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.
American Silent Film
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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.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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.
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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,
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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.,
By
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,
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.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
As if aware that future chroniclers would want to deal in neatly packaged periods of time, with traceable progressions of titles and dates. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
key films, camera mobility, sound period, early talkies, dialogue titles Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Way Down East, John Ford, Orphans of the Storm, Lillian Gish, Douglas Fairbanks, Mae Marsh, Mary Pickford, United States, Civil War, Harold Lloyd, The Covered Wagon, Clarence Brown, Maurice Tourneur, Dorothy Gish, Rex Ingram, The Wishing Ring, Erich von Stroheim, Tom Mix, King Vidor, Mack Sennett, Great Britain, Henry King, Herbert Brenon, Robert Harron New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
As if aware that future chroniclers would want to deal in neatly packaged periods of time, with traceable progressions of titles and dates. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
key films, camera mobility, sound period, early talkies, dialogue titles Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Way Down East, John Ford, Orphans of the Storm, Lillian Gish, Douglas Fairbanks, Mae Marsh, Mary Pickford, United States, Civil War, Harold Lloyd, The Covered Wagon, Clarence Brown, Maurice Tourneur, Dorothy Gish, Rex Ingram, The Wishing Ring, Erich von Stroheim, Tom Mix, King Vidor, Mack Sennett, Great Britain, Henry King, Herbert Brenon, Robert Harron New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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47
books
cite this book:
See all 47 books citing this book
- The Birth of a Nation: D. W. Griffith, director (Rutgers Films in Print) by Robert Lang on 52 pages
- The Silent Clowns by Walter Kerr on page 300, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Gold Rush (History Firsthand) by J. D. Lloyd on page 306, page 310, and Back Matter
- Citizen Kane (Screenplay) by Orson Welles on page 329, page 393, and page 410
- Harold Lloyd: The king of daredevil comedy by Adam Reilly on page 300, and Back Matter
See all 100 books this book cites
- Cinematic Modernism: Modernist Poetry and Film by Susan McCabe in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Silent Film and the Triumph of the American Myth by Paula Marantz Cohen in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Our Movie Heritage by Tom McGreevey on page 11, page 12, and Back Matter
- Versuch über John Ford. Die Westernfilme 1939 - 1964 by Dirk C. Loew on page 335, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Black Stork: Eugenics and the Death of "Defective" Babies in American Medicine and Motion Pictures since 1915 by Martin S. Pernick in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 47 books citing this book
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