Product Description

The magic of the silent screen, illuminated by the recollections of those who created it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #209539 in Books
• Published on: 1976-06-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 577 pages

Customer Reviews

They Were There
For many years this book was considered the definitive, authoritative tome on silent films, and remains, today, a must read for anyone interested in this subject. Its greatest, most singular draw is the priceless information Brownlow gathered through interviews conducted with over 100 silent film personalities, directors, producers, and cameramen. Brownlow pieced together a one-of-a-kind reminiscence of a by-gone era from the stories, anecdotes, and first hand observations of many of the now-dead greats of the past, infusing an immediacy to a time previously shrouded in myth and misconception, and in the process left behind an incomparable legacy. Legends such as Clarence Brown, Francis X. Bushman, Charles Chaplin, Marlene Dietrich, Allan Dwan, Abel Gance, Dorothy and Lillian Gish, Alfred Hitchcock, Buster Keaton, Fritz Lang, Jesse Lasky, Harold Lloyd, Arthur Miller, Pola Negri, Mary Pickford, Hal Roach, Charles Rosher, David O. Selznick, Josef von Sternberg, Gloria Swanson, King Vidor, and Adolph Zukor ~ plus dozens more ~ contributed their stories and offered their opinions and recollections in their own words. One is a little cowed to realise that when Brownlow wrote this book the silent era was still a fairly recent phenomenon, less than a half century removed from the author's contemporary era of the 1960s, and Brownlow himself yet a young man in his twenties. In fact, Brownlow was a sort of child prodigy, beginning to collect historic films at the age of 11. Brownlow was only 15 years old when he obtained two reels of Abel Gance's 1927 epic film 'Napoleon', which he restored as an adult, and obtained his first industry job as an apprentice editor at a documentary production house when he was but 17 years old. In this book Brownlow affords everything its due: from the earliest years to the advent of the talkies, and touches on all aspects of film-making, marketing, and advertising. Many photos are scattered throughout the book, including some very rare stills from Brownlow's own collection. Brownlow is a filmmaker and self-taught historian who has made the restoration and preservation of silent films his life's work. He has overseen the restoration of endangered landmark films and inspired other preservation efforts. Brownlow has also researched the period and authored a series of books, beginning with 'The Parade's Gone By' in 1968, and documentaries including 'Abel Gance: The Charm of Dynamite', 'Unknown Chaplin', 'Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film', 'Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow' and 'D.W. Griffith: Father of Film'. A few caveats. Since its 1968 publication date, some of the films mentioned as lost have indeed been found, and the dire predictions offered by Brownlow as to the state of cinema of the future have, at least up until this point, proven unfounded. Indeed Brownlow himself has affected cinema greatly through his own restoration efforts and productions, allowing us all a more ready access to the `Golden Era' of film.

Silent Flim Buffs: Don't let this Parade Pass You By!
Kevin Brownlow's great book on the silent film world is over thirty years old but holds up well. Browlow is a British writer who was able to interview many of the silent film people while he gained first hand knowledge on their contributions to a lost world.
Each chapter of the book deals with either a famous actor/director of the era or covers an aspect of fliming.
Brownlow has outstanding chapters on such luminaries as D.W.
Griffith, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Abel Gance, Irving Thalberg, Gloria Swanson. C.B. DeMille Mary Pickford/Doug Fairbanks as well as several others.
His chapter on the making of Ben-Hur is a classic account of the making of this great film. Brownlow deals in other chapters with the lives of stunt-mens, silent comedy, the importance of the art director/production personnel as well as letting us see how the medium has grown technically over the decades.
If you read one book on the silent film era this should be the one to do it for you. A college course on film should include this outstanding work.
Kevin Brownlow loves movies and has done a superb job in this
page turning tour of silent movieland. As Charlie Chaplin walks through our memories as the little Tramp so too will this fine
book shine in our memories as we thank Brownlow for a beautiful trip through the splendors of early moviemaking.

A Classic book on Silent Films
If I had to pick one book to give as an introduction to silent films this would be the book; if I had to pick one book to give to a silent film fan this would be the book. Kevin Brownlow did us all a service by interviewing people still living that were connected to the film indusrty during the silent era, then getting the book published in the late 1960s. I have several books on silent and classic films but The Parade's Gone By remains my favorite. I have read it several times since purchasing it in 1970, always finding a new enthusiasm for a particular director or star of the silent films. Here I first discovered the versatility of Lon Chaney, the athletic films of Doug Fairbanks, the charm of Mary Pickford, the great silent films of Cecil B. De Mille, and Napoleon by Abel Gance. And so much more.

If you are a silent film fan this book needs to be on your shelf, if you are not yet a fan this book just might make you one. You will find that silent films at their peak have the same relationship to talking pictures as painting does to sculpture.

This book and the documetary Hollywood: A Celebration of American Silent Film are the two most interesting ducumentation of the silent film era. I have the Hollywood set on laser disc, it runs several hours and is totally captivating. If it is not on DVD yet it certainly should be.