Silent Cinema [Paperback]

Brian J. Robb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2007

Silent cinema was never truly silent as performances were more often than not accompanied by live music and the noise of enthusiastic audiences. Yet silent cinema is regarded as a specific era in the history of the medium, and often as a separate art form in its own right. New York Times-bestselling author Brian J. Robb's lively resource traces how, from the origins of cinema onwards to the coming of sound in 1929 with The Jazz Singer, many of the ground rules of cinema were laid and filmmaking techniques developed, including editing and special effects, styles of acting, and filming on location. Studying the earliest origins of cinema, including the stars, comedians, and directors who became popular from the late-Victorian era to the end of the 1920s, including D. W. Griffiths, Cecil B. DeMille, and Sergi Eisenstein, this book also includes a look at the Hollywood scandals of the time. The accompanying DVD includes lengthy excerpts from films such as The Perils of Pauline, Phantom of the Opera, Salomé, and Son of the Sheik.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brian J. Robb is a writer and biographer whose previous books includ a New York Times-bestselling biography of Leonardo DiCaprio; Screams & Nightmares, the definitive book on horror director Wes Craven; biographies of Johnny Depp and Ewan McGregor; and Counterfeit Worlds. He is managing editor at Titan Magazines and editor of the Official Star Wars Magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Oldcastle Books; Pap/DVD edition (September 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904048633
• ISBN-13: 978-1904048633
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 7.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #793,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Overview of the films in book and dvd!!!, December 21, 2009

By 

Great Skaught! - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Silent Cinema (Paperback)

First of all, if the book comes with the dvd, as mine did - buy it! This is a great book to get into your favorite silent film stars, directors, and the history of the movies. It will introduce you to actors and actresses you never heard of, directors and what was their leanings, producers and their craft. I love the history and the stories of this time, and this opened up a whole new avenue of people I now want to see on the screen.

The DVD is a detailed look at the silent actors in various roles and films. It is 193 minutes long and it covers so much information!

I was into Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin for years, and lately have searched out the western silents artists such as Broncho Billy and William S. Hart. I had just opened the door to a crack of what was out there - this book and dvd have flung the door open! There is still so much out there to see and collect.

The DVD sells the book, but then the book sells the DVD. Wonderful!
It is a great buy for the buck!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, August 12, 2011

By 

David W. Menefee (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silent Cinema (Kindle Edition)

Let me begin by saying that reading this book revealed as much to me about classic silent films as I would have learned directly from the men and women who made them. The biographical profiles are informative, and the movie discussions are thrilling. I found myself wishing I could see every film and every star while I read, glad that someone had finally put the spotlight on silent movies.

The book includes a three-hour DVD. Both book and DVD are great introductions to anyone who might be checking out silent movies for the first time. The authors researched this work with an eye to uncovering unique pieces of information, and their documentation of details remains an extraordinary example of accuracy, as well as managing to be entertaining, too, a combination that I find rare with nonfiction books.

This package delivers substance, pictures, and loving tributes to the great stars of a bygone era, and should be on every film fan's bookshelf.

Review posted by David W. Menefee, author of the new 2011 Sarah Bernhardt, Her Films, Her Recordings.