Welcome to the companion website for the 2nd edition of Film Theory: An Introduction Through the Senses, by Thomas Elsaesser and Malte Hagener, which explores the relationship among the screen and the spectator’s mind, body, and senses. Using seven distinctive configurations of spectator and screen that move progressively from ‘exterior’ to ‘interior’ relationships, the authors retrace the most important stages of film theory from its beginnings to the present. This new and updated edition has been extensively revised and rewritten throughout, incorporating discussion of contemporary films like Her and Gravity, and bringing film theory fully into the digital age.

Here, you’ll find various resources to accompany your reading of the text, including:

• An excerpt from the book’s introduction
• Each chapter’s opening analysis
• Video essays curated to accompany each chapter
• A list of selected films

We welcome further suggestions and links to video essays that illustrate or examine the themes and arguments in Film Theory: An Introduction Through the Senses.