Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965, Second Edition [Mass Market Paperback]

Leonard Maltin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 2010

An updated guide to classic movies from the leading authority on film

From the author of the bestselling annual Movie Guide comes this ultimate guide for fans of classic films both familiar and obscure. The Classic Movie Guide covers thousands of films, from the silent era to the 1960s, including The Birth of a Nation, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Grand Illusion, and The Maltese Falcon (all three versions: 1931, 1936, and 1941), Singin' in the Rain, and Godzilla, King of the Monsters! With entries spanning across the decades, this comprehensive guide has expanded star and director indexes, and capsule reviews of obscure and forgotten-the sort that turn up on Turner Classic Movies in the wee hours of the morning. This is the perfect companion for anyone who loves the thrill of discovering vintage movies on DVD or cable.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Indispensable." --Los Angeles Times

"Head and shoulders above the rest." --The New York Times

"Maltin''s Film Guide...belongs next to every TV and VCR in every home." - -USA Today

"The single most important reference book in every American home." -- Esquire

About the Author

Recognised as one of America's leading film historians and critics, Leonard Maltin has become a household name and media personality due to his regular appearances on the highly successful syndicated TV program Entertainment Tonight and the Encore cable-TV service, his syndicated radio program, Leonard Maltin's Video View, his monthly reviews in Playboy magazine, and the featuring of Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide on the World Wide Web, via the popular Amazon.com website. He lives in Toluca Lake, California.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 832 pages
• Publisher: Plume; Revised edition (January 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452295777
• ISBN-13: 978-0452295773
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Education & Reference > Almanacs & Yearbooks > Yearbooks & Annuals

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I hate to complain. However ..., February 6, 2010

By 

J. Michael Click (Fort Worth, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965, Second Edition (Mass Market Paperback)

Back in 2005 when Leonard Maltin published the first edition of his "Classic Movie Guide", he noted in the foreward that it contained over 1,000 new reviews of pre-1960 films that had begun to show up on DVD and cable channels like Turner Classic Movies, Fox Movie Channel and (Encore) Westerns. He especially trumpeted the addition of many B Westerns, including the complete filmographies of Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and Hopalong Cassidy. Sure enough, glancing through the book, I noticed that it was heavily weighted toward the "sagebrush sagas" of the 1930's and 1940's, while missing some key "A" titles from the same decades. But Mr. Maltin promised that this fledgling effort would be freshened and updated in five years time; accordingly, I simply took him at his word, was grateful for the first edition, and began eagerly awaiting 2010 and the arrival of the second edition.

Well, it's here. But unfortunately, it definitely was not worth the wait. Sure it covers over 1,500 more films than the first edition - but according to Mr. Maltin himself, over 1,200 of the so-called "new" entries are the result of films from 1961 through 1965 being transferred to this book from his annual "Movie Guide". Just over 300 of the reviews in this second edition are genuinely new material that was previously unavailable elsewhere. Divided into five years, that only comes out to 5 fresh reviews a month - which is only a problem because there are dozens and dozens of older films resurfacing on DVD, cable, and the new DVD-R "manufactured on demand" programs like the Warner Archives, the MGM / Amazon exclusives, and the newly announced Universal MOD series. At best, this second incarnation of Maltin's "Classic Movie Guide" isn't keeping up with the market.

Among the missing are such titles as "The Locked Door", Barbara Stanwyck's first talkie which has been rotating fairly frequently on TCM's schedule; "The Ruling Voice", a fascinating Warner's crime drama starring Walter Huston and Loretta Young; early films currently available from The Warner Archives such as "The Flying Fleet", "Let Us Be Gay", and "Son of the Gods"; "The Perfect Clue", one of many "lost" films now found and available on DVD from companies like Alpha Video ... the casualty list goes on and on. Of course, not every title can or should be included in a reasonably sized and priced volume like the "Classic Movie Guide". But still, one is left to wonder ... are more readers going to be looking for information about "A Ship Comes In", for which Louise Dresser was nominated for the first Best Actress Oscar, and is not included - or for "Hear Me Good", a 1957 turkey that is included?

The bottom line - if you have the "Classic Movie Guide", first edition, think twice before you "upgrade". If you don't have a copy of the original, then go ahead and pick up the 2010 version. It's obviously not perfect, but depite its flaws, it's still the best mass market single-volume guide to the classics that's currently available. I give it **1/2 stars.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Little difference from his regular movie guide, January 19, 2011

By 

M. E. Greenfeld (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965, Second Edition (Mass Market Paperback)

I've not yet found a review in this book that is different from his usual guide. I'm assuming it contains old movies that are not in the regular guide, but I haven't yet run across one. I would rather that Maltin publish a comprehensive two-volume set of the regular movie guide than to have a separate classic movie guide that has so many overlaps with his regular guide. My husband, who likes vintage movies, does not use this guide because every movie he's look up is in the regular guide.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LEONARD MALTIN'S CLASSIC MOVIE GUIDE, September 23, 2010

By 

R. H. Smith - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965, Second Edition (Mass Market Paperback)

MR. MALTIN, ONCE AGAIN, HAS COMPILED THE BEST MOVIE GUIDE, IN THIS CASE, FROM THE SILENT ERA THROUGH 1965. WE REFER TO THIS GUIDE ALMOST DAILY GIVEN THAT WE DO WATCH TCM MOVIES QUITE OFTEN. I WOULD CERTAINLY RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE.