Download or read book The Silent Films of Harry Langdon 1923 1928 written by James L. Neibaur and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2012-07-06 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Harry Langdon was a silent screen comedian unlike any other. Slower in pace, more studied in movement, and quirkier in nature, Langdon challenged the comic norm by offering comedies that were frequently edgy and often surreal. After a successful run of short comedies with Mack Sennett, Langdon became his own producer at First National Pictures, making such features as Tramp Tramp Tramp, The Strong Man, and Long Pants before becoming his own director for Three's a Crowd, The Chaser, and Heart Trouble. In The Silent Films of Harry Langdon (1923-1928), film historian James Neibaur examines Langdon's strange, fascinating work during the silent era, when he made landmark films that were often ahead of their time. Extensively reviewing the comedian's silent screen work film by film, Neibaur makes the case that Langdon should be accorded the same lofty status as his contemporaries: Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. With fascinating insights into the work of an under-appreciated artist, this book will be of interest to both fans and scholars of silent cinema.
Download or read book The Silent Films of Harry Langdon 1923 1928 written by James L. Neibaur and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2012-07-06 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Silent Films of Harry Langdon (1923-1928), film historian James Neibaur examines Langdon's strange, fascinating work during the silent era, when he made landmark films that were often ahead of their time. Extensively reviewing the comedian's silent screen work film by film, Neibaur makes the case that Langdon should be accorded the same lofty status as his contemporaries: Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. With fascinating insights into the work of an under-appreciated artist, this book will be of interest to both fans and scholars of silent cinema.
Download or read book Harry Langdon written by Gabriella Oldham and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2017-04-18 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Among silent film comedians, three names stand out -- Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd -- but Harry Langdon indisputably deserves to sit among them as the fourth "king." In films such as The Strong Man (1926) and Long Pants (1927) , Langdon parlayed his pantomime talents, expressive eyes, and childlike innocence into silent-era stardom. This in-depth biography, which features behind-the-scenes accounts and personal recollections compiled by Langdon's late wife, provides a full and thoughtful picture of this multifaceted entertainer and his meteoric rise and fall. Authors Gabriella Oldham and Mabel Langdon explore how the actor developed and honed his comedic skills in amateur shows, medicine shows, and vaudeville. Together they survey his early work on the stage at the turn of the twentieth century as well as his iconic routines and characters. They also evaluate his failures from the early sound period, including his decision to part ways with director Frank Capra. Despite his dwindling popularity following the introduction of talkies, Langdon persevered and continued to perform in theater, radio, and film -- literally until his dying day -- leaving behind a unique and brilliant body of work. Featuring never-before-published stories and photos from his immediate family, this biography is a fascinating and revealing look at an unsung silent film giant.
Download or read book Buster Keaton s Silent Shorts 1920 1923 written by James L. Neibaur and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2013 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the mid-1920s, Buster Keaton had established himself as one of the geniuses of cinema with such films as Sherlock, Jr., The Navigator, and his 1927 work The General, which was the highest ranked silent on the American Film Institute's survey of the 100 greatest films. Before Keaton ventured into longer works, however, he had honed his skills as an actor, writer, and director of short films produced in the early 1920s. In Buster Keaton's Silent Shorts: 1920-1923, James L. Neibaur and Terri Niemi provide a film-by-film assessment of these brilliant two-reelers. The authors discuss the significance of each short--The High Sign, One Week, Convict 13, The Scarecrow, Neighbors, The Haunted House, Hard Luck, The Goat, The Playhouse, The Boat, The Paleface, Cops, My Wife's Relations, The Blacksmith, Frozen North, Daydreams, The Electric House, The Balloonatic, and The Love Nest--to the Keaton filmography, as well as each film's importance to cinema. Offering a clear and in-depth perspective on these 19 films, the authors explain what makes these shorts effective and why they're funny. Buster Keaton's Silent Shorts will enlighten both scholars and casual fans alike about the early work produced by one of cinema's most gifted comedians and filmmakers.
Download or read book I Won t Grow Up written by Anthony Balducci and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-12-23 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A film archetype as old as film itself, the man-child has been an enduring comedy subject. Classics as diverse as Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) and The Apartment (1960) have used the immature male to drive plots and press the importance of growing up. But he was not born fully formed—it took the shifting social norms of decades to mold the atrocious behavior of the puerile buffoon we know today. The man-child has come under scrutiny in recent years. Prominent writers, including David Denby and A.O. Scott, have criticized the modern comedian behaving in shamelessly childish ways. This book provides a comprehensive examination of the character of the man-child, from André Deed, who debuted on screen in 1901, to Seth Rogen. The author discusses changing cultural attitudes about maturity, what it means to be an adult, what it means to be a child and how those things are becoming increasingly confused.
Download or read book Buster Keaton s Silent Shorts written by James L. Neibaur and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2013-01-30 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the mid-1920s, Buster Keaton had established himself as one of the geniuses of cinema with such films as Sherlock, Jr., The Navigator, and his 1927 work The General, which was the highest ranked silent on the American Film Institute's survey of the 100 greatest films. Before Keaton ventured into longer works, however, he had honed his skills as an actor, writer, and director of short films produced in the early 1920s. In Buster Keaton’s Silent Shorts: 1920-1923, James L. Neibaur and Terri Niemi provide a film-by-film assessment of these brilliant two-reelers. The authors discuss the significance of each short—The High Sign, One Week, Convict 13, The Scarecrow, Neighbors, The Haunted House, Hard Luck, The Goat, The Playhouse, The Boat, The Paleface, Cops, My Wife’s Relations, The Blacksmith, Frozen North, Daydreams, The Electric House, The Balloonatic, and The Love Nest—to the Keaton filmography, as well as each film’s importance to cinema. Offering a clear and in-depth perspective on these 19 films, the authors explain what makes these shorts effective and why they’re funny. Buster Keaton’s Silent Shorts will enlighten both scholars and casual fans alike about the early work produced by one of cinema's most gifted comedians and filmmakers.
Download or read book Wax Museum Movies written by George Higham and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2020-09-18 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spanning over a century of cinema and comprised of 127 films, this book analyzes the cinematic incarnations of the "uncanniest place on earth"--wax museums. Nothing is as it seems at a wax museum. It is a place of wonder, horror and mystery. Will the figures come to life at night, or are they very much dead with corpses hidden beneath their waxen shells? Is the genius hand that molded them secretly scarred by a terrible tragedy, longing for revenge? Or is it a sinner's sanctum, harboring criminals with countless places to hide in plain sight? This chronological analysis includes essential behind the scenes information in addition to authoritative research comparing the creation of "real" wax figures to the "reel" ones seen onscreen. Publicly accessible or hidden away in a maniac's lair, wax museums have provided the perfect settings for films of all genres to thrillingly play out on the big screen since the dawn of cinema.
Download or read book Movie Comics written by Blair Davis and published by Rutgers University Press. This book was released on 2017-01-03 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As Christopher Nolan’s Batman films and releases from the Marvel Cinematic Universe have regularly topped the box office charts, fans and critics alike might assume that the “comic book movie” is a distinctly twenty-first-century form. Yet adaptations of comics have been an integral part of American cinema from its very inception, with comics characters regularly leaping from the page to the screen and cinematic icons spawning comics of their own. Movie Comics is the first book to study the long history of both comics-to-film and film-to-comics adaptations, covering everything from silent films starring Happy Hooligan to sound films and serials featuring Dick Tracy and Superman to comic books starring John Wayne, Gene Autry, Bob Hope, Abbott & Costello, Alan Ladd, and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. With a special focus on the Classical Hollywood era, Blair Davis investigates the factors that spurred this media convergence, as the film and comics industries joined forces to expand the reach of their various brands. While analyzing this production history, he also tracks the artistic coevolution of films and comics, considering the many formal elements that each medium adopted and adapted from the other. As it explores our abiding desire to experience the same characters and stories in multiple forms, Movie Comics gives readers a new appreciation for the unique qualities of the illustrated page and the cinematic moving image.
Download or read book Silent Film Stars on the Stages of Seattle written by Eric L. Flom and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2009-03-05 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Before they became household names, many would-be Hollywood stars began their careers as small-time actors in regional theatres and playhouses. Few of them earned much recognition based on their time in the footlights, but often the stage provided these Hollywood hopefuls with their first break in show business. Drawing on material from the J. Willis Sayre Collection, a nearly unbroken accumulation of theatrical programs from 1865 to 1955, this book chronicles the Seattle stage engagements of more than 30 silent film personalities. Such Hollywood giants as Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Cecil B. DeMille, D.W. Griffith, and Buster Keaton, to name just a few, can trace their early careers through the Emerald City.
Download or read book Harry Langdon written by William Schelly and published by Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 1982 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Silent Film Performers written by Roy Liebman and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides biographical and career data for each listed performer, an overview of published books and articles about or written by the performer and a list of archival materials, including photographs and stills, letters and scrapbooks
Download or read book Mack Sennett s Fun Factory written by Brent E. Walker and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2010-01-13 with total page 671 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a comprehensive career study and filmography of Mack Sennett, cofounder of Keystone Studios, home of the Keystone Kops and other vehicles that showcased his innovative slapstick comedy. The filmography covers the more than 1,000 films Sennett produced, directed, wrote or appeared in between 1908 and 1955, including casts, credits, synopses, production and release dates, locations, cross-references of remade stories and gags, footage excerpted in compilations, identification of prints existing in archives, and other information. The book, featuring 280 photographs, also contains biographies of several hundred performers and technical personnel connected with Sennett.
Download or read book Harry Langdon written by William Schelly and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2008-06-17 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the second edition of the (long out of print) only book-length biography of Henry Langdon, and it includes significant new information, including expanded coverage of his early years and more personal details that lend a human side to the Langdon story.
Download or read book Classic Silent Films Poster Book written by Jake Lenburg and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-04-03 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every great idea has a beginning. The same applies to Hollywood's movie industry. When the movies began more than 100 years ago, they were without sound, had subtitles and were accompanied by music. The "Classic Silent Films Poster Book" celebrates the silent era by presenting rare, vintage color posters from nearly 50 great silent movies of all time. Films represented in the book include "The Perils of Pauline" (1914), "The Birth of a Nation" (1915), "The Spoilers" (1914), "Intolerance" (1916), "Hell's Hinges" (1916), "Broken Blossoms" (1919), "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1920), "Way Down East" (1920), "The Mark of Zorro" (1920), "Tol' able David" (1921), "Orphans of the Storm" (1921), "The Kid" (1921), "The Sheik" (1921), "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (1921), "Nanook of the North" (1922), "Safety Last" (1923), "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1923), "The Covered Wagon" (1923), "The Ten Commandments" (1923), "Greed" (1924), "The Iron Horse" (1924), "Sherlock, Jr." (1924), "Peter Pan" (1924), "The Big Parade" (1925), "The Gold Rush" (1925), "The Phantom of the Opera' (1925), "Ben Hur" (1925), "Son of the Sheik" (1926), "The Lost World" (1925), "Sparrows" (1926), "The Scarlett Letter" (1926), "The Black Pirate" (1926), "Don Juan" (1926), "Seventh Heaven" (1926), "What Price Glory? (1926), "Beau Geste" (1926), "For Heaven's Sake" (1926), "Flesh and the Devil" (1927), "The General" (1927), "Wings" (1927), "Sunrise" (1927), "Thc Cat and the Canary" (1927), "Our Dancing Daughters" (1928), "The Crowd" (1928), "The Circus" (1928), "City Lights" (1931) and "Tabu" (1931). Great silent film stars and filmmakers represented in this book include Richard Arlen, John Barrymore, Richard, Barthelmess, Wallace Beery, Clara Bow, Lon Chaney, Charlie Chaplin, Joan Crawford, Ronald Colman, Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, William Farnum, John Ford, Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, D.W. Griffith, Lillian and Dorothy Gish, William S. Hart, Buster Keaton, Harry Langdon, Harold Lloyd, Ramon Novarro, Mary Pickford, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Constance Talmadge, Eric Von Stroheim, Rudolph Valentino and more. The "Classic Silent Film Poster Book" isn't intended to be a complete representation of all the greatest silent films ever made. It's certainly a great start. For any silent films fan or collector, it's a collection worth having.
Download or read book Harry Langdon written by Joyce Rheuban and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book How to Read a Film Fourth Edition written by James Monaco and published by Harbor Electronic Publishing. This book was released on 2011-05-01 with total page 955 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richard Gilman referred to How to Read a Film as simply "the best single work of its kind." And Janet Maslin in The New York Times Book Review marveled at James Monaco's ability to collect "an enormous amount of useful information and assemble it in an exhilaratingly simple and systematic way." Indeed, since its original publication in 1977, this hugely popular book has become the definitive source on film and media. Now, James Monaco offers a special anniversary edition of his classic work, featuring a new preface and several new sections, including an "Essential Library: One Hundred Books About Film and Media You Should Read" and "One Hundred Films You Should See." As in previous editions, Monaco once again looks at film from many vantage points, as both art and craft, sensibility and science, tradition and technology. After examining film's close relation to other narrative media such as the novel, painting, photography, television, and even music, the book discusses the elements necessary to understand how films convey meaning, and, more importantly, how we can best discern all that a film is attempting to communicate. In addition, Monaco stresses the still-evolving digital context of film throughout--one of the new sections looks at the untrustworthy nature of digital images and sound--and his chapter on multimedia brings media criticism into the twenty-first century with a thorough discussion of topics like virtual reality, cyberspace, and the proximity of both to film. With hundreds of illustrative black-and-white film stills and diagrams, How to Read a Film is an indispensable addition to the library of everyone who loves the cinema and wants to understand it better.
Download or read book The Silent Clowns written by Walter Kerr and published by Alfred A. Knopf. This book was released on 1975 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A lavishly illustrated, affectionate treatment by one of the finest critics of our time...Kerr is more than a brilliant master of verbal description; he is a penetrating, lucid theorist. This book is as much about comedy as about movies, about eyes and ears and how and why we laugh.'-Thomas Wills, Chicago Tribune Book World
