Examiner: Best silent film books of 2011

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Best silent film books of 2011
Thomas Gladysz
, SF Silent Movie Examiner
December 11, 2011

What makes a film book best? What gets it recommended? Some film books are especially well done - thoroughly researched and well written. Some are groundbreaking in some way, they reveal new information or are the first book on the subject. Others are comprehensive, some authoritative, some definitive. Whatever the case, these "best of the year" selections belong on the bookshelf of anyone interested in film history.

Listed here are a number of compelling new film books - each was published in 2011. They are listed here alphabetically by title. Each is recommended.

Also just out, and so new there hasn't been time to review it, is Francis X. Bushman: In His Own Words (2009), a two-disc audio documentary based on the book King of the Movies: Francis X. Bushman by Lon and Debra Davis.

The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography, by Aubrey Solomon (McFarland)

In 1929, Hollywood titan William Fox (1879-1952) was close to controlling the entire motion picture industry. His Fox Film Corporation had grown into a $300 million empire; he also held patents to the new sound-on-film process. However, Fox was forced into a series of bitter power struggles, and by 1930 was toppled from his throne. In 1935, the studio bearing his name merged with Darryl F. Zanuck's flourishing 20th Century Pictures to form 20th Century Fox. The 25-year lifespan of the Fox Film Corporation, home of early stars Theda Bara, Tom Mix, Madge Bellamy, Victor McLaglen and Janet Gaynor - as well as directors F.W. Murnau and John Ford, is chronicled in this thoroughly detailed and illustrated history. Included are never-before-published financial figures for Fox's biggest successes and failures, and a detailed filmography of the studio's 1100-plus releases, among them What Price Glory? (1926), Seventh Heaven (1927), and A Girl in Every Port (1928).

Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood, by Emily W. Leider (University of California Press)

Leider, theauthor of acclaimed biographies Rudolph Valentino and Mae West, has penned a thoroughly researched and stylishly written biography of an accomplished actress who was more than just her screen credits. Leider puts it this way in her introduction. “From day one Myrna Loy’s screen image has conjured mystery, a sense of something withheld, something intriguing because it seems unknowable. ‘Who is she?’ was a question posed in the first fan magazine article published about her, in 1925. This book attempts to fill in some of the gaps and to counter the relative neglect that has befallen her abundant legacy.” Leider accomplishes this and more in detailing the career of an actress whose career began in the silent era and lasted into the time of television.

Raoul Walsh: The True Adventures of Hollywood's Legendary Director, by Marilyn Ann Moss (University Press of Kentucky)

Along with Frank Capra and John Ford, Raoul Walsh (1887-1980) was one of Hollywood's early mavericks. Walsh's career spanned more than fifty years - from the silent era through the 1960's, and he helped create the American action adventure film. Whether directing a swashbuckler, a Western, a gangster film, a war epic, a drama or even a musical, there was often something of a romantic flair about Walsh's films - much of which has held up remarkably well. The Thief of Bagdad (1924), What Price Glory? (1926), Sadie Thompson (1928), The Roaring Twenties (1939), Dark Command (1940), They Died with Their Boots On (1941), High Sierra (1941), White Heat (1949) and The Naked and the Dead (1958) are all his work. Moss's thoroughly researched book is both exemplary and groundbreaking, as this is the first full-length biography of a dominant figure in the history of film.

Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend, by Susan Orlean (Simon & Schuster)

Rin Tin Tin tells the story of the famous canine who went from an orphaned puppy found on a WWI battlefield in France to an extraordinarily popular Hollywood movie star (so much so he helped save Warner Bros. from bankruptcy and reportedly won an Academy Award) in the silent era to international icon and television star in the ensuing decades. More than a work of film history, Rin Tin Tin is also the poignant exploration of the bond between one man (the lonely American soldier who found Rinty) and one dog – as well as a survey of 20th entertainment and the changing role of dogs in the American society. As such, this book strays from film history to cultural history - but is nevertheless a great read. In its review, The New York Times Book Review asked “Do dogs deserve biographies?” In Orlean’s hands, the answer is an affirmative “Bark.”

The Rise and Fall of Lou-Tellegen, by David W. Menefee (Menefee Publishing)

Chances are, even the most devoted film buff has never seen a Lou-Tellegen film or even heard of the once world-famous movie star. But consider this: the Dutch-born Lou-Tellegen (1881-1934) got his start as a trapeze artist and nude model for Rodin before gaining a foothold on the stage under the tutelage of the great Eleanora Duse. Then, rival Sarah Bernhardt - the most famous actress at the beginning of the 20th century, plucked him from obscurity with a four-year contract. Hollywood secured his talents with roles in a string of successful silent films. And Geraldine Farrar, considered the greatest opera singer of her time, married him after brief romance. But one dark day, Lou-Tellegen's storybook life came to a sudden, stunning end. This biographical study, the first ever book about the actor, documents his triumphs and sad end. [Also out this year is a revised and expanded version of Menefee's 2003 book, Sarah Bernhardt, Her Films, Her Recordings.]

Silent Visions: Discovering Early Hollywood and New York Through the Films of Harold Lloyd, by John Bengtson (Santa Monica Press)

John Bengtson is an archeologist of the cinema. And his new book, the last in a trilogy-of-sorts, is a visual excavation of the past. Following books devoted to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, Silent Visions now explores the films of Harold Lloyd. Bengtson’s detailed examination and comparison of scene stills and screen captures with old maps, city directories, newspapers, photographs and dusty building records (and yes, Google maps too) reveals not only where Lloyd shot films in Los Angeles and New York, but also how those two great cities have changed in the meantime. “History is hidden in the background of films” is this way lawyer by day / film historian by night put it in a recent interview.Bengtson's new book is a brilliant then-and-now triumph. Silent Visions includes a foreword by 2010 Academy Award winning film historian Kevin Brownlow.

Syd Chaplin: A Biography, by Lisa K. Stein (McFarland)

Considering the hundreds of books on most every aspect of Charlie Chaplin, it's surprising that this is the first on his brother Sydney ("Syd") Chaplin, who's notable not only for his importance in helping establish his brother's career, but for several other early Hollywood enterprises, including the founding of United Artists as well as the Syd Chaplin Aircraft Corporation, America's first domestic airline. This Chaplin enjoyed a successful film career as well, beginning in 1914 with Keystone and culminating in a string of popular films for Warner Bros. in the 1920s; however, his days in Hollywood ended in 1929 after an actress filed assault charges against the comedic actor. This unfortunate incident was only the last in a string of scandals, each causing Syd to move on to another studio or business venture.

Thomas Ince: Hollywood's Independent Pioneer, by Brian Taves (University Press of Kentucky)

Ince turned an art form into a business. Progressing from actor to screenwriter and director, Ince revolutionized the industry by developing the role of the producer. In addition to building the first major Hollywood studio - dubbed "Inceville," this industry pioneer and "Father of the Western" had a hand in more than 800 films. Taves chronicles Ince's life from his early days on the stage to his sudden death at a time when he was about to join forces with William Randolph Hearst. Taves details Ince's impact on the Hollywood production system, his creation of the first American movies starring Asian performers, and his cinematic exploration of the status of women. Until now, Ince (1882-1924), one of the most influential and neglected of early moguls, had not been the subject of a biography. This authoritative work, scrupulously researched, offers considerable insight.

Wally: The True Wallace Reid Story, by David W. Menefee (BearManor Media)

Referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover," Reid (1891-1923) was an immensely popular actor during the early silent era. His stardom rivaled that of his contemporaries, such as Douglas Fairbanks. Today, however, Reid is largely forgotten and many of his films are lost. Those who do know of Reid likely know tragic fate. While shooting a film in 1919, Reid suffered an injury and was treated with morphine. The treatment led to an addiction, and the studios, wishing not to lose one of their leading stars, did little to help while keeping the popular actor working. Reid, a matinee idol, died in a sanitarium just a few years later. Wally includes a foreword by Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne.

Thomas Gladysz is an arts journalist and early film buff, and the Director of the Louise Brooks Society, an internet-based archive and international fan club devoted to the legendary film star and femme fatale. Thomas Gladysz has contributed to books, organized exhibits, appeared on television and radio, and introduced the actress's films around the world. Last year, he edited and wrote the introduction to the “Louise Brooks Edition” of Margarete Bohme’s The Diary of a Lost Girl.

[westegg]

Well, I have one of 'em anyway!

[thomas_gladysz]

Variations on a theme - and into the sound era: one person's opinion .... and my latest piece on Huffington Post.

"Best Film Books of 2011 Are Biographies" at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-gl ... 42592.html

Please check it out. And if you can, buy at least one book on the list! Help keep biographers and film historians writing and publishing.

[westegg]

I read the Tracy book on my Kindle. Excellent all around, especially its finely tuned dissecting of earlier bios on Tracy and Hepburn.

[Marilyn Slater]

Thomas Ince - Hollywood's Independent Pioneer book by BRIAN TAVES signing at CCHS http://looking-for-mabel.webs.com/tomin ... es2012.htm

Tom with his book.jpg (50.52 KiB) Viewed 765 times

It took a year but the book was in Culver City, thanks Brian for signing my copy!