Kevin BrownlowRezensionen

England's Kevin Brownlow brings to life America's Sweetheart, Mary Pickford, in this richly textured and insightful book featuring myriad of lush and rare photographs chosen by Pickford expert Robert Cushman. Mary Pickford's contribution to cinema is seen in a new light here. Brownlow subtly makes the case that she not only was the most influential woman in the history of cinema, but a visionary force for the film industry itself.

It is difficult in today's climate of instant access to information to understand just how popular Mary Pickford was in her day. She was embraced by the entire world, and reportedly, every twenty-four hours, 12 1/2 million people saw her onscreen. She perfected her craft in an era of film when very few people actually saw her natural acting style for the hard work and genius it was. George Cukor called her the first method actor.

Mary Pickford's career as an actress spanned decades. She did much for women with her strong business savvy and the roles she not only portrayed, but created. A very practical woman by all accounts, her films themselves reflected our better side as human beings and were often sentimental in tone. She didn't play weak characters as many of her contemporaries did. When people walked out of a theatre after seeing a Pickford film, they were often uplifted, feeling generous towards their fellowman.

Brownlow has done a wonderful job of bringing Mary Pickford to life as a three dimensional human being. With all the rare and beautiful photographs here to distract you it would have been easy to have an uninspiring text. But the introduction by Cushman and the lengthy and insightful comments by Brownlow, which include commentary on each Pickford film, makes this a mesmerizing journey into a life, both on-film and off.

There were many things about Mary the public knew, such as the famous Pickfair and her celebrated marriage to Douglas Fairbanks, as well as their friendship with Charlie Chaplin. They knew little, however, of a young girl who virtually had no childhood. Before her career finally took off she was poor in the extreme, sleeping in a chair so long it would take quite some time after owning a bed before she could sleep in any other position.

Who was the abusive alcoholic in Mary's life, and whom did she turn to for comfort? And at the height of her fame, what troubled her soul so much that she almost ended it all? Though these aspects of Mary's life are only touched upon and not dealt with in depth, it is admirable they are here at all, separating this from other coffee-table-style books.

The photographs are so stunningly beautiful (some never before seen) you may have trouble concentrating on the text. Of particular note: photographs on pages 110, 65, 17, 12, 27, 154, 121, and 66. They are beautiful, and not to be missed.

This lush and informative book is filled with affection for its subject, perhaps too much, but that is part of its charm. The sparse yet informative text is augmented by rare and breathtaking photographs. Definitely a must-own book for anyone who loves film, silent films especially. Its overall perspective of America's Sweetheart, Mary Pickford, while obviously biased, is nonetheless unmatched.

A famous 1968 history of the silent movie era with discussion of the great directors, stars, productions, cameramen, editors and title card writers, constructed largely from interviews that the author had with silent movie industry workers and excerpts from biographies and Photoplay articles. Many great photographs. Somewhat disorganized.

Great photos and anecdotes, occasionally dated commentary.

A fascinating book packed with information on the silent film era. High quality photographs throughout display the sheer artistry of the era. Having read many books on this time in Hollywood, including Brownlow's excellent The Parade's Gone By, I appreciated the different angle that this book took; rather than go into lengthy chapters, most chapters consisted of only a few pages in tiny print followed by loads of pictures with captions. The one negative about this presentation is that the text is indeed quite small and the hardcover book is heavy, so I found it difficult to read the book in certain places in my house. Perhaps this was more intended as a coffee table book than to be read one-handed at a dining table.

Until the very end of the book, I was unaware that this was a companion volume for a television series. It turns out, that series is on YouTube--and I had already saved it to watch, many months ago! Now I know I need to watch it.

Dramma fantascientifico che immagina su cosa sarebbe successo nella seconda guerra mondiale se i tedeschi avessero invaso la Gran Bretagna. Resistenza sotterranea, massacri di civili, conflitti civili, manifestazioni illuminate come nelle parate notturne della Germania Nazista, ghetti ebraici e eutanasia organizzata, tutti visti attraverso gli occhi di un'eroina che cerca di salvare delle vite diventando infermiera. Occupato il suo ospedale dal governo fascista, scopre che i pazienti russi e polacchi sono uccisi. A seguito della sua forte protesta, viene arrestata e alla fine si unisce alla resistenza. Il film, che ha un aspetto documentario, fa un punto sulla politica e sulla nazionalità: gli inglesi sarebbero andati benissimo sotto il dominio nazista quasi senza ribellarsi se fossero stati invasi.

Most literate people are aware that there was a revolution in Seventeenth-century England, even if they call it a "civil war" or identify it in terms of Oliver Cromwell. Many people have heard of the various religious and political sects which flourished in that time, under such unlikely names as "Ranters", "Levellers", "Fifth Monarchists", "Muggletonians", and -- perhaps most notably, the "Diggers". But how many actually know anything about those brave, literate, and uncompromising early communists led by the redoubtableGerard Winstanley? Thier story is important, not merely for British history, but for the history of human liberation. Yet realistically, few people can or will read the various fine scholarly works on the subject, or Winstanley's own pasionate writings, most notably THE NEW LAW OF RIGHETEOUSNESS. Failing that, this film is a splendid introduction, not to mention being a fascinating piece of film-art in its own right. The film proper is supplemented in this tape by a documentary of the production of the feature. My only complaint about this film is that there isn't enough of it, or thatmore people haven't had the opportunity to see it.

Gorgeous pictorial book, affectionate commentary by Brownlow

This book is for hardcore silent film fans. Which I am. It's very well-written and very extensive. Even though I've read a lot about the silent era, I hadn't heard of many of the people mentioned in this book. There are chapters on the stars (Gloria Swanson, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd to name a few), the directors (D W Griffith, Josef Von Sternberg, etc.), and even the technicians and cameramen. There is a lot of information about camera technique, lighting, and stunts. It was fascinating to read about how filmmakers of this time pulled off some of the most amazing shots and created special effects before CGI made creative filmmaking obsolete.

As it was written with only a handful of the person's mentioned still alive, this volume in Brownlow's silent film trilogy does not posses the entertaining and often exciting anecdotes that made The Parade's Gone By and The War, the West, and the Wilderness such fun to read. However, being as it is a Kevin Brownlow book, it is chock full of information and is an invaluable guide for those seeking an exploration into the world of silent cinema and early nineteenth century American society..

GREAT CONDITINO!

reference, film, history