Movies of the 30s [Paperback]

Jurgen Muller (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

Escaping reality: the wonderful world of cinema during the Great Depression From Tod Browning's Dracula (1931) to Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940), this tome explores a diverse and fascinating era in world cinema. The stock market crash of 1929 had left the America?and the globe?in a devastating depression that would not begin to lift until World War II. With so many jobless, penniless, broken people singing the blues, is it any wonder that Hollywood strove to distract viewers from their misery with comedies like Chaplin's Modern Times (1936), Capra's feel-good Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), and the Marx Brothers? hilarious Duck Soup (1933), thrillers such as Hitchcock's seminal The 39 Steps (1935) or Hawks's Scarface (1932), or the epic romantic classic Gone with the Wind (1939)? While American moviegoers flocked to the theaters to escape their troubles and find solace in the magical world of Hollywood movies, filmmakers in Europe were experimenting with new techniques in a medium that had only recently gained sound; Fritz Lang's German Expressionist M (1931) and Jean Renoir's anti-war masterpiece La Grande Illusion (1937) greatly enhanced cinema as an art form, while Leni Riefenstahl's visually stunning Olympia (1936-38) pushed the limits of the medium's technical capacities. It's clear that while the 1930s was a time of poverty and struggle for many people, the world of cinema was much enriched. Film entries include: ? Synopsis ? Film stills and production photos ? Cast/crew listings ? Trivia ? Useful information on technical stuff ? Actor and director bios Plus: a complete Academy Awards list for the decade The editor: J?rgen M?ller 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. M?ller is the series editor for TASCHEN's Movies decade titles.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Film entries include:
• Synopsis
• Film stills and production photos
• Cast/crew listings
• Trivia
• Useful information on technical stuff
• Actor and director bios

Plus: a complete Academy Awards list for the decade

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. Muiler is the series editor for TASCHEN's Movies decade titles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 575 pages
• Publisher: Taschen (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822840106
• ISBN-13: 978-3822840108
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,418,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and comprehensive, November 24, 2010

By 

Elisa M. J. Garza (MEX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Movies of the 30s (Paperback)

If you love movies like I do, this is a must. It's got all the technical data you need on all the major movies of the 30's and is full of pictures, both black and white and color.
It's a hefty edition, high-quality and comprehensive. I don't know if it's got aaaall the movies made in the 30's but it includes European films.
A great reference for movie buffs and for movie enthusiasts who want to know more.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Massive, Large-Format, Heavily Illustrated Delight!, November 8, 2008

By 

John Howard Reid (Wyong, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Movies of the 30s (Paperback)

Using an extraordinary range of black-and-white stills (plus appropriately full-color photos for "Gone With The Wind", "Snow White", "The Wizard of Oz" and "Fantasia"), this massive picture book held me spellbound for hours. Most of the stills I'd never seen before in my life. The editor is to be congratulated for seeking out and finding such striking photos.

The book was originally published in Germany, which obviously enabled the editor to gain access to European collectors and archives. It also produced a selection of films that may strike many Americans as slightly unusual. Most of the premier Hollywood award-winners are here, of course, but there are also a number of German films which don't usually figure in "best" lists. For instance of the eleven films selected to represent the cinema masterpieces of 1931, five are German, one is French, and the remaining five are Hollywood productions. Of course no-one will argue with the inclusion of Fritz Lang's "M" (which really gets the full treatment with over 60 stills), or "Congress Dances", or perhaps even "The Blue Light" and "The Threepenny Opera". But "Berlin Alexanderplatz"? Admittedly, 1931 is not typical. Of the twelve films released in 1939, only one, Jean Renoir's "The Rules of the Game" is not American.

I found it interesting to compare the selections here with my own book, Award-Winning Films of the 1930s. While there was naturally a fair degree of correspondence, it was not as great as you might expect.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More of the same, May 14, 2007

By 

Mr. J. I. Mccubbine (Broxbourne, Herts, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Movies of the 30s (Paperback)

This is a futher volume of Taschen's Movies Series now covering seven decades up to the 90's.This volume like the others contains fine quality still photos from the films selected printed on good quality paper. It is a superb aide memoire to other film reference books in my collection....