The Art of the Moving Picture (Modern Library Movies) [Paperback]

Vachel Lindsay (Author), Stanley Kauffmann (Introduction), Kent Jones (Afterword)

Book Description

Series: Modern Library Movies | Publication Date: March 7, 2000

"In the field of film aesthetics, it is the first important American work, still important--The Art of the Moving Picture is astonishing."
--Stanley Kauffmann

Written in 1915, The Art of the Moving Picture by poet Vachel Lindsay is the first book to treat movies as art. Lindsay writes a brilliant analysis of the early silent films (including several now lost films). He is extraordinarily prescient about the future of moviemaking--particularly about the business, the prominence of technology, and the emergence of the director as the author of the film.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"In the field of film aesthetics, it is the first important American work, still important--The Art of the Moving Picture is astonishing."
--Stanley Kauffmann

Written in 1915, The Art of the Moving Picture by poet Vachel Lindsay is the first book to treat movies as art. Lindsay writes a brilliant analysis of the early silent films (including several now lost films). He is extraordinarily prescient about the future of moviemaking--particularly about the business, the prominence of technology, and the emergence of the director as the author of the film.

About the Author

Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931) studied painting at the Art Institute of Chicago and then in New York with Robert Henri before becoming a poet. He was a member of the Modernist School (others included Ezra Pound,e. e. cummings, and Wallace Stevens) and published over a dozen collections of poetry.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library; Modern Library pbk. ed edition (March 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375756132
• ISBN-13: 978-0375756139
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #592,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars quite astonishing, September 27, 2001

By 

Martijn13Maart1970 (Husavik Iceland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of the Moving Picture (Modern Library Movies) (Paperback)

Quite astonishing, wrote one critic, and this, often very dreamy, book of 1915!!! is exactly this. I am not a movie critic, just a reader and this book was a delight to read. It deals about the era of the silent movies, around 1915 when there were no Rambos or Terminators running across the screen with Qsound and computerised warping effects. It was the time when everything had to be expressed in gestures, like a moving picture book, because of the lack of sound.
The author therefore comes with a lot of interesting theories and opinions of how a story could and should be elegantly communicated in a moving picture. He even comes up with a theory of why California is as crazy as Hollywood seems to most of us now.
This work has to be a classic of movie pictures, just like The Art of War for the military, or Keynes for economics, and for people that are, like me, just interested readers of all kind of subjects, also highly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars Archaic Style, Invaluable Reference, December 13, 2011

By 

Barry Sharpe "oklahomabarry" (Sparks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of the Moving Picture (Modern Library Movies) (Paperback)

One of the earliest compilations of movie history, this book serves motion picture buffs on several levels. First, it gives a view of films as art in the silent era. Secondly one sees film techniques thought innovative fifty years later. Finally, the people involved were the author's contemporaries, allowing a view both compelling and provocative.
By 1915 motion pictures were maturing. To glean an understanding of their development is essential if one is a student of their history. This book adds to the realization that already many in the industry were making sophisticated productions captivating eager audiences.
At the same time, one would be remiss not to inform the reader that the archaic style of this book may be troubling. But in one hundred years the book will still have merit, this review most likely will not.