Shakespeare on Silent Film: An Excellent Dumb Discourse

Description

Several hundred films based on Shakespearean material were made in cinema's 'silent' era. What economic and cultural ambitions combined in order to make Shakespeare such attractive source material for the film industry? What were the characteristic approaches of particular production companies and of particular national film industries? How were silent Shakespeare films marketed, distributed, exhibited and received? Through a series of close readings, and drawing upon a wealth of primary research, this engaging account tells an evolving story that both illuminates silent Shakespeare films already known, and brings into critical circulation other films not yet commercially available and therefore little known. Subjects covered include nineteenth-century precursors of silent Shakespeare films, the many Shakespeare films of the Vitagraph Company of America, the blockbuster Shakespeare films of the tercentenary year 1916, Asta Nielsen and Emil Jannings as the stars of German Shakespeare films of the 1920s, and silent films of Hamlet.

Judith Buchanan is Senior Lecturer in Film Studies in the Department of English and Related Literature, University of York.

Review of the hardback: 'This is an important contribution to the study of Shakespeare on film ... it is meticulous, informative and critically sophisticated, written in a clear, persuasive and elegant style. It brings new ideas and perspectives to familiar films, stimulates interest in others and overall makes an outstanding contribution to its field.' Russell Jackson, University of Birmingham Review of the hardback: 'Buchanan makes a major contribution to both cinema studies and Shakespeare studies, explaining why these silent films are not just Shakespeare manque but valuable objects in their own right. The book places the films within the legacy of Victorian entertainments from the magic lantern to the stage and uses them to open up the era of silent film-making with insights into institutions, audiences and contemporary values. Buchanan vividly brings to life a forgotten world in which actors pantomimed Shakespeare and audiences responded with enthusiasm.' Roberta Pearson, University of Nottingham Review of the hardback: 'Judith Buchanan's excellent book reconnects us with a lost world of Shakespearean performance. Through detailed, wide-ranging research and a high degree of imaginative sympathy she makes an unshakeable case for the validity and thematic richness of the silent Shakespeare film. It is instantly the standard work on its subject.' Luke McKernan, Curator of the Moving Image at the British Library