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Silent Visions: Discovering Early Hollywood and New York Through the Films of Harold Lloyd Paperback – May 1, 2011

by John Bengtson (Author), Kevin Brownlow (Foreword)

4.8 47 ratings

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Highlighting visions of a bygone age preserved in the background of Harold Lloyd's films, this history explores the urban landscapes of Hollywood, Los Angeles, and New York--popular settings for his films--through archival photographs, vintage maps, and scores of then-and-now photographs. From Coney Island to Catalina Island and from Brooklyn to Beverly Hills, Lloyd's timeless movies reflect visions of early 20th-century America unequalled on the silver screen and exemplified in the historical settings found in such classics as Safety Last, Girl Shy, The Freshman, and Speedy. Tracing Lloyd's career from his early work to owning and operating his own studio, this account illuminates Lloyd's mastery of his oeuvre--an actor and film-maker more popular than Keaton, more prolific than Chaplin, and who sold more tickets than any other comedian of his era, as well as a comedic genius whose expert staging and editing have influenced films for decades.

Review

"First Keaton, then Chaplin, and now Harold Lloyd. There is no end to the magic John Bengtson creates when he investigates the real locations of celebrated movie sequences. Simply amazing." —Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times (November 1, 2011)

"With his usual unerring precision, John Bengtson shows us how Harold Lloyd turned New York and Los Angeles into his very own romper room. Silent Visions is a wonderful amalgam of film history and urban history. Bengtson's detective work in tracking down these movie locations has the same exhilaration and fanatic attention to detail as Lloyd's classic comedies." —Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor (November 1, 2011)

"John Bengtson has done it again: part detective, part historian, this dedicated silent-film enthusiast has opened a window to the past for all of us. After revisiting the wonderful Harold Lloyd comedies shot on location, this volume makes me want to embark on a walking tour of downtown Los Angeles (not to mention Manhattan and Coney Island)." —Leonard Maltin, Entertainment Tonight (November 1, 2011)

"Harold Lloyd fans will agree that this is a most remarkable book. Even after all this time, I have a new appreciation as to how these films were made. My grandfather would be so pleased." —Suzanne Lloyd

About the Author

John Bengtson is a business lawyer, a film historian, and the author of Silent Echoes: Discovering Early Hollywood Through the Films of Buster Keaton and Silent Traces: Discovering Early Hollywood Through the Films of Charlie Chaplin. He lives in the San Francisco bay area. Kevin Brownlow is an award-winning film historian and the documentary filmmaker of Abel Gance: The Charm of Dynamite, Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow, Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius, Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film, and Unknown Chaplin. He is the author of How It Happened Here and The Parade's Gone By.

Print length

304 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Santa Monica Press
Publication date

May 1, 2011
Dimensions

10.95 x 0.65 x 8.54 inches
ISBN-10

1595800573
ISBN-13

978-1595800572
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Santa Monica Press; Illustrated edition (May 1, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1595800573
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1595800572
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.21 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.95 x 0.65 x 8.54 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,606,124 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #372 in Individual Directors
- #427 in Movie Theory
- #3,549 in Movie History & Criticism

Customer Reviews:
4.8 47 ratings

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John Bengtson
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John Bengtson
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John Bengtson is a business lawyer and film historian whose books Silent Echoes, Silent Traces, and Silent Visions explore the early Hollywood history hidden in the background of the films of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd. John's work has been hailed by the New York Times as a "Proustian collage of time and memory, biography and history, urban growth and artistic expression." John has presented his work at events hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Turner Classic Movie Channel Film Festival, both Film Forum and the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, USC, UCLA, and the American Cinematheque, and has prepared bonus programs for many Keaton, Chaplin, and Lloyd DVD/Blu-rays. John lives in the Bay Area. For tours, maps, presentations, and new discoveries, visit John's blog: http://SilentLocations.com/
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4.8 out of 5

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Salad

Great

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2024

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One of the must-have book as Harold Lloyd fan.

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Jim Dallape

The master detective!

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2013

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If you love old Hollywood, you're a fan of Harold Lloyd, or you're simply interested in the various locations that Harold Lloyd used in his classic films, you'll find this book to be a fascinating addition to your library. Like his other volumes, "Silent Traces" and "Silent Echoes", John Bengtson again displays his supreme detective skills in identifying the many filming locations that Lloyd used in the production of his movies. There are hundreds of quality photos and screen shots that show various streets and buildings, some of which were used in several films, and clearly highlights individual landmarks to help identify each location. I was personally overwhelmed by the number of then and now photos that are included and found it fascinating that so many of the hundred year old locations still exist. Bengtson not only shows us where the films were made, but in many cases, reveals how Lloyd filmed his "thrill" comedies. So if you've ever wondered how high up Harold actually was while hanging from the clock face or while climbing a building then this book will not disappoint you. Highly recommended!

I would give it higher than five stars if I could.

2 people found this helpful

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The Other Eccles

A Journey of Discovery

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2015

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It's important to consider the entire title: "Silent Visions: Discovering Early Hollywood and New York Through the Films of Harold Lloyd." This book is for time travelers of all sorts, not merely the increasing number of fans devoted to Harold Lloyd's timeless comedy classics. Silent Visions (etc.) is an incredibly detailed then-and-now journey of discovery throughout much of Southern California, followed by a similar sight-seeing tour of the greater New York City area that costarred with Harold in "Speedy" in 1928. With or without knowledge of the films, I don't see how anyone could not be fascinated by the hundreds (thousands?) of correlated then and now glimpses of life in these great cities or overwhelmed by the depth of research and photo-documentation. Recommended as both a detailed read and a coffee-table book. Leave it out when you invite friends over and they will entertain themselves for hours. But don't lend it.

3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Bengtson is a man with the eyes of a "detective of time"

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2011

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If you love Harold Lloyd's silent movies, if you are fascinated by the locations used in the early visions seen on screen that may still be visible, you need to buy this book.
The remarkable discoveries made by John Bengtson, a man with the eyes of a "detective of time" are a joy to explore. The foreword to "Silent Visions" the most recent creation by this remarkable man is by the great and glorious Kevin Brownlow. There are more than just pictures of the "then and now" in this beautiful 300 page (11 x 8 ½) book there is a tremendous amount of quality information, at a very resemble price.
Buy this book and you will not be disappointed, in fact you will want to buy his other books (if you don't already own them) to keep it company on your bookcase so when you are feeling nostalgic you can let your imagination travel with Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and now Harold Lloyd to the streets that they played on, so long ago.

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2011

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Bengston has done it again! Part 3 of the trilogy which includes SILENT ECHOS (KEATON) and SILENT TRACES (CHAPLIN), SILENT VISIONS takes us on a detective's journey through the film career of that third ( yet often considered first ) of the major silent film comics, Harold Lloyd. True to form, Bengston repeats his strategy of revealing site locations of Lloyd's films and providing modern day photos of those same locations of nearly 90 years ago! The journey is amazing, fantastic, almost unbelievable, except that the evidence is right there before your eyes. So much has changed and yet so much is still with us.
This is a book for all film libraries. I love it, and will now be watching my Lloyd films over again! Film history at it's finest. A forward by Kevin Brownlow as well! Not to be missed. Just buy it!!!

8 people found this helpful

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Pierre Fontaine

An amazing resource about Harold Lloyd

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2011

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This book, the third in a series, is an amazing resource even if you are casual fan of the silent comedies of Harold Lloyd. I would certainly have given this book 5 stars except for one problem.

The horizontal format of the book, along with the soft-cover binding,makes reading the book difficult to some degree. The pages are filled to the brim with information and photographs but you really need to read the book on a flat surface instead of on your lap. The horizontal layout also makes the information somewhat difficult to follow at times, with multiple photographs covering a single location, along with numbered highlights to keep everything straight. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the other two books on Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton were easier to read than the Lloyd book.

Regardless of this small critique, the book is an amazing resource about the layout and architecture of old (and now lost) Los Angeles as well as New York City. The author and his helpers have certainly researched each and every film to its utmost limit of minute detail and they are certainly to be congratulated for their efforts.

Along with the previous two books in the series, this book provides a wonderful archive of information.

5 people found this helpful

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Ronald Hutchinson

Yet another Bengston Gem!

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2011

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I have all of John Bengston's other books and couldn't wait til this latest one arrived. SILENT VISIONS is his best yet, and a definite must-have for both fans of old Hollywood but also of the detailed detective work that obviously went into creating this masterpiece. I love then-and-now photos and realize how hard it must have been for Bengston to locate precise spots where early comedies were filmed. Snap this one up!!

3 people found this helpful

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SAR

In a class by itself

Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2013

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As a researcher, a film scholar, a writer, a film location archaeologist, Mr. Bengtson is in a class by himself. This book is not only a goldmine of incredibly fascinating and useful information, it's also a pleasure to look at. Another fantastic, well written, beautifully researched and invaluable book. If you're in doubt about buying it, don't hesitate.

One person found this helpful

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Andrew Buckle

Superb

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2020

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A brilliant selection of pics from Harold Lloyd films and also pics of the current buildings and streets. Obviously not every New York scene has been captured but it is a fairly comprehensive selection from a selection of his films such as Speedy

Robert Badgley

Another winner!

Reviewed in Canada on January 7, 2017

Verified Purchase

Mr.Bengston does his due diligence once again and comes up with yet another winner.We have had Keaton and Chaplin,now we have Lloyd.It is fascinating stuff to see the old compared with the new,if the new even still exists.If it does it is uncanny how little has changed.Hopping back and forth between L.A. and New York we are treated to close looks at the backgrounds that Lloyd worked and played in, in his films.Bengston is a master detective/archeologist and it is like being right beside him as he unearths these long forgotten film locations.
This a must have for all film enthusiasts.

Remi L

Fabuleux

Reviewed in France on March 31, 2013

Verified Purchase

John Bengston a retrouvé tous les lieux de tournage des films d'Harold Lloyd dont le fameux Safety Last! où Harold Lloyd escalade un immeuble et reste suspendu aux aiguilles d'une horloge. Son livre s'appuie sur de nombreuses photos d'époque et même parfois des photos actuelles. C'est un fabuleux travail de recherche et c'est un plaisir de le lire, un beau voyage dans le passé. Même si vous ne lisez pas l'anglais, il y a suffisamment de quoi s'émerveiller ici.

One person found this helpful

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M

An incredible visual archive

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

Breath-taking research. If you love silent films and the social history which can be caught, like bugs in amber, within them, this book, and the others by John Bengston, are an absolute delight. Beautiful, page-turning, silent movie heaven. An incredible visual archive. I'd love to see a book about the early Laurel and Hardy silent in this series.

martin emiliano arias

an amazing job

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2013

Verified Purchase

As on his previous books on Buster Keaton and Charles Chaplin, this Harold Lloyd compendium is an amazing work of history, finding what is left of the locations on which these classic movies were filmed, as well as presenting some other wonderful memorabilia.

I'm waiting for similar work on Laurel & Hardy.

One person found this helpful

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