Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema

The latest offering from the Reference Guides to the World's Cinema series, this critical survey of key films, actors, directors, and screenwriters during the silent era of the American cinema offers a broad-ranging portrait of the motion picture production of silent film. Detailed but concise alphabetical entries include over 100 film titles and 150 personnel. An introductory chapter explores the early growth of the new silent medium while the final chapter of this encyclopedic study examines the sophistication of the silent cinema. These two chapters outline film history from its beginnings until the perfection of synchronized sound, and reflect upon the themes and techniques established with the silent cinema that continued into the sound era through modern times.

The annotated entries, alphabetically arranged by film title or personnel, include brief bibliographies and filmographies. An appendix lists secondary but important movies and their creators. Film and popular culture scholars will appreciate the vast amount of information that has been culled from various sources and that builds upon the increased studies and research of the past ten years.

List of contents

Introduction
The Development of Cinema from Scientific Novelty to a New Art and Entertainment Industry
Films and Filmmakers
The Legacy of the Silent Screen and the Birth Pangs of the Sound Film
Appendix: 160 Additional Films and Filmmakers of Note from the Silent Era
Selected Bibliography
Index

About the author

Christophe P. Jacobs, Donald McCaffrey

Product details

• Authors: Christophe Jacobs, Donald McCaffrey
• Assisted by: Christopher P. Jacobs (Editor), Donald W. McCaffrey (Editor)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.09.1999
• EAN: 9780313303456
• ISBN: 978-0-313-30345-6
• Series: Reference Guides to the World's Cinema
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Photography, film, video, TV; USA, REFERENCE / Bibliographies & Indexes, Films, cinema, United States of America, USA, c 1914 to c 1918 (including WW1), c 1919 to c 1939 (Inter-war period), c 1918 to c 1939 (Inter-war period), PERFORMING ARTS / Film / General, C 1900 - C 1914, c 1900 to c 1909, c 1914 to c 1918 (World War One period), Bibliographies, catalogues, Popular Culture: Film