Afbeelding auteur

E.J. Stephens

Auteur van Early Paramount Studios

6 Werken 46 Leden 2 Besprekingen

Werken van E.J. Stephens

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I love anything about old Hollywood. I own thousands of classic films, biographies of actors, studios, etc. I don't watch new movies as I don't think they are as good as those long past. In my opinion there will never be another Bogart, Cagney, Stanwyck -- or even someone like Charlie Chaplin, who revolutionized films.

This is the pictorial story of the first studios in Hollywood -- those on Poverty Row, where they changed hands constantly, silent films and serials being made daily, and cowboys waiting for their turn to be chosen for a western or two.

If you are interested in how film studios began, then this is the book. While it isn't high art, it isn't meant to be. But what it is, is showing us how everything began, where the studios were located, and even little tidbits of history that one might not have known about actors (or those who wanted to be). It's an interesting album of pictures that I have never seen before, and I found fascinating to see. Hollywood as it was when movies were churned out as fast as they could, trying to make actors stars and therefore fill the coffers of the producers and directors; and while it is a short book it has packed in a lot of history. Recommended.
… (meer)
 
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joannefm2 | Feb 21, 2024 |
The Images of America series is a mixed bag. Some of their books are excellent, with wonderful collections of historic and recent photographs captioned either by academics or by learned amateur historians. This particular volume was a disappointment. I was expecting a book focusing on the history and places of Griffith Park. Instead, Griffith Park plays only a supporting role. The authors are film historians, not park historians or even general historians of Los Angeles. The focus of the book is on a variety of actors and actresses from Hollywood's Golden Age who at some time had their photos taken in Griffith Park. There are some good photos of landscape features and buildings in the park, but entire sections (like the Berlin Forest and Amir's Garden) are omitted. Instead, there are page upon page of photographs of obscure actors. Most of the photos are so close-up that could have been taken anywhere, and the captions are biographical notes on figures. The biographies have nothing to do with the park, and the only uniting theme among these mostly forgotten people is that they happened to have a day in the park. There isn't even a bibliography or works cited in this volume. I was hoping this book would be a photographic book devoted to the history, topography, and geography of Griffith Park, but it is not.… (meer)
 
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marc_beherec | Jul 24, 2022 |

Statistieken

Werken
6
Leden
46
Populariteit
#335,831
Waardering
½ 3.5
Besprekingen
2
ISBNs
10