D.W. Griffith and the Origins of American Narrative Film: THE EARLY YEARS AT BIOGRAPH
by Tom Gunning
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Book Summary Information
Author: Tom GunningEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1993-09-01
ISBN: 025206366X
Number of pages: 328
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Book Reviews of D.W. Griffith and the Origins of American Narrative Film: THE EARLY YEARS AT BIOGRAPH
Book Review: Only for the serious film student!
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is a very academic study focussing on D. W. Griffith's work in the years 1908-09, which marked the transition from moving pictures as a novelty or gimmick to an actual `story film' as we know them today. Griffith has been honoured with titles like `the Father of Film', and is credited with introducing many directing, filming and editing techniques which are commonplace today, and anyone with a serious interest in the development of cinema would most likely benefit from this book. But put your thinking-cap on first; this is no easy, entertaining read before bedtime! The approach, the language and the analysis used by the author demand concentration, proper attention and respect. It would also be very helpful for the reader to have some previous knowledge of early film development in the first decade of the 1900s, or at least have seen Griffith's `shorts' from the years prior to 1913. Fortunately, I had just finished reading "The Transformation of Cinema, 1907-1915" by Eileen Bowser which was a good, solid introduction to all the factors which led to cinema developing into what it is now, and therefore I was able to follow "The Origins of American Narrative Film" reasonably easily, although one or two chapters at the beginning and end were slightly challenging.
The author, Tom Gunning, has made a very fine effort in drawing together some of the main factors which moulded the film industry in the years 1908-09, and attempts to be fair by explaining how Griffith found ideas and inspiration from previous film makers, the social trends and the push by `reformers' who were trying to make moving pictures appeal to the middle-class audiences. I found these aspects very interesting, and they give a good, well-rounded picture of history and how certain people like Griffith find and make their place in history. Apart from these accounts, the author has gone into great detail with some of Griffith's films to clearly explain certain techniques which Griffith employed, such as cut-ins and parallel editing - things that we take for granted today, but were a surprising novelty nearly a century ago. There are quite a few photographs from the films in question and also many notes for further reference and reading, but for me personally, I enjoyed gaining a deeper insight into how the narrative film, ie the story film, emerged. Films were not always as they are now, with good stories and plots, suspense, intrigue, close-ups, editing to create excitement, etc. These things had to be thought-out and developed: the format of a good book had to be `translated' to the new film medium, and Griffith was at the forefront in America in these critical years of 1908-09. There is only one chapter dealing with Griffith's work after these years up to 1915, and the book discusses only Griffith's work, not any aspects of Griffith personally - the main focus of the book being this turning point in film history, and having all these techniques explained to me more thoroughly has left me with an even deeper appreciation and respect for both Griffith and films in general. Definitely a worth while read for the serious silent film enthusiast or film historian.
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