Book 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 silentā¦
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Why read it?
1 author picked Shakespeare on Silent Film as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Today, one of the most prominent visual media in which Shakespeareās plays are recreated is cinema. Judith Buchananās work exposes the role of Shakespeare in building intellectual credibility for the early film industry and addresses the paradox of adapting plays celebrated for their language in a medium with no spoken words. She shows how early films were shaped by the visual conventions of the Victorian stage and by popular technologies such as the magic lantern. The book demonstrates some of the techniques used by silent films to remake familiar images and adapt Shakespeareās long speeches to visual storytelling.Ā
From Sally's list on The best books about Shakespeareās plays and the visual arts.
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