American silent film
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
American silent film
Da Capo Press, 1998
Available at 3 libraries
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Note
Originally published: New York : Oxford University Press, 1978
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Praised as the "best modern survey of the silent period" ( New Republic ), this indispensable history tells you everything you need to know about American silent film, from the nickelodeons in the early 1900s to the birth of the first "talkies" in the late 1920s. The author provides vivid descriptions of classic pictures such as The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, Sunrise, The Covered Wagon, and Greed , and lucidly discusses their technical and artistic merits and weaknesses. He pays tribute to acknowledged masters like D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and Lillian and Dorothy Gish, but he also gives ample attention to previously neglected yet equally gifted actors and directors. In addition, the book covers individual genres, such as the comedy, western gangster, and spectacle, and explores such essential but little-understood subjects as art direction, production design, lighting and camera techniques, and the art of the subtitle. Intended for all scholars, students, and lovers of film, this fascinating book, which features over 150 film stills, provides a rich and comprehensive overview of this unforgettable era in film history.
Table of Contents
- * A Survey * The Beginnings * The Birth of Film Grammar * The Early Features * Griffith and The Birth of a Nation * Intolerance * Stabilization * The Art of the Sub-Title * The Directors * The Early Twenties * The Mid-1920s: The New Dominance of the Female Star * Genres * The Western * Comedy * The Peak Years * Art Direction and Production Design * European Influences * Transition to Sound: Early Talkies * Appendix: The State of Film Scholarship in AmericaThe Silent Film: Books, Films, Archives, and Other Reference Tools * Chronology: The Movies in America
- Art and IndustryA Chronological Survey of Highlights of the Silent Period
by "Nielsen BookData"