Buccaneer : James Stuart Blackton and the birth of American movies / Donald Dewey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dewey, Donald, 1940- author.

Series:

Film and history (Lanham, Md.)

Film and history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Blackton, James Stuart, 1875-1941.

Blackton, James Stuart.

Motion picture producers and directors--United States--Biography.

Motion picture producers and directors.

United States.

Animators--United States--Biography.

Animators.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xiv, 297 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, [2016]

Summary:

A man of many film firsts, James Stuart Blackton promoted motion pictures as a mass commercial medium by creating the first true movie studio, adopting the star system, pioneering film animation, and publishing Motion Picture Magazine, one of the first film periodicals. As much of a seminal figure to the film industry as Thomas Edison and D.W. Griffith, Blackton nonetheless remains unknown to most film enthusiasts and even many cinema scholars. In Buccaneer: James Stuart Blackton and the Birth of American Movies Donald Dewey recounts the drama, intrigue, and romance of this motion picture trailblazer. A gifted director, producer, and founder of Vitagraph studios, Blackton's personal escapades were nearly as dramatic as his contributions to the medium he helped establish. Decades ahead of his time, Blackton also played a critical role in propagating war-time sentiment during both the Spanish-American War and World War I and was an influence on such key historical figures as Theodore Roosevelt. A fascinating look into the life of a truly distinguished filmmaker, Buccaneer narrates the volatile world of the early motion picture industry, as influenced by a man whose own story rivaled anything on screen. A must read for film lovers, this book will also prove to be invaluable to readers with an interest in American history. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Fish and Chips Tales 1

2 In America 9

3 Wives and Widows 17

4 Movie Magic 25

5 Burglaries 37

6 War Is Good 45

7 Real Wars and the Other Kind 55

8 Wizardry 63

9 Division of Labors 75

0 What's Playing 85

1 Reaching for Couth 97

2 New Sets 105

3 Star Powers 113

14 Longer Views 127

15 The Commodore 139

16 General Chaos 149

17 The High Cost of Peace 157

18 Independent-Sort Of 169

19 Don't Arise, Sir James 177

20 At Homes with the Blacktons 191

21 The Eagle Has Crashed 203

22 Other Dimensions 213

23 The Not-So-Great Depression 221

24 Parading On 229

25 Gin and Ham 239

26 Last Glorious Adventures 247.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781442242586

1442242582

OCLC:

919202312