Cinema of Material and Historical Conditions

This is part of a four-part list I have planned about films that concern themselves with issues related to film itself. I have no idea how much time I will dedicate to this list, but ideally it will be a collaborative, learning experience for all who care to involve themselves!

THERE IS GOING TO BE A LOT OF OVERLAP HERE. For instance, Ken Jacobs’s “Tom, Tom, The Piper’s Son” could technically fall into all of these categories (except perhaps the last one, right?). In any case, my general feeling is that categories and labels are useful ONLY INSOFAR as they complicate their own objects.

That being said,...