This book illustrates the contribution of set design as a dramatic element and the decisive role it plays in the creation of ambience in a film. The evolution of film sets is traced in relation to film as a developing art form. The first section, which considers film perspective and the evolution of the set, discusses painted sets in the French primitives (1895-1914); constructed sets in Italy (1910-1915) and the United States (1915-1920); the film aesthetic in Sweden and Germany (1917-1922) and in France (1918-1926); natural scenery in Russia (1914-1930); realism in Hollywood, France, Great Britain, and the USSR during the twenties and thirties; and postwar trends in Italy, France, Sweden, and Japan. The second part considers the role and conception of set design and examines research, source material, period films, historical films, musical films, and fantasy. The use of color, creation and construction of the set, and special effects are also discussed. (LL)