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Still: American Silent Motion Picture Photography
The success of movies like The Artist and Hugo recreated the wonder and magic of silent film for modern audiences, many of whom might never have experienced a movie without sound. But while the American silent movie was one of the most significant popular art forms of the modern age, it is also one that is largely lost to us, as more than eighty percent of silent films have disappeared, the victims of age, disaster, and neglect. We now know about many of these cinematic masterpieces only from the collections of still portraits and production photographs that were originally created for publicity and reference. Capturing the beauty, horror, and moodiness of silent motion pictures, these images are remarkable pieces of art in their own right. In the first history of still camera work generated by the American silent motion picture industry, David S. Shields chronicles the evolution of silent film aesthetics, glamour, and publicity, and provides unparalleled insight into this influential body of popular imagery.
Exploring the work of over sixty camera artists, Still recovers the stories of the photographers who descended on early Hollywood and the stars and starlets who sat for them between 1908 and 1928. Focusing on the most culturally influential types of photographs—the performer portrait and the scene still—Shields follows photographers such as Albert Witzel and W. F. Seely as they devised the poses that newspapers and magazines would bring to Americans, who mimicked the sultry stares and dangerous glances of silent stars. He uncovers scene shots of unprecedented splendor—visions that would ignite the popular imagination. And he details how still photographs changed the film industry, whose growing preoccupation with artistry in imagery caused directors and stars to hire celebrated stage photographers and transformed cameramen into bankable names.
Reproducing over one hundred and fifty of these gorgeous black-and-white photographs, Still brings to life an entire long-lost visual culture that a century later still has the power to enchant.
Exploring the work of over sixty camera artists, Still recovers the stories of the photographers who descended on early Hollywood and the stars and starlets who sat for them between 1908 and 1928. Focusing on the most culturally influential types of photographs—the performer portrait and the scene still—Shields follows photographers such as Albert Witzel and W. F. Seely as they devised the poses that newspapers and magazines would bring to Americans, who mimicked the sultry stares and dangerous glances of silent stars. He uncovers scene shots of unprecedented splendor—visions that would ignite the popular imagination. And he details how still photographs changed the film industry, whose growing preoccupation with artistry in imagery caused directors and stars to hire celebrated stage photographers and transformed cameramen into bankable names.
Reproducing over one hundred and fifty of these gorgeous black-and-white photographs, Still brings to life an entire long-lost visual culture that a century later still has the power to enchant.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 10, 2019
Great idea for a book, but the research doesn't impress me. Shields mentions Clara Kimball Young as having her own production company and having total control over all her publicity. An internet search reveals that the mogul who owned her contract (and who was having an affair with her) set up the company, made himself its president, and according to Young, defrauded her and gave her no say in the business. More info is here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_K..., and a great poster is here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_K....
February 23, 2015
All in all David S. Shields does movie history a service by bringing to its attention a previously underappreciated area of study--silent film stills. He makes the sage point that in many cases, stills are the only artifacts left from many important silent films. He then, through many chapters, gives biographical sketches of a seemingly endless procession of dead white guys. It is true that this research needed to be done and the information within it needed to be published. But that doesn't make for very riveting reading, and Still doesn't advance an interesting new thesis about Hollywood, photography, art, film, early 20th century mass culture, or the many other absorbing topics Shields touches on.
That being said, I disagree with the previous reviewer that the illustrations were sub-par. It's true that this isn't a coffee table book, but as scholarly books go, it is thickly illustrated--with some never-before-seen imagery, too. Shields was lucky enough to be able to draw on some nearly untouched archives, notably the Culver Service. For me, this was the most exciting part of the book, and I applaud the author for taking advantage of a singular opportunity to show the world what he's found.
One side note, though: I was distracted by the surprising number of copyediting errors. "Gustav Klimpt"? "Laguna Beech"? I admit that as an editor, I am oversensitive to such issues, but these, at least, are visible to most readers, I'd guess.
That being said, I disagree with the previous reviewer that the illustrations were sub-par. It's true that this isn't a coffee table book, but as scholarly books go, it is thickly illustrated--with some never-before-seen imagery, too. Shields was lucky enough to be able to draw on some nearly untouched archives, notably the Culver Service. For me, this was the most exciting part of the book, and I applaud the author for taking advantage of a singular opportunity to show the world what he's found.
One side note, though: I was distracted by the surprising number of copyediting errors. "Gustav Klimpt"? "Laguna Beech"? I admit that as an editor, I am oversensitive to such issues, but these, at least, are visible to most readers, I'd guess.
July 30, 2013
If you are looking for a book with page after page of lush black and white still photography from the silent movie era, this is not that book. If you are looking for a detailed, scholarly analysis of the impact of still photography on the early days of cinema, this IS for you. While I found the latter somewhat interesting, it was the former I was hoping for and with the exception of a stunning photo of Clara Bow and one of Lilian Gish, I was mostly underwhelmed by the photographs included.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews