Early American Cinema [Hardcover]

Anthony Slide (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810827115 | ISBN-13: 978-0810827110 | Publication Date: June 1994 | Edition: New and Revised Edition

A completely revised and rewritten new edition of the pioneering film book first published in 1970, Early American Cinema, New and Revised Edition provides a concise history of the American motion picture industry before 1920, documenting the work of the early production companies, releasing organizations, filmmakers, and performers, and will serve both as a textbook and a reference source. Chapters cover pre-cinema, the Motion Picture Patents Company, independent filmmaking, the birth of the feature film, Thomas H. Ince, D.W. Griffith, sound and music, the star system, the role of women, new technologies, genres, and the languge, business, and art of the film. The book includes suggestions for further reading, together wiht a general bibliography, and lengthy bibliographies on Ince and Griffith.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Slide is a pioneering scholar in this field, and his observations are always informed...this is a must. (Films In Review )

...a pleasure to read, and is to be strongly recommended as an introduction (indeed probably the standard introduction) to early American cinema, and also for more experienced scholars who might be surprised at what they learn. (Historical Journal Of Film, Radio, And Television )

...a fascinating account. (Photoplay )

...carefully researched. (Film Quarterly )

...relieve the general reader of the mist surrounding its subject. (David Sanjek )

[A] greatly enlarged and extensively rewritten update of Mr. Slide's 1970 edition....Slide is a pioneering scholar in this field, and his observations are always informed. For those who missed his original excursion into the past, this is a must. (Films In Review )

Cinematically erudite... (The Daily Telegraph )

...a concise history of the American movie industry before 1920. (College And Research Libraries News )

... a diligent and heartfelt excursion into the past... (The San Francisco Chronicle )

One of the few books on the early cinema well-written enough to make good casual reading... (Time Out )

About the Author

Anthony Slide has published over fifty pioneering works on film history, among them the first volumes dealing exclusively with early American cinema, the Vitagraph Company, the Fine Arts Company, filmmaking in Ireland, film preservation, and a non-theatrical film. He edits the Scarecrow Filmmakers Series and has produced a series of documentary films on silent screen personalities. In 1990 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters by Bowling Green University; Lillian Gish called him 'our preeminent historian of the silent film.'

Product Details

• Hardcover: 308 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press; New and Revised Edition edition (June 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810827115
• ISBN-13: 978-0810827110
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,785,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Packed full of information on pre-1920 films, February 1, 2000

By 

Bruce Calvert "silent movie collector" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Early American Cinema (Hardcover)

This great book by Anthony Slide is a comprehensive overview of American silent film history prior to 1920. It is packed full of facts on obscure film performers and production companies for both a researcher or a silent film fan. My only quibble with this book is that it is a little short on critical analysis of the films. The author sometimes dismisses a film in one sentence. Still, this is a great book for anyone interested in the complex world of filmmaking in the first two decades of the twentieth century.