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- Interesting and encyclopedic work on the early talkie musical
- Simply Wonderful
- Easily the best book on early musical film
- Easily the best book on early musical film
- Easily the best book on early musical film
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A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film
Richard Barrios
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0195088107 |
Book Description
It was the most chaotic era in the history of American entertainment, possibly its most dynamic, and in some ways its least understood. In a stunningly brief time, as the Jazz Age roared to a close, the art of the silent film became extinct, thrown over in favor of the unknown, virtually untested medium of talking pictures. Leading the way was a brand new American art form: the movie musical. Taking off like a shot from day one, this new genre instantly became the a quintessential form of American entertainment. Here for the first time is the story of this fabulous, forgotten age when the movies learned to sing and dance. Chronicling the early musical film years from 1926 to 1934, A Song in the Dark offers a fascinating look at these innovative films, the product of much of the major experimentation that went on during the development of sound technology. Illuminating the entire evolution of this new sound medium, Richard Barrios shows how Hollywood, seeking to outdo Broadway and vaudeville, recruited both the famous and the unknown, the newest stars and the has-beens, the geniuses and the hustlers. The results were unlike anything the world had seen or heard: backstage yarns, all-star revues, grandiose operettas, outlandish hybrids--some wonderful, many innovative, a few ghastly. He recalls, for example, such monumental films as the 1927 hit The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson, the first feature film to include both talk and song. Corney, hokey, and repellently manipulative, it was by most accounts, even by 1927 standards, a poor film. Yet, showcasing the spectacular and extremely popular Jolson, it created a new dimension of intensity that silent films could not duplicate, playing to over one million people per week across the country only three weeks after its release. He discusses such memorable releases as The Broadway Melody (winner of the Academy Award for best film in 1929), the first true musical film that established movie musicals as potent and viable entertainment. Barrios goes on the offer in-depth discussions of innovative films such as The Desert Song, and On With the Show!, the first all-color talkie, as well as the more mature musicals of the 1930s including the Warner Brothers' "backstage" musicals of 1933-34 that started with 42nd Street and the Gold Diggers films. And, of course, he talks about the famed Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire collaborations, such as Flying Down to Rio, which, with their sophisticated style and technique, established them as the premier film musical team. Throughout, Barrios highlights the careers of the original great musical stars like Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Busby Berkeley, and Maurice Chevalier, and presents the films of newcomers such as Jeanette MacDonald, Bing Crosby, and Ruby Keeler. The fickle public rushed to see these stars--talking and singing and dancing across the screen--then suddenly turned away. It took the Depression to bring back musicals, bigger and brassier than ever. The triumphs, disasters, and offscreen intrigue are all here in a fascinating story told with a blend of scholarly research, engaging writing, and cogent criticism. With more than fifty photos, extensive annotations, and a discography, A Song in the Dark memorably recovers this vital and unique film heritage.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting and encyclopedic work on the early talkie musical.......2007-05-01
I don't know of any other book that does such a thorough job covering the history of the American musical film from the years 1926-1934 as this book does. It starts out shattering the myth that Warner Brothers invested in the Vitaphone sound system because it was near bankruptcy. Instead, Sam Warner saw the potential for sound in films and literally dragged his brothers kicking and screaming to the sound revolution. The book talks about Warners' first experiments that led up to the first hit picture with sound - "The Jazz Singer", and the untimely death of Sam Warner one day before the film's New York City premiere. The surviving Warners saw the potential after the money started rolling in, but they didn't have Sam's vision of how to make a success out of talking pictures. Thus, Warner Bros. was literally a Vitaphone train without a conductor.
This starts the reader through a three year journey of all the major studios groping to see what does and doesn't work, their many flops, and their few artistic triumphs. What got the studios through the early days was the novelty of sound attracting audiences regardless of the quality of the film, and the author does a good job of being thorough without being dry. His descriptions of some of the early sound musicals, some of the strange decisions that were made, and the early technical obstacles and their solutions are outright hilarious. The author describes how all of the bad products and bad decisions eventually cause audiences to have had their fill of musicals by 1931. Then he describes how "42nd Street" revives the genre, the lessons that were learned, and how the musical was ultimately reborn as a popular artform.
You can read this book all the way through, but more than likely you'll have to read it more than once to get everything out of it since it is densely packed with information about individual films as well as overall trends. I highly recommend it if you are interested in the early talkie musical and its history.
Simply Wonderful.......2004-03-04
When I picked up "A Song in the Dark" I was curious to see how someone could make a book about pre-42nd Street musicals. Most histories of the Hollywood musical start with 42nd Street and consign the earlier films to a dark, unknowable, unwatchable past.
Barrios made this era come to life. He writes in an engaging, witty style that is a pleasure to read. He never takes a superior tone to his material, and he makes the reader want to track down and see some of these films. (He also makes it clear that some are best avoided.)
"A Song in the Dark" greatly deepened my understanding of the Hollywood musical, and I strongly recommend it.
Easily the best book on early musical film.......2002-01-02
As the author of a popular website on the history of stage and screen musicals, I have read countless books on the musical film, and none can match what Barrios has done here. He approaches the mostly forgotten early sound era with genuine affection and a remarkable facility for detailed research. He also (thank heaven) writes with a delightfully readable style, avoiding the dry academic language that often makes studies of Hollywood's early sound era downright boring. Barrios includes a great selection of rare photos too. No other book on this subject is nearly as informative or enjoyable -- for those who are interested in early screen musicals, I cannot recommend this book too highly!
Easily the best book on early musical film.......2002-01-02
I have read countless books on the history of musical film, and none can match what Barrios has done here. He approaches the subject with genuine affection and a remarkable facility for detailed research. He also (thank heaven) writes with a delightfully readable style, avoiding the dry academic language that often makes studies of Hollywood's early sound era downright boring. No other book on this subject is nearly as informative or enjoyable -- for those who are interested in early screen musicals, I cannot recommend this book too highly!
Easily the best book on early musical film.......2002-01-02
As the author of Musicals101.com, I have read countless books on the history of musical film, and none can match what Barrios has done here. He approaches the subject with genuine affection and a remarkable facility for detailed research. He also (thank heaven) writes with a delightfully readable style, avoiding the dry academic language that often makes studies of Hollywood's early sound era downright boring. No other book on this subject is nearly as informative or enjoyable -- for those who are interested in early screen musicals, I cannot recommend this book too highly!
Book Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1818 edition by John Murray, London.
Average customer rating:
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Lives of Haydn Mozart and Metastasio
Stendhal
Manufacturer: Riverrun Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Haydn, Joseph
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Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
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ASIN: 0714503495 |
Book Description
Any chess player can become better by harnessing the power of imagination. This fresh approach to problem-solving helps players make fewer mistakes and encourages independent and original thought. Even though much has been published on chess tactics, strategy, openings, and endings, few books have focused on training the brain to think and evaluate. The many examples of different moves provided here do just that, by emphasizing the benefits of logic and quick wit. Some of the new concepts, such as progressive and reciprocal thinking, aid in preventing unnecessary and foolish errors—and assure players of making winning choices.
Customer Reviews:
Anyone who thinks this is a puzzle book is missing the point...........2006-10-09
Gaprindashvili's examples are exceedingly difficult (I wouldn't recommend this to players under USCF/FIDE 1800), but it's an extremely well-done collection of critical positions ORGANIZED BY THE THOUGHT PROCESS NECESSARY TO SOLVE THEM EFFICIENTLY.
In many cases, the obvious move doesn't work, but the obvious move suggests a move that wasn't one of the original candidates.
We are not computers--we can't possibly look at every move three moves deep. Gaprindashvili's method is to drill the student in a METHOD of finding critical moves and analyzing them in an efficient fashion.
Valeri Beim's How to Calculate Chess Tactics teaches a similar approach, somewhat more accessibly.
Serious players should read both books (Beim first). Both books demand serious effort--both books will make you a much stronger tactician.
Tactics Mainly, Some Text.......2006-07-08
I agree with the previous reviews but I wanted to emphasize(unnecessarily? perhaps) their point that this interesting and worthwhile collection of problems does not have much in the way of actual text demonstrating "how to think creatively and avoid foolish mistakes" - this is primarily a tactics collection. Solving the tactics exercises would require you to apply your creativity and probably learn to avoid mistakes by not allowing these situations to go unexploited, but honestly, if you have a tactics book already, then you have the basic idea already: practice, practice, practice.
I'm glad I have the book nonetheless because these problems do require imagination to solve and are not "composed" problems, they're from actual games.
Four stars for the reasons other people have given: the instructions are rather sparse and the book doesn't indicate beforehand that these problems are for intermediate players or better.
Excellent!.......2006-03-07
This book is a collection of chess problems. "Imagination in Chess" is for the chess player who has worked through Reinfeld, Combination Challenge!, and the other problem books by Emms, Nunn, and Archangelsky. The problems in here are very difficult. The only reason that this book fails to get five stars is because of the inaccurate title. This book has very little about imagination and thinking creatively--it is almost all chess problems.
An advanced puzzle book.......2006-02-05
This book contains several hundred chess positions, for which the reader must find the best moves and supporting variations. The problems range from difficult to impossible, and require skill in tactics as well as positional judgment. Extensive solutions are provided in the back of the book, along with the source of the position (players, composers, etc.). The problems are organized into chapters, each preceded with some plain text on the move selection process, accompanied by schematic diagrams.
I have to say candidly that the title of the book is not accurate. There is nothing much of substance on the actual subjects of creativity and imagination. The thought processes illustrated in the schematic diagrams are pretty much what any determined player would do anyway in the natural course of a game. It's not clear to me how we benefit by knowing these processes in advance: in a real game we must rely on our assessment of the position only. I did not notice anything specifically advising how to avoid foolish mistakes. For all this, a deduction of one star.
The exercise collection itself is challenging and rewarding. In terms of difficulty, I would place it about two notches ahead of "The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book" by Emms, and three ahead of "Chess Training Pocket Book" by Alburt. It is certainly not for beginners.
The layout and binding are excellent quality. The solutions appear to be correct, and indeed computer-checked. I did notice a couple of typos and at least one incorrect diagram, but nothing serious.
I recommend this to strong players as a source of exercises and solutions; the small amount of text can be ignored.
systemization.......2005-08-26
Gaprindashvili is currently chess rated 2253 Fide. after turning all 151 pages of the exercises, I believe this knowledge is very well the routine thinking of the "advanced" players in the chess world (only a few exercises are instructive compositions, the rest are actual games played by competitors). my research discovered the author's latest tournament participation in april 2003; where he placed 8th out of 16 with players rated at least 2200 fide.This gave me motivation in reading the book seriously, for the book contains material which has been accumulated by the author over many years as a trainer. The book will be of great benifit to competitive players seeking to improve their methods of thinking.
Book Description
If we understood the true role of money in our lives, writes philosopher Jacob Needleman, we would not think simply in terms of spending it or saving it. Money exerts a deep emotional influence on who we are and what we tell ourselves we can never have. Our long unwillingness to understand the emotional and spiritual effects of money on us is at the heart of why we have come to know the price of everything, and the value of nothing. Money has everything to do with the pursuit of an idealistic life, while at the same time, it is at the root of our daily frustrations. On a social level, money has a profound impact on the price of progress. Needleman shows how money slowly began to haunt us, from the invention of coins in Biblical times (when money was created to rescue the community good, not for self gain), through its hypnotic appeal in our money-obsessed era. This is a remarkable book that combines myth and psychology, the poetry of the Sufis and the wisdom of King Solomon, along with Jacob Needleman's searching of his own soul and his culture to explain how money can become a unique means of self-knowledge. As part of the Currency paperback line, it includes a "User's Guide" an introduction and discussion guide created for the paperback by the author -- to help readers make practical use of the book's ideas.
Customer Reviews:
Don't waste your time..........2007-04-02
I have to say I was very disappointed with this book. The author seemed to be reaching too often to come off as a wise academic and ended up surrounding a complex topic with stilted language and delivery that made the point be lost on the reader.
The writing style and tone is extremely pretentions and the recounting of the discussions with his students are dreadful. I continued to find myself wondering if the author was being serious and needing to focus on what he was trying to say. It was frustrating to continue to try to figure out what he was trying to say when he should have just been saying it.
Honestly, I don't think there is much new that this book is adding to any discourse on the nature of money. There seems to be little original thought and just the recounting of fairy tales, poems, myths, bible passages, etc., to convey the thesis of the book.
It should have been much clearer and could have been much better. The book also rambles and could have been 80 - 100 pages shorter.
In sum, don't waste your time. You'll get little out of this book b/c there's not much to get.
a darn good book.......2007-01-04
The book is a good one. We enjoyed it and recommend it to others. The service was great too.
Not that great.......2006-11-28
Needleman had some interesting stories but I didn't find the book all the helpful or entertaining. I had to read it for class and the only good part about the assignment was the class discussions, most of which had little to do with the actual book. I thought it had potential and I was excited about reading this book but ended up being dissappointed. It is a VERY easy book to read and you can fly through the pages. I ended up reading a lot and not really understanding or getting anything from what I just read.
Not just a book.......2006-08-17
As a spiritual healer I have been recommending this book to clients for about ten years. The differences in their lives and their attitude to money have been simply amazing. Most of them have reported that they couldn't read this book quickly; their head would spin and they'd have to put the book down for several days while they thought about what they'd read. Soon after reading this book they began to make better choices in jobs and investments. It's not a logical change, it's a perception shift. Sometimes a book isn't just a book...sometimes it's a portal.
A philosophy professor's lecture and lunch conversation.......2006-04-28
A rambling, self-important, name-dropping, and pretentious work that I forced myself to finish. The literary device of focusing on discussions with two fictional students during much of the book was annoying and an easy way to increase page count without requiring serious rigor. I have just started Galbraith's 'Money'; it seems much more robust, though admittedly of a slightly different focus.
Average customer rating:
- A Realistic Look at Capitalism
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Cash Values: Money And The Erosion Of Meaning In Today's Society (New College Lectures)
Craig M. Gay
Manufacturer: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Way of the (Modern) World: Or, Why It's Tempting to Live As If God Doesn't Exist
ASIN: 0802827756 |
Customer Reviews:
A Realistic Look at Capitalism.......2004-09-07
Craig Gay takes a look at modern capitalism from a Christian perspective in Cash Values. In three chapters, Gay presents the benefits of capitalism, it's unintended consequences to society, and some ideas for a Christian approach to the subject. While the book is not long on concrete suggestions, it is a thoughful interaction steering a middle course between rejection of the free market and uncritical acceptance.
Product Description
Usually, our concerns about money reduce themselves to getting or managing it, and there are countless books about that aspect of the money question. But it is almost impossible to find serious and useful thought about the realationship between the quest for money and the quest for meaning. What is the role of money in the search for consciousness, in the pursuit of that transformation of the self spoken of by the great teachers and philosophers of all epochs and cultures? The aim of this book is to open this question and to offer material for the task of answering it for oneself.
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Catch Your Balance and Run
Manufacturer: Empowerment Unlimited Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0966104579 |
Product Description
Michael P. Scott, founder of Empowerment Unlimited Inc. has assisted thousands of individuals in their quest to create more focus, clarity, meaning, and balance in their lives. Now in this book, Michael provides you with powerful ideas to assist you in keeping pace in today's high speed socitety.
Books:
- Acting A to Z: The Young Person's Guide to a Stage or Screen Career
- Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (Cambridge Film Handbooks)
- Ambient Television: Visual Culture and Public Space (Console-ing Passions)
- American, African, and Old European Mythologies
- Analyzing Performance: Theater, Dance, and Film
- Audrey: Her Real Story
- Bad Girls: Film Fatales, Sirens, And Molls
- Belle de Jour: Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl
- Bernard Herrmann's The Ghost and Mrs. Muir: A Film Score Guide (Scarecrow Film Score Guides)
- Black Film/White Money
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