The transformation of cinema, 1907-1915
Eileen Bowser (Author)
"The Transformation of Cinema chronicles the history of the American film business from the days of storefront nickelodeons to the premiere of D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, complete with full symphony orchestra. Eileen Bowser here redresses the imbalance of the "Griffith did it all" cliché by discussing the efforts of countless lesser-known figures who also helped to create Hollywood and shape the growing film industry. The effect of the surroundings -- the size of the hall; whether the film was shown alone or along with vaudeville entertainment; and the size, quality, and relevance of the musical background -- are all examined for their impact on the filmgoing experience. Bowser documents the emergence of the star system, which set the stage for the classic silent-film era. By 1915 the silent film is seen as a full-fledged art form with its own style and place in the world of business."--Back cover
Print Book, English, 1994, ©1990
University of California Press, Berkeley, 1994, ©1990
Criticism, interpretation, etc
xii, 337 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm.
9780520085343, 0520085345
29313970
Preface
The nickelodeon
A game of freeze-out
The recruiting station of vice
The films: alternate scenes
General Filmco and the pushcart peddlers
Acting: the camera's closer view
Brand names and stars
Movie palaces
Trademarks, titles, introductions
Detours on the way to Hollywood
The genre film
The feature film
The lid comes off
Refining the product
Scene dissection, spectacle, film as art
List of abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Picture sources
General index
Index of films
Originally published: New York : Scribner ; Toronto : Collier Macmillan Canada ; New York : Maxwell Macmillan International, ©1990. (History of the American cinema ; v. 2)