Cinema Builders outlines the history of the cinema as a quintessentially modern building type, which embodies fantasy and escape in another realm. It examines the relationship of the development of film to the architecture of the cinema itself; the advent of sound and the replacement of the theatre as an urban attraction. Cinema Builders charts the metamorphosis of cinema architecture from traditional theatre structures to a new breed of cinema building, among the first to use modernistic architectural languages and abandon historicism. The buildings featured throughout include work by architects such as Coop Himmelb(l)au, Bryan Avery, Jon Jerde, Fumihko Maki, Behnisch, Behnisch and Partner. - All-encompassing worldwide study of cinema styles - Prestigious architects showcase their work - Beautifully illustrated in colour and black and white throughout