The collection is divided into two series: Kristin Thompson Papers and David Bordwell
Papers. Both series are arranged in the order donated. Original folder titles were also
maintained in processing, with the addition of dates, types of documents, and occasional
title clarification.
The Kristin Thompson series contains material from the mid-1970s, beginning with her work
as a graduate student, to the mid-2010s. The series predominantly consists of notes,
correspondence, and brochures related to her research, with a few papers from her work as a
student and teacher. Extensive correspondence documents the research and publication process
for her book on the Lord of the Rings films (The Frodo Franchise) and other correspondence relates to various
publications from the 1970s through the 2010s. The series includes Thompson's analysis notes
and research materials, mostly from trade press, on her selected film examples for two
books: Storytelling in the New Hollywood and Breaking the Glass Armor. A copy of Storytelling in the New Hollywood is also present. The series contains notes and
brochures from conferences and lectures, primarily from the 1990s, and printouts of links
and comments related to her blog with David Bordwell from 2006 to 2015.
The David Bordwell series contains material from the early 1970s, beginning with his work
as a graduate student and his first courses as an instructor, to the mid-2010s. Papers from
courses taught by Bordwell comprise syllabi, handouts, lecture outlines, assigned readings,
notes, and assignments. Bordwell's range of research interests appears in the teaching
materials, with film style and genre, theory and analysis, cognitive film studies, Hollywood
narrative, and Asian cinema topics represented in the courses.
The series documents Bordwell's research process through notes, correspondence, drafts, and
research materials. Examples include analysis notes for the film sample used in The Classical Hollywood Cinema, research notes on other scholars'
work in film theory, and extensive research on Hong Kong cinema from the 1920s through the
2000s. Notes on films, trade press, and contextual material on Hong Kong politics and
culture appear in the Hong Kong cinema research, with many folders focusing on individual
films, filmmakers, and decades in the industry. Drafts of the book Planet Hong Kong are also present. The series includes 2006 to 2014 printouts of
Bordwell and Thompson's blog Observations on Film Art,
another key site of their research outside of traditional publishing.
Bordwell's scholarly activities beyond teaching and research also appear throughout the
series, with notes, lecture outlines, and brochures from invited lectures, conferences, and
film festivals. Correspondence and records related to film screening series organized by
Bordwell, from the 1970s through the 2010s, are also included, as are records from his and
Thompson's work as editors for a University of Wisconsin Press film studies series.
Clippings and correspondence also document Bordwell's interviews and awards, from the 1990s
through the 2010s.
This collection includes material separated from the manuscript series, with audio
recordings of interviews; a press kit for the film Antichrist; an oversized brochure for the company Celestial Pictures in the Item
File; and event passes and nametags, photographs, and an Anthology Film Archive award in the
Lot File.
