Silent Movies: The Birth of Film and the Triumph of Movie Culture
by Peter Kobel and the Library of CongressLittle, Brown and Company, 302 pp., $45
No doubt about it: This book is a gorgeous visual delight – which is as it should be, since the graphics are culled from the vast silent film and memorabilia collection of the Library of Congress. The library’s film holdings contain many artifacts other than salvaged reels of nearly 100-year-old movies. Like the Harry Ransom Center here in Austin, the Library of Congress’ collection is also rich with posters, stills, and other paper memorabilia that together help fill in some of the blanks concerning the birth of film culture and its accompanying business practices. As the number of survivors who can recollect the first decades of the last century steadily dwindles, this kind of survey of the tangible remnants of the silent-film era becomes ever more necessary. The book’s launch coincides with a limited traveling exhibition of some of the library’s restored films throughout November and December. Kobel’s writing is clear and concise, although the history his text offers has no new revelations for students of the silent-film era. However, for those less familiar with the period, his text offers a good general survey of the art and business of the early years, using examples from the library’s collection to demonstrate the invention of the star machinery and movie-marketing industry. Kobel’s overview also covers aspects such as genre awareness, the popularity of certain directors, technological innovations, and the internationalism of silent films – an aspect that all but vanished with the advent of the talkies. A foreword by Martin Scorsese beats the drum for the cause of film preservation, and an introduction by dean of silent-film historians Kevin Brownlow offers a veteran’s perspective. Silent Movies will be a welcome addition to any movie buff’s coffee table.
This article appears in December 14 • 2007.
