Sport and Film

Now in a fully revised and updated new edition, Sport and Film examines the social, cultural, historical and ideological significance of representations of sport in film around the world. It is an essential guide for all students and enthusiasts of sport, film, media and culture. The book traces the history of the sports film, from the beginnings of cinema in the 1890s, its consolidation as a distinct fiction genre in the mid-1920s in Hollywood films such as Harold Lloyd's The Freshman, to its contemporary manifestation in Oscar-winning films such as Million Dollar Baby and The Fighter to more recent films such as Creed and Free Solo. Drawing on an extensive range of films as source material, the book explores key issues in the study of sport, film and wider society, including race, social class, gender and national culture. It also offers an invaluable guide to 'reading' a film, to help students fully engage with their source material. This new edition also includes a new chapter on sport documentaries, a consideration of Russian sport cinema, and new pedagogical features - including review questions, proposed projects, case studies and definitions of key terms - to enhance the reader's understanding. Comprehensive, authoritative and accessible, this is an essential text for any course on sport media, and invaluable reading for general courses on sport and society, film studies or cultural studies. A dedicated website with further resources is available at sportandfilm.eu.