Early American cinema in transition : story, style, and filmmaking, 1907-1913 / Charlie Keil.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Keil, Charlie.

Series:

Wisconsin studies in film

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Motion pictures--United States--History.

Motion pictures.

United States.

History.

Motion picture industry--United States--History.

Motion picture industry.

Physical Description:

xiii, 306 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wis. : University of Wisconsin Press, [2001]

Summary:

The period 1907-1913 marks a crucial transitional moment in American cinema. As moving picture shows changed from mere noveity to an increasingly popular entertainment, fledgling studios responded with longer running times and more complex storytelling. A growing trade press and changing production procedures also influenced filmmaking. In Early American Cinema in Transition, Charlie Keil looks at a broad cross-section of fiction films to examine the formal changes in cinema of this period and the ways that filmmakers developed narrative techniques to suit the fifteen-minute, one-reel format. Keil outlines the kinds of narratives that proved most suitable for a single reel's duration, the particular demands that time and space exerted on this early form of film narration, and the ways filmmakers employed the unique features of a primarily visual medium to craft stories that would appeal to an audience numbering in the millions. He underscores his analysis with a detailed look at six films: The Boy Detective; The Forgotten Watch; Rose O'Salem-Town; Cupid's Monkey Wrench; Belle Boyd, a Confederate Spy; and Suspense.

Contents:

2 "Boom Time in the Moving-Picture Business": Industrial Structure, Production Practices, and the Trade Press 20

3 "A Story Vital and Unified in Its Action": The Demands of Narrative 45

4 "An Immeasurably Greater Freedom": Time and Space in Transitional Cinema 83

5 "The Modern Technique of the Art": The Style of Transitional Cinema 125

6 Analyzing Transition: Six Sample Films 175.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references, filmography and indexes.

ISBN:

0299173607

029917364X

OCLC:

47002138