The Magic Lantern

by Robert Carson

".an old-fashioned novel in the very best sense. It is rich and flavorful, it is compelling and enthralling, a story of a host of real people whose motivations and characteristics grow as the book grows, whose lives are lived as an adventure to be savored, fought for, exploited, and sometimes hated. The book is motion pictures. It is a compassionate story of their growth and of the pioneers in that wonderful, wonderful business. This is not an angry book, or a satirical one. It isn't biased or weighted. It is above all a fascinating and bewitching pageant of a world within a world."

TIME Magazine, Monday Dec. 1, 1952:
Take a pioneer of the movie industry (nickelodeon vintage) and take him seriously. Shadow him through the eyes of his only son as he makes a ruthless, razzle-dazzle climb from two reels and a crank in a primitive lower Manhattan studio to control of a lavish Hollywood lot. March an army of extras in slow motion through the lives of father & son featuring such types as deep, silent directors (genius division), mean old financiers with moist-eyed granddaughters, fading stars, grasping agents, gossip columnists, and other native life of the celluloid jungle. Dub in a score of documentary asides on 20 pre-talkie years of motion-picture history, focus on the printed page, and the nickering result is The Magic Lantern, Author Robert Carson's 504-page formula for the great Hollywood novel and the Book-of-the-Month Club's choice for December.

The hand that plunges the latest rubber dagger into the heart of Hollywood belongs to no neophyte; Author Carson won the Academy Award in 1937 for coscripting A Star Is Born. But his novel has a chance for life only while Franklin P. Silversmith, his egomaniacal robber baron, struts over its sets.

Pioneer Silversmith begins his career by peddling "stag" films, soon infringes camera patents to shoot his early two-reelers. On the West Coast, he thieves on a bigger scale, lifts a whole studio from a trusting partner. Silversmith's son, Ellis, starts out a yes-but critic of his father's tactics, ends up by becoming a me-too partner. Together they dream of a Silversmith dynasty. But the dream turns into a nightmare with the coming of sound; Silversmith Productions never gets through the sound barrier. A new breed of buccaneers squeeze the Silversmiths out of the picture business for a measly $3,000,000 and break their hearts.

Those who wish to learn what father and son do with their consolation prize can do so by plunking down $3.95, but canny readers will wait for the movie. It ought to be better than the book.


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/art...

504 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1952

Reviews

[Stephen Dutton · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fairly interesting historical fiction about the infancy of the motion picture industry starting from the very begining of silent pictures. Interesting how the first theaters could only show movies produced by their contracted source, and then movie producers taking over the movie houses to lock distribution. Also movie camera patents that prevented one from creating movies except with the "authorized" equipment. And companies producing "knock-offs" of hit movies to show in their own theaters.

The story line is around a father/son building a movie empire that does not make it to "sound". It shows how (with 1952 sensibilities) that Hollywood has been immoral and corrupt from the very begining, even strongly alluding to a director/producer homosexual couple. Nothing is new under the sun.

[Sam]

This one starts in New York then moves to L.A. Silent movie making and the rise and fall of producers, directors and producers. The main charactor is a good man, I liked him all the way through the book

[Graceann]

I was unable to finish this book because the story did not "call" to me, so I'm not able to review it. I've already put it up at amazon.co.uk in my book shop.