Movies of the 20s [Paperback]

Jurgen Muller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2007

The birth of cinema: From the invention of the moving picture to the first sound movies From the first moving pictures (the Lumi?re brothers? 1895 ?L?arriv? d?un train?), early westerns, fantastic pictures, and nickelodeons all the way through the golden age of silent film in the 1920s, this book covers the first three decades of the moving picture around the world. In America, we witness the birth of Hollywood, circa 1910, where film quickly became a powerful industry and D. W. Griffith put American cinema on the map; later, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton developed a new language of visual comedy while eccentrics like Erich von Stroheim and Cecil B. DeMille turned cinema into a high art form and show biz respectively, and sex symbols like Rudolph Valentino and Greta Garbo heated up the screens. Meanwhile, in Europe, German directors such as Ernst Lubitsch and Fritz Lang were establishing their careers and Russian greats Eisenstein and Pudovkin were already revolutionizing a nascent art form. At the end of the 1920s the very first ?talkies, ? albeit rudimentary ones, brutally crushed the silent art, but by 1930 sound masterpieces such as Sternberg's The Blue Angel and Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front were produced. This exploration of the founding years of cinema offers a fascinating perspective on a period in movie history that is far too often overlooked in our times. Film entries include: ? Synopsis ? Film stills and production photos ? Cast/crew listings ? Trivia ? Useful information on technical stuff ? Actor and director bios

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jurgen Muller studied art history in Bochum, Paris, Pisa, and Amsterdam. He has worked as an art critic, a curator of numerous exhibitions, a visiting professor at various universities, and has published books and numerous articles on cinema and art history. Currently he holds the chair for art history at the University of Dresden, where he lives. Muller is the series editor for TASCHEN's Movies decade titles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Taschen (July 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822846139
• ISBN-13: 978-3822846131
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #391,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Movies of the 20's (Taschen Spring), January 12, 2008

By 

Jack R. Kester Jr. (Colorado Springs) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Movies of the 20s (Paperback)

This is the newest installment of a series on movies by decade. I have already the rest in the series and was quite pleased with the 20's. First surprise was that it actually covers the earliest films before 1920. It then continues through the twenties into the first "talkies" and on to the first grand masterpieces of the screen from 1930. As with the others it is fun to go through the pages of this book pictorially and just bring back memories that one may have. I think about all the film studies done by television and remember these old silent movies being mentioned. The second surprise is that each movie has a commentary written, so that someone such as myself may gain a broader understanding of the movie (especially if you have not seen or heard of that movie). Then each movie will also have a highlighted focus on either someone related to the picture (actor,director,cinematographer,etc.), or it may focus on the genre, the production set, or the movie studio (MGM is one). Finally, quotations are taken from the movie and media reviews of the time to round things out. A must for the movie buff!!!! It is a visual treat, but then becomes so much more. The pictures covered truly cover a wide range of the industry, not just Hollywood, but European and Russia as well. Pick this up and start finding out why pictures have always piqued our interest. You won't be sorry!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fabulous Picture Book!, March 23, 2010

By 

Barbara (Burkowsky) Underwood (Tumut, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Movies of the 20s (Taschen Spring) (Paperback)

This big and heavy book full of glossy black & white photographs is simply a great pleasure to behold by anyone who loves early film or just elegant and beautiful pictures. Although I would already give it 5 stars for the quality and quantity of photos from 1920s movies, I found the texts with the pictures and the introductory article to also be of a very high standard. While not lengthy or involved, the articles supply enough information to satisfy any novice to early cinema, as well as the expert. Apart from thorough listings of cast, crew and other details pertaining to each movie, the first 75 pages describe the beginnings of moving pictures and cinema, highlighting a few landmark pre-1920 films such as D.W. Griffith's "Intolerance", the Italian 1914 epic, "Cabiria", as well as the early French serial "Fantomas" and ten other important early films. Then the book continues in chronological order, featuring both the classic and best known movies of the 1920s, as well as a few that are not so well-known today. Furthermore, the layout of the book is quite professional, with a general index and also a film index, as well as a list of academy award winners, and on the back cover an easy-to-find list of all movies included in this book. The selection strives to feature a good example of every genre and style, from comedy to horror, documentary to animation. Even though I was familiar with all but one movie, I still found it a very pleasant experience to look through and glean bits of information, or just delight in seeing so many fine stills from my favourite movie era. Furthermore, this is a very good quality book, printed on thick glossy paper inside a solid, hard cover, making it a good, value-for-money buy for any film enthusiast.

4.0 out of 5 stars Memorable Images, May 6, 2010

By 

Movie Fan "Rosane" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Movies of the 20s (Paperback)

This is one of the best collections of stills from films of the 1920's available today. The pictures are also beautifully reproduced in high quality resolution. My only quibble is with the text, which is well researched, but is printed in white on a black background, which I find particularly difficult to read. But hey, movies, especially silent ones, are dominated by the visual sense and there and there is no shortage of iconic images here. Recommended for any enthusiast of early cinema.