Origins & Early Life

David Jay Bordwell (; July 23, 1947 – February 29, 2024) was an American film theorist and film historian. After receiving his PhD from the University of Iowa in 1973, he wrote more than fifteen volumes on the subject of cinema including Narration in the Fiction Film (1985), Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema (1988), Making Meaning (1989), and On the History of Film Style (1997). With his wife Kristin Thompson, Bordwell wrote the textbooks Film Art (1979) and Film History (1994). Film Art, in its 12th edition as of 2019, is still used as a text in introductory film courses.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

With aesthetics philosopher Noël Carroll, Bordwell edited the anthology Post-Theory: Reconstructing Film Studies (1996), a polemic on the state of contemporary film theory. His largest work was The Classical Hollywood Cinema: Film Style and Mode of Production to 1960 (1985), written in collaboration with Thompson and Janet Staiger. Several of his more influential articles on theory, narrative, and style were collected in Poetics of Cinema (2007), named in homage to the famous anthology of Russian formalist film theory Poetika Kino, edited by Boris Eikhenbaum in 1927. Bordwell spent nearly the entirety of his career...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Akira Toriyama — Contemporary (Died in 2024) (2024): Pioneering manga artist, creator of Dr. Slump and the global phenomenon, Dragon Ball.
• Alain Delon — Contemporary (Died in 2024) (2024): Iconic French actor, producer, and cinematic leading man of the 20th century.
• Alice Munro — Contemporary (Died in 2024) (2024): Master of the short story, exploring human complexity in rural Ontario.
• Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke — Shared historical date (07-23 · Born) (1883): British Field Marshal and Chief of the Imperial General Staff during WWII.
• Alison Krauss — Shared historical date (07-23 · Born) (1971): Esteemed American bluegrass singer and musician known for her vibrant career.
• Bartholomew I of Constantinople — Shared historical date (02-29 · Born) (1940): Current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, leading Eastern Orthodoxy.
• Gioachino Rossini — Shared historical date (02-29 · Born) (1792): Master of Italian Opera, bridging the late Classical and early Romantic eras.
• 1947 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1947
• July 23 (07-23) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on July 23
• 2024 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2024
• February 29 (02-29) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on February 29