I do enjoy some good silents. My favorites would be "Nosferatu" and "Metropolis." "Birth" was apparently the first "epic" film and transformed movies from a novelty to a serious art form.
Check out Criterion's release of 1927's "The Passion of Joan of Arc" if you haven't already. It contains the greatest performance of an actress ever captured on film, IMO.
I second that! I'm not normally one to rave about silent movies, but that one's a real find. I was most impressed by the clarity of the print and the relative subtlety of the acting. And also the history of this particular print, thought to be lost but amazingly was found in a Norwegian mental institution.
I'd like a book that gives an honest look at what happened. The movie gave the old south's point of view, and I'm sure there's truth in there. I'm sure there are also a bunch of PC Revisionist books out there, which I'd have no use for. I'd just like a book that tells the whole story, good bad and ugly. It would be interesting to find some books that were from that time period.
Tommyz - actually, I do have a list..as an amatear history buff, but the list is in Albuquerque, I am in DC. When I get home in August, I will look this thread up...and I have it in light of the Western half of the US as well and the changes in CA etc.
Well while we're wating for Washington to dig up those titles, I can't resist mentioning how I love the "Nosferatu" flick as well. At the moment I have a cheap "Madacy" version of it, but it's a decent print which at least preserves and presents the entirety of Nosfertu's head in the iconic casket-catapult scene in the ship's deck, unlike the pricier "Image version, which chops the top of his head off in the frame border. I've yet to see the 'Kino" version...
The soundtrack for the "Passion of Joan" movie composed by Richard Eichorn is awesome as well.
If you live nearby a college library around where you live, you may be able to get some free access to their electronic databases (from a computer within the library). There is an electronic database called J-Stor that may be of help to you. It contains scanned copies of many, many old magazines. I know when I was going to school a few years ago, I was able to pull up some magazines from as far back as 1850 through the use of that database.
Funny you should mention "Metropolis." It was used as a metaphor for the challenges of technology v. humanity in a course I'm taking on "Information Ecologies" for my master's.
I just saw DW Griffith's 1915 movie "Birth Of A Nation" and while one is suspicious of a movie where the heroes are the KKK I wonder how accurate the movie is historically ? I know that Griffith was the son of a confederate soldier so his bias is understandable. Can anyone recommend a good book about this period that gives the facts about this period ?
IIRC,
which I may not,
the release-title of that movie was "THE KLANSMAN",
and it was supposed to show how the Klan saved this country.
The book I can recommend that mentions the reconstruction is
"Lies My Teacher Told Me", by James Loewen.
It addresses the SOCIOLOGICAL bias of "history" classes-
that is,
"this is a great country and has gotten better as time has passed",
which puts a spin on simple reporting of events,
and the "history as myth" thing,
which makes historical figures into legends, not humans.
Legitimate controversies get bleached out,
and only what fits the mold gets reported.
So we lose things like white Southerners who were opposed
to slavery, post Civil War Northerners who entered the South
and actually DIDN'T go to bleed the South dry,
and the entire life of Helen Keller after she was a child.
It doesn't fixate solely on one time-period.
It addresses the overview and uses several textbooks as examples,
and goes thru the history of the US, from "the age of colonization
That must be an old book ! Ever since the 80's I've heard that textbooks were revised to show how rotten the founding fathers were and what an evil country Amerika is. But I'll still check it out for the Reconstruction stuff.
Recommended Posts
TheInvisibleDan
That's one silent flick I've been meaning to view.
Are you into silent movies, Tommy?
Check out Criterion's release of 1927's "The Passion of Joan of Arc" if you
haven't already. It contains the greatest performance of an actress ever
captured on film, IMO.
Danny
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TOMMYZ
I do enjoy some good silents. My favorites would be "Nosferatu" and "Metropolis." "Birth" was apparently the first "epic" film and transformed movies from a novelty to a serious art form.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kevlar2000
I second that! I'm not normally one to rave about silent movies, but that one's a real find. I was most impressed by the clarity of the print and the relative subtlety of the acting. And also the history of this particular print, thought to be lost but amazingly was found in a Norwegian mental institution.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TOMMYZ
While I'm enjoying talking about silent movies, I'll still looking for a good book suggestion from any of our historians.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ex70sHouston
Do you realy want to know the truth. My view, your view, or their view.
The best way is to find novels from the time period. They will give you views of what people thought at the time.
In reality people did not believe in equality as we do today. Even in the north people did not believe in the races mixing.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TOMMYZ
I'd like a book that gives an honest look at what happened. The movie gave the old south's point of view, and I'm sure there's truth in there. I'm sure there are also a bunch of PC Revisionist books out there, which I'd have no use for. I'd just like a book that tells the whole story, good bad and ugly. It would be interesting to find some books that were from that time period.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
washingtonweather
Tommyz - actually, I do have a list..as an amatear history buff, but the list is in Albuquerque, I am in DC. When I get home in August, I will look this thread up...and I have it in light of the Western half of the US as well and the changes in CA etc.
ww
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TheInvisibleDan
Well while we're wating for Washington to dig up those titles, I can't resist mentioning how I love the "Nosferatu" flick as well. At the moment I have a cheap "Madacy" version of it, but it's a decent print which at least preserves and presents the entirety of Nosfertu's head in the iconic casket-catapult scene in the ship's deck, unlike the pricier "Image version, which chops the top of his head off in the frame border. I've yet to see the 'Kino" version...
The soundtrack for the "Passion of Joan" movie composed by Richard Eichorn is awesome as well.
Danny
Link to comment
Share on other sites
markomalley
If you live nearby a college library around where you live, you may be able to get some free access to their electronic databases (from a computer within the library). There is an electronic database called J-Stor that may be of help to you. It contains scanned copies of many, many old magazines. I know when I was going to school a few years ago, I was able to pull up some magazines from as far back as 1850 through the use of that database.
FWIW
Link to comment
Share on other sites
shazdancer
Funny you should mention "Metropolis." It was used as a metaphor for the challenges of technology v. humanity in a course I'm taking on "Information Ecologies" for my master's.
Made me want to check it out.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
WordWolf
IIRC,
which I may not,
the release-title of that movie was "THE KLANSMAN",
and it was supposed to show how the Klan saved this country.
The book I can recommend that mentions the reconstruction is
"Lies My Teacher Told Me", by James Loewen.
It addresses the SOCIOLOGICAL bias of "history" classes-
that is,
"this is a great country and has gotten better as time has passed",
which puts a spin on simple reporting of events,
and the "history as myth" thing,
which makes historical figures into legends, not humans.
Legitimate controversies get bleached out,
and only what fits the mold gets reported.
So we lose things like white Southerners who were opposed
to slavery, post Civil War Northerners who entered the South
and actually DIDN'T go to bleed the South dry,
and the entire life of Helen Keller after she was a child.
It doesn't fixate solely on one time-period.
It addresses the overview and uses several textbooks as examples,
and goes thru the history of the US, from "the age of colonization
in the New World" thru up to Vietnam or so.
It's the one history book I recommend.
Even if you disagree completely with it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TOMMYZ
That must be an old book ! Ever since the 80's I've heard that textbooks were revised to show how rotten the founding fathers were and what an evil country Amerika is. But I'll still check it out for the Reconstruction stuff.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TOMMYZ
Kev and Dan, I took your advice and checked the DVD of "Joan" out from the library today. I'll give you my review after I watch it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TOMMYZ
Finally watched "Joan". Quite an impressive piece of work.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.