Ussher's photographs show every bookstore in its unique nature - including behind the counter, smoko rooms, the mess which tells the hardworking story behind the joy of matching books with customers. Jemma Moreira's careful editing has crafted...Hardback$5999Elsewhere:$7000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseIβll Believe in Anything
From Jacob Tierney, the creator ofΒ Heated Rivalry, in partnership with Brendan Brady and AccentΒ Aigu, comesΒ IβllΒ Believe in Anything, an official and complete collection of annotated scripts for the biggest cultural sensation of the year, with all new exclusive behind-the-scenes content.Based on Rachel Reidβs blockbuster Game Changers book series,Β Heated RivalryΒ premiered on Crave and HBO in late 2025 andΒ immediatelyΒ took the world by storm.Β Iβll...Hardback$5499Elsewhere:$6000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Home Again
Join rock-legend, former Shihad frontman and lead singer of The Adults, Jon Toogood in this unflinching and no-holds-barred memoirΒ Home Again.This is more than a rock story.Β Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it.Β From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this...Paperback$2700Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
20% offThe Odyssey
Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travellers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative....Paperback$2400Elsewhere:$3599Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
21% offThe Iliad
When Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017βrevealing the ancient poem in a contemporary idiom that was "fresh, unpretentious and lean" (Madeline Miller, Washington Post)βcritics lauded it as "a revelation" (Susan Chira, New York Times) and "a cultural landmark" (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an...Paperback$2600Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far youβll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...Hardback$4499Elsewhere:$5299Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseA Life in Lyrics
Freddie Mercury was one of the greatest showmen of the twentieth century. With his unparalleled voice and searing on-stage energy, he was a great pretender, a killer queen and a champion of the world. But behind the glamour lived a musician and lyricist talented beyond measure, and the creative force behind one of the most culturally significant and musically diverse...Hardback$5000Elsewhere:$6500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseBirdlands
A rare, intimate journey into the wild islands where Aotearoa's birds live beyond the reach of most human lives. In the most remote outposts of Aotearoa, our islands are populated not with people, but with birds. From the storm-lashed Subantarctic Islands in the deep south to the scattered volcanic islands of Tikapa Moana/Hauraki Gulf in the north, Birdlands offers a...Hardback$4199Elsewhere:$5000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
21% offThis Angry Pen of Mine
This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...Hardback$5800Elsewhere:$8999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseBeautiful Chaos
Featuring five exclusive new poems, this stunning foil-embossed hardback edition is a collector's item and a gorgeous gift. The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller. Selected poems on motherhood from bestselling author and Instagram poet, Jessica Urlichs. 'Reading Jess's poems makes me feel like she's somehow reached into my own personal reflections and articulated them in a way I never could.' β...Hardback$3299Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseSplit Enz
'My favourite band. Ever! And certainly the best dressed.' Sam Neill Split Enz were never designed to fit. Emerging from art school mischief in early-1970s New Zealand, they turned pop into surreal theatre: costume, character and melody colliding in a rock band that refused to behave like one. At the centre of that vision was Noel Crombieβpercussionist, performer and the...Hardback$5199Elsewhere:$6500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Mah Jong Player's Companion
Since the arrival on the market of Patricia Thompson and Betty Maloney's two previous books, The Game of Mah Jong Illustrated and Improve Your Mah Jong, a wide range of hands from many parts of the world has been sent to them. In this player's companion, the authors have put together a cross-filled reference guide where over 120 hands, illustrated...Paperback$1999Elsewhere:$2299Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
Arts & Culture lists from the team
Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!
-
![]()
![]()
![]()
Lizzy's listArts & Culture
Poetry of Aotearoa
Check out some of the amazing local talent we are spoilt with right here in Aotearoa.View the list -
![]()
![]()
![]()
Lizzy's listArts & Culture
Poetry for Beginners - Where to Start
10 Books I'd recommend to someone new to reading poetry - a mix of old and new, all magical introductions to the...View the list -
![]()
![]()
![]()
Lizzy's listArts & Culture
Lizzy's Favourite Books of Poetry
If I could only have 10 poetry collections to survive on for the rest of my life, these are them. Or maybe...View the list -
![]()
![]()
![]()
Lizzy's listArts & Culture
Books to read for Women in Translation month!
August is Women in Translation month, but at any time of year it's worth checking out these incredible novels written by women...View the list -
![]()
![]()
![]()
Shirl's listArts & Culture
Inside the World of Film
Step behind the scenes of the world of filmmaking! Discover iconic directors and movie history of some of the world's memorable films.View the list -
![]()
![]()
![]()
Shirl's listArts & Culture
Books to Celebrate NZ Music Month
New Zealand Music Month happens every May, it's a reminder that we have so many talented musicians, singer, songwriters here in Aotearoa....View the list
