Decline of Sentiment: American Film in the 1920s

by Lea Jacobs

The Decline of Sentiment seeks to characterize the radical shifts in taste that transformed American film in the jazz age. Based upon extensive reading of trade papers and the popular press of the day, Lea Jacobs documents the films and film genres that were considered old-fashioned, as well as those dubbed innovative and up-to-date, and looks closely at the works of filmmakers such as Erich von Stroheim, Charlie Chaplin, Ernst Lubitsch, and Monta Bell, among many others. Her analysis―focusing on the influence of literary naturalism on the cinema, the emergence of sophisticated comedy, and the progressive alteration of the male adventure story and the seduction plot―is a comprehensive account of the modernization of classical Hollywood film style and narrative form.

Genres: Film

373 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2008

Reviews

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A first class study of the changing tastes in American films in the 1920s--not in terms of popularity among audiences, but in the tastes of critics, and how these changes were responded to within the industry. Jacobs shows how film critics, following the same intellectual trends as contemporary literary critics (and, i would add, the modern art movement) denigrated "sentiment" (aka "hokum" and "bunk") in favor of increased realism, disdain for gentility and decorum, frankness about sexuality (up to a point, they were concerned when filmmakers went too far), contemporary urban settings, elliptical narration, hard-boiled characters, etc. She analyzes several popular t genres ("naturalism" ("realistic" films usually about the lower classes), sophisticated comedy, the male adventure story, the seduction plot and its comic variants and the romantic drama) and discusses key films indicative of those trends, even noting genres, such as florid romances, which increase in popularity in the silent era despite critical scorn. She does not confine herself to usual silent film canon, either, and is unusual among modern writers for recognizing the importance of the Talmadge Sisters as important exponents of some of these genres.
Despite the often misogynistic comments of the critics, however, she warns against "sentiment" being considered exclusively a characteristic of films aimed at women. As she points out, some critically approved genres, such as sophisticated comedies were thought to be appealing to women, while many male adventure genres, such as westerns, are awash in sentiment. The divide tends more towards class such as urban/rural and educated/non-educated rather than simply male/female. And genres later identified as women's genres were not necessarily so considered during the silent era. As she states "the "woman's picture" cannot be considered as a single, coherent, and historically stable identity." Highly recommended.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a little dry in the first couple of chapters but as the author delves into more detail using several film plots to illustrate her point, it gets better. By the final chapters it is a more accessible read to the layman.

[Erin Moonyeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not your typical pop cultural assessment of film or film history. A dense, but intelligent look at how cinema of the 1920s underwent transformations in terms of what audiences versus trade papers considered sentimental films. Jacobs rehashes the plot lines of known and forgotten cinematic gems but also delivers an adept analysis of what film critics said at the time, providing a dual lens. Also asks questions about what cinema meant in regards to overall cultural impact. Were films already being considered works of art, or were they being justifiably lambasted for their mass production status? If the second was true, where were films in terms of artistic relevance? And, should filmmakers even care if movies were considered art, given that film cemented itself in the psyche of American entertainment by the 1920s? (Book was read as part of deeper analysis along with "Working Class Hollywood" by Steve Ross. Both books highly recommended for anyone seeking to understand film culture of the Progressive Era and into the 1920s),

[Chi Dubinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scholarly history of popular taste as exhibited in popular films of the day. Many of the films described in detail were not even available for the author to view, so appeal to fans of early cinema is limited.