The Talkies offers readers a rare look at the time when sound was a vexing challenge for filmmakers and the source of contentious debate for audiences and critics. Donald Crafton presents a panoramic view of the talkies' reception as well as in-depth looks at sound design in selected films, filmmaking practices, censorship, issues of race, and the furious debate over cinema aesthetics that erupted once the movies began to speak.
Donald Crafton is Chair of the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of Before Mickey: The Animated Film, 1898-1928 (1993) and Emile Cohl, Caricature, and Film (1990).
"The Talkies is a valuable addition to a distinguished series—especially important because it deals with one of the most eventful periods in motion picture history. Crafton's scholarship is impressive, and he has produced a readable book that's sure to become a standard reference."—James Naremore, author of More than Night
651 pp.7 x 10Illus: 188 b/w photographs, 7 tables, 3 graphs, 1 figure
9780520221284$45.95|£39.00Paper
Nov 1999