The Past Is a Moving Picture ― Preserving the Twentieth Century on Film

“In well-documented explanations and interviews, Janna Jones adds a welcome dimension to the conversation about preservation, access, inclusivity, and good practice across the discipline and within the culture at large.”—The Moving Image

“Provocative. . . . A good read for anyone interested in the field.”—Archival Spaces

“An absolutely stupendously important volume. Historically and theoretically informed, this book is an absolutely first-rate investigation of the current cultural politics of film archives. It is not only indispensable for all those working to preserve the historical record, but it will also provide a fascinating and enjoyable read for others.”—Mark Jancovich, University of East Anglia

Janna Jones provides a stunning, tour-de-force analysis of the major assumptions and paradigmatic shifts about history, cinema, and the moving image archive, one that we ignore at our peril in the midst of the overwhelming rush toward digitization. No student of film, twentieth-century history, or archiving and preservation can afford to miss The Past Is a Moving Picture.

Janna Jones is professor in the School of Communication at Northern Arizona University and the author of The Southern Movie Palace: Rise, Fall, and Resurrection.