Silent Topics: Essays on Undocumented Areas of Silent FilmIn Silent Topics, film historian Anthony Slide looks at various under-discussed and generally undocumented areas of silent film. The two lengthiest essays discuss the release of British silent films in the United States and the contribution of gays and lesbians to American silent film. Other essays examine the cost of silent film production, the "Great Events" series produced by Technicolor in the 1920s, and the manner in which early sheet music exploited silent film personalities. There are career essays on the screen's first special effects specialist, Roy Pomeroy, actor/minister Neal Dodd, and Margerie Bonner, the wife of novelist Malcolm Lowry. Silent Topics also includes the only known interview with the most prominent of silent film composers, David Mendoza, as well as a personal discussion on the lack of talent among a number of silent screen actors and actresses. |
Contents
British Silent Films in the United States | 1 |
Those Elusive Budget Figures | 21 |
Christianity Hollywood Style Reverend Neal Dodd | 31 |
The Great Events Series | 35 |
The Silent Closet Gays Lesbians and Silent Film | 41 |
Malcolm Lowrys Silent Film Connection Margerie Bonner | 59 |
An Interview with David Mendoza | 69 |
Roy Pomeroy and the Beginnings of Special Effects | 77 |
Sheet Music of the Silent Stars | 85 |
They May Have Had Faces But Did They Have Talent? | 93 |
The Letters of Valeria Belletti | 103 |
Contemporary Trade Paper Response to Classics of European Cinema at Their US Release | 107 |
| 117 | |
| 127 | |
Common terms and phrases
actor actress American films Anthony Slide appear Asther audiences Big Parade Blackton Blinkhorn British films camera career Chaplin character Charles Urban cinema color comedy coming of sound Company D. W. Griffith David Mendoza December directed director Dodd Dorothy drama early effeminate Exhibitors F. W. Murnau fan magazine feature film February female film community film industry Garbo gay and lesbian George girl Harry Hepworth Hollywood homosexuality Interview with Anthony July June Kalmus later leading lady Lena Rivers Love Mack Sennett major Malcolm Lowry male Mary Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Motion Picture Movies Moving Picture World never Paramount performance photograph Photoplay Pickford played players Pomeroy's Priscilla production costs published released role Roy Pomeroy Roy William Neill Rudolph Valentino scene score sheet music short subjects silent films song stage story Stuart Blackton studio talent Technicolor Theatre tion trade paper ture two-reel United Valeria Belletti Variety Vitagraph William Axt wrote York York's