Eloquent Gestures: The Transformation of Performance Style in the Griffith Biograph Films Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

Eloquent Gestures: The Transformation of Performance Style in the Griffith Biograph Films Book

Demonstrating how D.W. Griffith played a key role in reformulating the modern film's narrative techniques, this study charts the emergence of the realistic...Read More

from£22.69 | RRP: £18.95
* Excludes Voucher Code Discount Also available Used from £4.66
  • Product Description

    Between 1908 and 1913, D. W. Griffith played a key role in the reformulating of film's narrative techniques, thus contributing to the creation of what we now think of as the classical Hollywood cinema. This book is the only extensive treatment of a critical period in the history of film acting: the emergence of the realistic "verisimilar" style in Griffith's biograph films. Roberta Pearson shows how Griffith gradually abandoned the deliberately affected "histrionic" acting style derived from the nineteenth-century stage. No longer did actors mime distress by raising their arms to heaven or clutching their heads--a subtle facial expression, a slight change in posture would convey a character's extreme emotions instead.
    Pearson makes detailed comparisons of certain Biograph films and brings a freshness to her analysis by closely examining contemporary journalistic writing, acting manuals, and the recollections of actors of the time. Her work is important for anyone interested in early cinema and performance, and it will enliven the study of American cultural history and mass communications.

  • 0520073665
  • 9780520073661
  • RE Pearson
  • 27 October 1992
  • University of California Press
  • Paperback (Book)
  • 196
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you click through any of the links below and make a purchase we may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Click here to learn more.

Would you like your name to appear with the review?

We will post your book review within a day or so as long as it meets our guidelines and terms and conditions. All reviews submitted become the licensed property of www.find-book.co.uk as written in our terms and conditions. None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.

All form fields are required.