American Silent Film (A History of the American film) [Hardcover]

William K. Everson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 1978 | ISBN-10: 019502348X | ISBN-13: 978-0195023480 | Edition: First Edition

Intended for all scholars, students, and lovers of film, this book, which features over 150 film stills, provides an overview of this era in film history.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

LJ's reviewer predicted this book was "bound to become the standard work on the period" (LJ 6/1/78), especially since it offers an in-depth look at "flickers" made prior to the 1920s boom that have been neglected in other histories. In addition to the early features, chapters cover D.W. Griffith and The Birth of a Nation, the Western, comedy, art direction and production design, the European influence, genres, directors, and the transition to sound. This survey remains "a readable, informed history of the period."
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

William K. Everson (1929–1996) was the author of The Art of W. C. Fields, Classics of the Horror Film, and The Western.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 398 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Edition edition (June 15, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019502348X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195023480
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,042,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Twenty-year old book is still one of the best on silent film, December 15, 1999

By 

Bruce Calvert "silent movie collector" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Silent Film (Paperback)

This book, written by the late film expert William K. Everson, is one of the best that you will read on silent film. Everson covers the entire silent film era from its beginnings to the coming of sound. This book focuses on the artistic successes more than the business end of the topic. While he completely covers D.W. Griffith's career, he also champions other early directors like John Collins. He covers interesting topics like art direction (or the lack of) in many early films. While the scope of the book is American films, he devotes time to the influence of European films and filmmakers on American films.

This books is an excellent introduction to silent film, yet a person familiar with the topic will not be able to put it down either.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to the Silent Film genre., April 13, 2001

By 

Maria Aragon (Landover Hills, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Silent Film (Paperback)

I am so glad that Da Capo put this old Oxford University Press book back in print. I had read it back when I was a teenager in Chandler, Arizona and found its descriptions of these elusive films fascinating. For instance, this book was the first place I had heard of FW Murnau's excellent Sunrise, which is now a favorite of mine. Get this book for your private Silent Film Genre Reference Library.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A CLASSIC, July 22, 2000

By 

anonymous (san francisco, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Silent Film (Paperback)

This book is a classic. If you own only two or three film books, this should be one of them. Everson was the man. He saw everything, and what's more, he understood what he saw. There is no better introduction to the world of silent film.