Silent film books
July 3, 2012 2:00 PM Subscribe
What are some good books about the silent film era?
I know the basics about the early days of film and Hollywood, but I'd like to know more. What books about the era of Keaton, Pickford and Chaplin are considered good reads?
(Bonus points for there being a UK Kindle version - makes them easier to read on the train to work!)
I know the basics about the early days of film and Hollywood, but I'd like to know more. What books about the era of Keaton, Pickford and Chaplin are considered good reads?
(Bonus points for there being a UK Kindle version - makes them easier to read on the train to work!)
I enjoyed Lulu in Hollywood by Louise Brooks:
posted by bcwinters at 2:20 PM on July 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: This is my favourite though not Kindled. Tarbox is a fine writer on cinema and I love this one, too, and it is Kindled.
posted by TheRaven at 2:55 PM on July 3, 2012
posted by TheRaven at 2:55 PM on July 3, 2012
Best answer: You want The Parade's Gone By, by Kevin Brownlow.
posted by scratch at 3:03 PM on July 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by scratch at 3:03 PM on July 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
The Movies, Mr. Griffith and Me by Lillian Gish is very charming but also includes a lot of technical detail on how some of the earliest films were made.
posted by La Cieca at 3:06 PM on July 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by La Cieca at 3:06 PM on July 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Silent Movies: The Birth of Film and the Triumph of Movie Culture
And American Silent Film
and Brownlow, as noted above.
posted by Ideefixe at 3:20 PM on July 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
And American Silent Film
and Brownlow, as noted above.
posted by Ideefixe at 3:20 PM on July 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild. No Kindle version, sadly, but worth reading anyway in my opinion.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 3:31 PM on July 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 3:31 PM on July 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Back when I was first getting into movies, I asked a knowledgeable friend for recommendations and he suggested the following:
Brownlow's The Parade's Gone By (1968)
The Rise of the American Film by Lewis Jacobs (1939)
William K. Everson's American Silent Film (1978)
Paolo Cherchi Usai's Silent Cinema: An Introduction (which is written from a preservationist's perspective)
Margaret Farrand Thorp's America at the Movies (1939, and not specifically focused on the silent era, but too good not to mention here)
and anything by Richard Koszarski or Gilbert Seldes.
I didn't get through all of these, but what I did get through was good enough that I happily recommend them all to you.
posted by bubukaba at 5:45 PM on July 3, 2012
Brownlow's The Parade's Gone By (1968)
The Rise of the American Film by Lewis Jacobs (1939)
William K. Everson's American Silent Film (1978)
Paolo Cherchi Usai's Silent Cinema: An Introduction (which is written from a preservationist's perspective)
Margaret Farrand Thorp's America at the Movies (1939, and not specifically focused on the silent era, but too good not to mention here)
and anything by Richard Koszarski or Gilbert Seldes.
I didn't get through all of these, but what I did get through was good enough that I happily recommend them all to you.
posted by bubukaba at 5:45 PM on July 3, 2012
I grabbed Gloria Swanson's autobiography on a whim at a vacation house and thoroughly enjoyed it.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 7:20 PM on July 3, 2012
posted by Sweetie Darling at 7:20 PM on July 3, 2012
Best answer: Paul Merton's Silent Comedy is meant to be good and is available on Kindle.
posted by permafrost at 3:42 AM on July 4, 2012
posted by permafrost at 3:42 AM on July 4, 2012
Response by poster: Thanks all. All good answers, so I've highlighted the ones that I've now ordered. The others I will purchase when I get through those!
posted by garius at 9:18 AM on July 4, 2012
posted by garius at 9:18 AM on July 4, 2012
It's a novel, but Glenn David Gould's Sunnyside is about this era and packed with historical detail. It should be on the Kindle, which is good as it's HUEG.
posted by mippy at 11:06 AM on July 5, 2012
posted by mippy at 11:06 AM on July 5, 2012
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