Customer Reviews

The Parade's Gone By.

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For many years this book was considered the definitive, authoritative tome on silent films, and remains, today, a must read for anyone interested in this subject. Its greatest, most singular draw is the priceless information Brownlow gathered through interviews conducted with over 100 silent film personalities, directors, producers, and cameramen. Brownlow pieced together a one-of-a-kind reminiscence of a by-gone era from the stories, anecdotes, and first hand observations of many of the now-dead greats of the past, infusing an immediacy to a time previously shrouded in myth and misconception, and in the process left behind an incomparable legacy. Legends such as Clarence Brown, Francis X. Bushman, Charles Chaplin, Marlene Dietrich, Allan Dwan, Abel Gance, Dorothy and Lillian Gish, Alfred Hitchcock, Buster Keaton, Fritz Lang, Jesse Lasky, Harold Lloyd, Arthur Miller, Pola Negri, Mary Pickford, Hal Roach, Charles Rosher, David O. Selznick, Josef von Sternberg, Gloria Swanson, King Vidor, and Adolph Zukor ~ plus dozens more ~ contributed their stories and offered their opinions and recollections in their own words. One is a little cowed to realise that when Brownlow wrote this book the silent era was still a fairly recent phenomenon, less than a half century removed from the author's contemporary era of the 1960s, and Brownlow himself yet a young man in his twenties. In fact, Brownlow was a sort of child prodigy, beginning to collect historic films at the age of 11. Brownlow was only 15 years old when he obtained two reels of Abel Gance's 1927 epic film 'Napoleon', which he restored as an adult, and obtained his first industry job as an apprentice editor at a documentary production house when he was but 17 years old. In this book Brownlow affords everything its due: from the earliest years to the advent of the talkies, and touches on all aspects of film-making, marketing, and advertising. Many photos are scattered throughout the book, including some very rare stills from Brownlow's own collection. Brownlow is a filmmaker and self-taught historian who has made the restoration and preservation of silent films his life's work. He has overseen the restoration of endangered landmark films and inspired other preservation efforts. Brownlow has also researched the period and authored a series of books, beginning with 'The Parade's Gone By' in 1968, and documentaries including 'Abel Gance: The Charm of Dynamite', 'Unknown Chaplin', 'Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film', 'Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow' and 'D.W. Griffith: Father of Film'. A few caveats. Since its 1968 publication date, some of the films mentioned as lost have indeed been found, and the dire predictions offered by Brownlow as to the state of cinema of the future have, at least up until this point, proven unfounded. Indeed Brownlow himself has affected cinema greatly through his own restoration efforts and productions, allowing us all a more ready access to the `Golden Era' of film.

Kevin Brownlow's great book on the silent film world is over thirty years old but holds up well. Browlow is a British writer who was able to interview many of the silent film people while he gained first hand knowledge on their contributions to a lost world.
Each chapter of the book deals with either a famous actor/director of the era or covers an aspect of fliming.
Brownlow has outstanding chapters on such luminaries as D.W.
Griffith, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Abel Gance, Irving Thalberg, Gloria Swanson. C.B. DeMille Mary Pickford/Doug Fairbanks as well as several others.
His chapter on the making of Ben-Hur is a classic account of the making of this great film. Brownlow deals in other chapters with the lives of stunt-mens, silent comedy, the importance of the art director/production personnel as well as letting us see how the medium has grown technically over the decades.
If you read one book on the silent film era this should be the one to do it for you. A college course on film should include this outstanding work.
Kevin Brownlow loves movies and has done a superb job in this
page turning tour of silent movieland. As Charlie Chaplin walks through our memories as the little Tramp so too will this fine
book shine in our memories as we thank Brownlow for a beautiful trip through the splendors of early moviemaking.

If I had to pick one book to give as an introduction to silent films this would be the book; if I had to pick one book to give to a silent film fan this would be the book. Kevin Brownlow did us all a service by interviewing people still living that were connected to the film indusrty during the silent era, then getting the book published in the late 1960s. I have several books on silent and classic films but The Parade's Gone By remains my favorite. I have read it several times since purchasing it in 1970, always finding a new enthusiasm for a particular director or star of the silent films. Here I first discovered the versatility of Lon Chaney, the athletic films of Doug Fairbanks, the charm of Mary Pickford, the great silent films of Cecil B. De Mille, and Napoleon by Abel Gance. And so much more.

If you are a silent film fan this book needs to be on your shelf, if you are not yet a fan this book just might make you one. You will find that silent films at their peak have the same relationship to talking pictures as painting does to sculpture.

This book and the documetary Hollywood: A Celebration of American Silent Film are the two most interesting ducumentation of the silent film era. I have the Hollywood set on laser disc, it runs several hours and is totally captivating. If it is not on DVD yet it certainly should be.

this book is indeed a masterwork....BUT...when is the counterpart of this book, the sensational documentary series Bronlow did in 1980 "Hollywood, a celebration of american silent film" going to be issued on DVD!???It not only includes a vaste amount of very rare filmclips but also totally unique interviews with the silent film makers themselves....the series mezmerized me totally when I first saw it way back , it is as unique and precious as this book and deserves a dvd box..infact I lknow that if it were to be issued it would be in great demand!

It is a wonderful thing that this book is back in print. I got my copy a few years ago when I came across a huge street sale on 5th Avenue in NYC - the Gotham Book Mart had a space, and there was a cloth-bound, third printing (1969) edition of "The Parade's Gone By." I paid $27.50, but I would've paid twice that, as I had been looking for the book for some time.
This is, indeed, one of the definitive books about the silent era. Kevin Brownlow is a true scholar of the period, and his affection for this long-gone medium is both apparent and enjoyable to read. Many other books about silent film are weighted towards the stars and directors - Brownlow's book certainly has its fair share of that, as it should - but he explores lesser known areas of the industry, such as cameramen and filming techniques, music during production, stunts, art direction, scenario, editing, and a fascinating and insightful discussion of the melodramatic acting style of the period. Brownlow tries to understand silent films through the eyes of audiences contemporary to the period, not as audiences 40 years later (or today) would view them. This is, indeed, one of the secrets to enjoying silent films. And this feeling is captured by the many interviews of those who worked in the industry in those days.
The photographs throughout the book are quite interesting and informative - not the standard photos we see repeated over and over in other silent film books.
This book will give anyone quite an education in silent film, and deserves a place on the shelf of everyone who is interested in this wonderful and lost medium. You can't have my cloth-bound 1969 edition, but in any form the book is worth having. (Other reviewers' complaints about Clara Bow aside.) Check out also "Hollywood: The Pioneers" by Brownlow and John Kobal, a companion to the documentary series made by them over 25 years ago.
Other books I recommend:
The three volumes of "History of the American Cinema" series entitled,
"The Emergence of Cinema, The American Screen to 1907" by Charles Musser, one of the most engrossing histories of the evolution of the industry and art form you'll ever read,
"The Transformation of Cinema, 1907-1915" by Eileen Bowser, and
"An Evening's Entertainment, The Age of the Silent Feature Picture, 1915-1928" by Richard Koszarski.
These books provide an extremely comprehensive look at all aspects of the industry from its inception, discussing cameras, projectors, film stock, editing, tinting, intertitles, film companies, distribution & exhibition, patents and legal issues, as well as the films themselves. Some may find them rather pedantic - they aren't "light" reads, but are certainly for the serious silent film student...
And, of course, William K. Everson's "American Silent Film," one of the standards...
Also, a rather fascinating and personal history of silent film by James Card, the first curator of the film archive at George Eastman House in Rochester, NY. His book is entitled, "Seductive Cinema, The Art of Silent Film." James Card started this film archive with his own personal collection of about 800 titles; today George Eastman House has over 8,000 silent films in its archive, many of which is the only surviving print in the world. Card met many of the giants of the industry, and discusses his own personal interaction with them - his discussion of Josef von Sternberg is rather humorous. And Card's story about how, in the mid-1940's, he rescued the only surviving print of Herbert Brenon's "Peter Pan" from certain destruction is worth the purchase price...
Lastly, "Silent Cinema" by Paolo Cherchi Usai. This book is intended more as an introduction to and study of film preservation, but as such, it contains information about the industry, techniques, and materials used in producing films 75+ years ago that you won't find in many other places, and well illustrated.
Happy reading, and keep silent films alive!

Kevin Brownlow has written THE definitive and loving tome on silent films. An informative, well-researched, and entertaining book, this is an essential must for every afficiando of the silver screen. The only competition of this caliber is Walter Kerr's "The Silent Clowns". It is a shame that silents are overlooked by the majority of the public----this book will enlighten and make you hungry to view the films discussed.

Dave Gersztyn

This is one of two "must-haves" for fans of silent film, the other is "Silent Clowns" by Walter Kerr.

Brownlow (as usual) researches well, provides great narrative, and treats his subject with the respect it deserves. Anyone who has seen his documentary collaborations with David Gill, or his restorations of great classics will be familiar with his thoroughness.

This book is very easy to read, but insightful, helpful...makes you wish there were still silents, particularly in the wake of movies overdone with Dolby Surround.

Hey silent movie fans!! This book is for *you*! Kevin Brownlow takes us back to the golden age of filmmaking in "The Parade's Gone By." Read interviews of the stars, technicians, directors, and other behind-the-scenes people who provided the groundwork for this most well-known of art forms. Great pictures and a wonderful, readable text make this book a very welcome addition to your library. Lots of fun and very informative to boot!

I met the author of this book a few years ago, and he is a remarkable treasure trove of information. How lucky we all are that he thought to interview these people when most had forgotten them and their work. If Mr. Brownlow had waited even a few years to do these interviews, much of this information would be lost forever! This was actually used as a textbook when I was in film school.

We all have a few books that we plan to read every few years for the rest of our lives: this is one of mine. Brownlow's elegiac oral history of the days of silent film was done at the perfect time, when the battles were over but while there were still enough living survivors to tell the tale. Brownlow captures the weird collision of calculation and exuberance that defined early Hollywood. One history of recent events in Hollywood paints a typical picture of life in the executive suite as being "a bunch of tiny men in designer jeans giving each other high fives." T'was not always so.