Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses

Book Description

From his unique perspective of having known many of the actors and actresses about whom he writes, silent film historian Anthony Slide creates vivid portraits of the careers and often eccentric lives of 100 players from the American silent film industry. He profiles the era's shining stars such as Lillian Gish and Blanche Sweet; leading men including William Bakewell and Robert Harron; gifted leading ladies such as Laura La Plante and Alice Terry; ingénues like Mary Astor and Mary Brian; and even Hollywood's most famous extra, Bess Flowers.

Although each original essay is accompanied by significant documentation and an extensive bibliography, Silent Players is not simply a reference book or encyclopedic recitation of facts culled from the pages of fan magazines and trade periodicals. It contains a series of insightful portraits of the characters who symbolize an original and pioneering era in motion history and explores their unique talents and extraordinary private lives.

Slide offers a potentially revisionist view of many of the stars he profiles, repudiating the status of some and restoring to fame others who have slipped from view. He personally interviewed many of his subjects and knew several of them intimately, putting him in a distinctive position to tell their true stories.

Customer Reviews:

Silent Players.......2005-12-28

This book is wonderful for those of us who collect books on the silent cinema however, if you're looking for the big stars this might not be the book for you. If you're looking for a glowing book about the talents from films silent age look elsewhere. I actually found myself searching for one biography in which Mr. Slide didn't say something mean, improper, or speculative about an actor and could find but a few. It was his personal feelings about these people, not short biographys of actors. Some of it was interesting but I could care less if Viola Dana was promiscuous or Patsy Ruth Miller was a racist. I'm interested in their films, not who they slept with and whether they were nice to him when he interviewed them. Because of all this "gossip" the book disappointed me but I have to say I have discovered a few more actors from the silent era. I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he had written the book while any of these people were still alive.

Lowell Sherman.......2005-08-15

This is not a review since I haven't read the book.

I've read the following in a previous review:

"Take the story of Lowell Sherman, a splendid D. W. Griffith villian, who ended up directing a sound film in his underwear and dying of pneumonia on the day the film opened. Since he was filming a fantasy novel of Thorne Smith (of "Topper" fame) it sounds like the plot of a Smith novel."

Almost completely untrue! Sherman did die of pneumonia (he probably had larynx cancer). But it was during the filming of "Becky Sharp", an adaptation of Thackeray's "Vanity Fair". And he usually wore shorts and a shirt on movie sets, not merely his underwear!

I don't think I'm going to buy this book even though I read everything I can find on silent movies. Most of the reviews make it sound like an obnoxious, pretentious, unreliable mix of "Hollywood Babylon" and "Les cahiers du cinéma" to me.

Silent Players.......2005-06-13

I was a little disappointed with this book. It contained too many personal and general comments. Mary Brian is a friend and so she gets a glowing description of her ability. What the Silent Era needs is a factual enclyopaedia of the stars. This should include list of films, popularity polls, contemporary critics views written at the time the films first appeared. And more detail of how and why stars careers faltered. I also find it depressing how Mr Slide so dismissive of actors and films that makes me wonder whether he really likes Silent Films. He is not alone with this ie Kevin Brownlow's "The parades Gone By" is another example. I feel we are getting half a story.

Insightful profiles of the obsure and famous.......2005-05-17

I found this book extremely interesting. Mr. Slade profiled a large number of silent actors ranging from the obscure (the queen of the extras Bess Flowers) to the semi-famous (the delightful Mary Brian who did successfully transition into the talkies) to the famous (Valentino and Harold Lloyd).
What did I specifically like about this book? Slide provided mini-critiques of his subjects acting abilities. Since many, if not most, of their films are not readily accessible I found this helpful in understanding why many of his subjects were unable to move into the talkies successfully.
Mr.Slide and his partner Robert Gitt knew a great many of the actors covered. A.S. provided his insights regarding their personal querks as well as personalities. This was delightful! One particularly amusing profile was that of Jetta Goudal who appears to have over-inflated opinion her acting ability and prominence within the film community. Goudal could have been the prototype for the Norma Desmond character in Sunset Blvd.
If you have an interest in cinema and know little about silent film, I believe this will stir your interest.
A.S. is a gifted writer and a compelling story teller.

Interesting, but hardly "history".......2004-10-04

An amusing bit of fluff for those unfamiliar with silent stars but I was stunned by the number of factual errors (dates, film titles, names)--especially for someone with so many decades writing about the subject! Did Mr. Slide have no editor on this project, or is he, ummm, "slipping?"

Average customer rating:
A Casebook of Otherworldly Music
D. Scott Rogo
Manufacturer: Anomalist Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Metaphysical Phenomena | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Near-Death Experiences | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

A Psychic Study of the Music of the Spheres

The Universe Wants to Play: The Anomalist 12 a Nonfiction Anthology

Distant Mental Influence: Its Contributions to Science, Healing, and Human Interactions (Studies in Consciousness)

The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World

ASIN: 1933665033

Book Description

D. Scott Rogo's A Casebook of Otherworldly Music is a unique examination of an often-neglected subject - psychic music. The book was originally titled: NAD: A Study of Some Unusual "Other World" Experiences. What is NAD? It's a Sanskrit term signifying transcendental, astral, psychic, or paranormal music - music heard from no apparent source. This is Vol. 1 of Paranormal Music Experiences. Vol. 2 is entitled A Psychic Study of the Music of the Spheres.

Book Description

A Course in Game Theory presents the main ideas of game theory at a level suitable for graduate students and advanced undergraduates, emphasizing the theory's foundations and interpretations of its basic concepts. The authors provide precise definitions and full proofs of results, sacrificing generalities and limiting the scope of the material in order to do so. The text is organized in four parts: strategic games, extensive games with perfect information, extensive games with imperfect information, and coalitional games. It includes over 100 exercises.

Customer Reviews:

good read for those interested.......2007-03-01

This book is well organized in to the topics, one of the better books on game theory and explains it in a pretty easy to follow manner.

A Decent Survey.......2007-02-06

This book is a decent alternative to the Gibbons text (which I personally prefer). You could say this book is much more comprehensive and much more mathematical than Gibbons, though. My own opinion is that much of the game theory as described in this book is not general audience and sometimes very tedious if you are only interested in theory and not so much interested in real analysis.
If you find Gibbons to be too easy or way below your level, this book is one option. The more ideal option, though, would just be to start reading academic papers - as you are obviously ready to do so. That way you could get the knowledge first hand and wouldn't need to spend time on a very detailed second hand review of areas that may not be exactly what you are looking for.

Maybe for class but not for personal exploration..........2003-06-02

I agree with a previous review that this book is not good for individuals. Solutions to the excersizes are only available to educators. If the book is assigned for a class and the teacher has access to the solutions and can coach the student through the excersizes this is probably a great book because of it's depth. It is probably also a good reference book for those already familar with the subject.
However if you are like me and were looking for a strong book that will help a motivated individual learn game theory this book is not for you. I have tried many of the excersizes and I am still not positive that I my answers are correct. The material in the book is very complex but accessible, that is not the problem. The problem is the lack of development because I can not go over my answers to the excersizes and see what I did right and what I did wrong...

An essential course in game theory........2003-01-28

This was one of the first books I read in Game Theory, and definitely the hardest. Those who want a gentle introduction to the concepts of modern game theory might do better with a simpler text such as Gibbons. That said, there is no substitute for quality. The depth of analysis is entirely necessary to get to the meat of the theory.
Osborne and Rubinstein write extremely well, softening the blows of some of the more complicated concepts. Their own substantial publication records in the Game Theory literature do much to recommend their version of analysis over others.

To much Math........2002-05-04

To much math and not easy to understand.

Average customer rating:

Great Review of Optimization for Graduates
a good book...
Outstanding... a MUST
Couldn't ask for much more.
The title says it all

A First Course in Optimization Theory
Rangarajan K. Sundaram
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic History | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Theory | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Business Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0521497701

Book Description

This book introduces students to optimization theory and its use in economics and allied disciplines. The first of its three parts examines the existence of solutions to optimization problems in Rn, and how these solutions may be identified. The second part explores how solutions to optimization problems change with changes in the underlying parameters, and the last part provides an extensive description of the fundamental principles of finite- and infinite-horizon dynamic programming. A preliminary chapter and three appendices are designed to keep the book mathematically self-contained.

Customer Reviews:

Great Review of Optimization for Graduates.......2007-01-03

This book is a great review prior to starting graduate study in economics. Its accessible even if you've never studied optimization before, and covers many of the main optimization concepts used in first semester graduate coursework.

a good book..........2005-10-17

a good book with lots of preliminary math review, but exercises are not that well

Outstanding... a MUST.......2005-04-12

Excellent introduction to optimization techniques with a special emphasis to induce the student to an active and positive attitude towards the rigoruous demonstration of every proposition behind theorems and economic models.
This is not a book for beginners, but an excellent one that helps to develop the abilities required to understand modern textbooks and papers on micro and macroeconomics.
With an excellent presentation, and interesting end-of-chapter exercises, this book cannot be out of every economist's toolbox.

Couldn't ask for much more........2005-02-02

An excellent introduction at this level which is both lucid and rigorous with just enough examples to motivate applications while not leaving the reader swimming in redundancy. The previous review gives details, but I will add that the proofs are concise and clear. The only thing I would add to this book is more and harder problems, but that is easily remedied. If you want a theoretical introduction, buy this book right now -- its one of the best textbooks I have ever seen.

The title says it all.......2004-04-02

A first course in Optimization theory - that is what the book is. The target audience is those who are inetersted in the theory of optimization. Some familiarity with Mathematical Analysis and Matrix Algebra would be helpful; however the first chapter lays the mathematical foundation and a careful reading would enable the reader to tackle the rest of the book.

Book Description

This book aims at a middle ground between the introductory books on derivative securities and those that provide advanced mathematical treatments. It is written for mathematically capable students who have not necessarily had prior exposure to probability theory, stochastic calculus, or computer programming. It provides derivations of pricing and hedging formulas (using the probabilistic change of numeraire technique) for standard options, exchange options, options on forwards and futures, quanto options, exotic options, caps, floors and swaptions, as well as VBA code implementing the formulas. It also contains an introduction to Monte Carlo, binomial models, and finite-difference methods.

Customer Reviews:

Most Practical Financial Engineering textbook.......2006-02-14

Dr Kerry Back in my opinion wrote one the best if not the best practical book in financial Derivatives. In such a crowded field where books are published at an exponential rate; finding a practical book is often a challenge especially since many of them repeat the same information over and over. The best feature of this textbook lies in the problems at the end of chapters. The problems are well chosen and very practical and require the use of VBA/Excel. This book does not get involved with complicated math as so many books in financial engineering do. I am doing a Phd degree in math, I deal with abstract mathematics on a daily basis so am looking for a textbook that will provide a good intuition to the concept of Derivative Securities without sacrificing too much Mathematical rigor. In this regard Dr Kerry Back did a very good job, the book requires only an understanding of non-measure probability theory, calculus, linear algebra and differential equations making it accessible to MBA students and undergraduates as well. I strongly recommend this book to math majors who want a textbook that explain Financial Derivatives well. I also recommend Stochastic Calculus for Finance II by Shreve for readers who want a measure theoric and PDE approcah to Financial Derivatives.

A First Course on Zero Sum Repeated Games

Average customer rating:

A First Course on Zero Sum Repeated Games
Sylvain Sorin
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Analysis | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Medicine | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 3540430288

Book Description

The purpose of the book is to present the basic results in the theory of two-person zero-sum repeated games including stochastic games and repeated games with incomplete information. It underlines their relation through the operator approach and covers both asymptotic and uniform properties. The monograph is self-contained including presentation of incomplete information games, minmax theorems and approachability results. It is adressed to graduate students with no previous knowledge of the field.

Codes of Power - Political Thought from Plato's Cave to Game Theory. A University-Level Course Taught by Joshua Kaplan

Average customer rating:

Codes of Power - Political Thought from Plato's Cave to Game Theory. A University-Level Course Taught by Joshua Kaplan
Jashua Kaplan
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RU1VJM

Game Theory and Its Applications (Proceedings of Symposia in Applied Mathematics)

Average customer rating:

Game Theory and Its Applications (Proceedings of Symposia in Applied Mathematics)
Game Theory and its Applications (1979 : Biloxi, Miss.) American Mathematical Society Short Course , and William F. Lucas
Manufacturer: Amer Mathematical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Investigation and Application of Recent Web-Based Technologies to the Teaching of Electrical Engineering Courses

Average customer rating:

Investigation and Application of Recent Web-Based Technologies to the Teaching of Electrical Engineering Courses

Manufacturer: Storming Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

Product Description

This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A345873. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: This thesis is part of an effort by the Department of Electrical and Computer (ECE) Engineering to implement distributed learning to better serve its students. Distributed learning is especially useful for a modem technologically- oriented military, which is geographically distributed. The goal of this thesis is to develop a prototype web-based course, specifically, EC2820 - Digital Logic Design. A primary sub-goal is to quantify time required and to understand the tradeoffs involved. A secondary sub-goal is to evaluate web page tools.

Applications of artificial intelligence to control system design (839.13): A five day short course, Oct. 3-7, 1966

Average customer rating:

Applications of artificial intelligence to control system design (839.13): A five day short course, Oct. 3-7, 1966
Jerry M Mendel
Manufacturer: University of California Extension
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

New quantitative methods in conflict resolution: application of analysis to military, political and other forms of competition (858): five-day short course, Jan. 13-17, 1969

Average customer rating:

New quantitative methods in conflict resolution: application of analysis to military, political and other forms of competition (858): five-day short course, Jan. 13-17, 1969
Thomas L Saaty
Manufacturer: University of California Extension
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books