Thinking in Pictures: Dramatic Structure in D.W. Griffith’s Biograph Films

Thinking in Pictures shows for the first time, in rigorous shot-by-shot analyses, what Griffith really did—and allows us to understand the implications for film narrative in general. Anyone with an interest in early cinema will find the book compelling, but the text will also intrigue readers seeking understanding of film usages on a more general, theoretical level.

When Griffith began making films, the shot had been recognized as a basic element of film, the camera had a certain amount of freedom, transitional effects had been explored, audiences displayed an appetite for narrative. It was the synthesis of these elements, as Jesionowski traces it, that was Griffith’s great achievement—for which he has always been honored by other filmmakers, by critics, and by audiences who continue to be moved and excited by his films.