A Guide to American Silent Crime Films

(Hardback)

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The authors of this reference have compiled, in one volume, a history of the crime genre during the era of silent movies, aiming to preserve the memories of these films for their own generation and to introduce these works to a new one. This guide includes more than 2000 film entries, complete with names of directors, screenwriters and major players and offers a wealth of data supported by plot evaluations and occasional thematic commentaries. It also includes one- and two-reelers and serials along with full-length crime features. Each entry covers title, date of release, distributor or studio, director, screenwriter, major case members, plot description, and thematic commentary. It pays tribute to cinema pioneers as diverse as D.W. Griffith and Lon Chaney, who have given the world a wide variety of stories and experiences. Although men tended to dominate the silent years in Hollywood, women managed to contribute dramatically. Among them were director Lois Weber and film personalities Mabel Normand, Pearl White, Mary Pickford, and Ruth Roland. These creative men and women and their often neglected work deserve a second look. Contemporary stars can look to the past, where the ground for their work was carefully prepared in such films as Griffith's "The Musketeers of Pig Alley" (1912) and von Sternberg's "Underworld" (1927).

Reviews

.,."The authors have meticulously compiled screen credits for more than 2,000 silent features, documentaries, shorts, and serials relating to crime produced in America from the 1890s to 1930. The sheer volume of titles, many culled from the paper print collection of the Library of Congress, demonstrates the enduring appeal crime films have enjoyed in American cinema. Of particular interest is the authors' inclusion of historically important crime-related newsreels and documentaries. Recommended for academic and special libraries supporting strong film studies programs."-Choice
...The authors have meticulously compiled screen credits for more than 2,000 silent features, documentaries, shorts, and serials relating to crime produced in America from the 1890s to 1930. The sheer volume of titles, many culled from the paper print collection of the Library of Congress, demonstrates the enduring appeal crime films have enjoyed in American cinema. Of particular interest is the authors' inclusion of historically important crime-related newsreels and documentaries. Recommended for academic and special libraries supporting strong film studies programs.-Choice
..."The authors have meticulously compiled screen credits for more than 2,000 silent features, documentaries, shorts, and serials relating to crime produced in America from the 1890s to 1930. The sheer volume of titles, many culled from the paper print collection of the Library of Congress, demonstrates the enduring appeal crime films have enjoyed in American cinema. Of particular interest is the authors' inclusion of historically important crime-related newsreels and documentaries. Recommended for academic and special libraries supporting strong film studies programs."-Choice

Author Bio

LARRY LANGMAN, a free-lance writer, has taught the art and history of film for many years. He has written film articles for video magazines and has authored several books dealing with films and film history, including Writers on the American Screen (1986), An Encyclopedia of American Film Comedy (1987), and A Guide to Silent Westerns (Greenwood, 1992). DANIEL FINN has taught English in New York State for more then 25 years. He specialized in creative writing and article publishing and was an instructor of composition writing at Syracuse University. He has been working on an analysis of American short-story writers.