A completely revised and rewritten new edition of the pioneering film book first published in 1970, Early American Cinema, New and Revised Edition provides a concise history of the American motion picture industry before 1920, documenting the work of the early production companies, releasing organizations, filmmakers, and performers, and will serve both as a textbook and a reference source. Chapters cover pre-cinema, the Motion Picture Patents Company, independent filmmaking, the birth of the feature film, Thomas H. Ince, D.W. Griffith, sound and music, the star system, the role of women, new technologies, genres, and the languge, business, and art of the film. The book includes suggestions for further reading, together wiht a general bibliography, and lengthy bibliographies on Ince and Griffith.
Industry Reviews
Slide is a pioneering scholar in this field, and his observations are always informed...this is a must. Films In Review ...a pleasure to read, and is to be strongly recommended as an introduction (indeed probably the standard introduction) to early American cinema, and also for more experienced scholars who might be surprised at what they learn. Historical Journal Of Film, Radio, & Television ...a fascinating account. Photoplay ...carefully researched. Film Quarterly ...relieve the general reader of the mist surrounding its subject. David Sanjek [A] greatly enlarged and extensively rewritten update of Mr. Slide's 1970 edition...Slide is a pioneering scholar in this field, and his observations are always informed. For those who missed his original excursion into the past, this is a must. Films In Review Cinematically erudite... The Daily Telegraph ...a concise history of the American movie industry before 1920. Zentralblatt fur Geologie und Palaontologie ... a diligent and heartfelt excursion into the past... The San Francisco Chronicle One of the few books on the early cinema well-written enough to make good casual reading... Time Out