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catherine_t's review
4.0
You've probably heard of Mary Pickford, the silent movie star from the early 20th century known as "America's Sweetheart" (despite being Canadian), but what about Jack Pickford, her brother? Norma Shearer made films well into the 1940s, another Canadian-born star with MGM (run by yet another Canadian, Louis B. Mayer!), but did you know her brother Douglas pioneered sound in film, and won 12 Academy Awards for his work? Neither did I, until I read Stardust and Shadows by Charles Foster.
Foster profiles 18 Canadians who influenced the early days of film-making in Hollywood, from those in front of the camera (Florence Lawrence, "The Biograph Girl"; Marie Dressler; and Marie Prevost among them) and those behind the scenes (Mayer, Mack Sennett, and Sidney Olcott, among others). He gives a biography of each one and details their achievements in Hollywood.
Foster was fortunate enough as a young RAF pilot in training to have had 19 days of leave in Hollywood in 1943, when he met many of these early stars of film. Later on in his life, he had the chance to interview many others as well. He put his skills and knowledge to good use here, documenting the early years of Hollywood.
Some of these names were familiar to me, of course, but some were not. Al and Charles Christie, for example, were brothers who worked with Mack Sennett; Al helped create some of the Three Stooges best bits. Sidney Olcott directed Mary Pickford in two of her best films, Madame Butterfly and Poor Little Peppina, where his innovative use of close-ups brought more emotion to these silents.
It's well worth reading if you have an interest in the beginnings of the film industry in the early 20th century.
Foster profiles 18 Canadians who influenced the early days of film-making in Hollywood, from those in front of the camera (Florence Lawrence, "The Biograph Girl"; Marie Dressler; and Marie Prevost among them) and those behind the scenes (Mayer, Mack Sennett, and Sidney Olcott, among others). He gives a biography of each one and details their achievements in Hollywood.
Foster was fortunate enough as a young RAF pilot in training to have had 19 days of leave in Hollywood in 1943, when he met many of these early stars of film. Later on in his life, he had the chance to interview many others as well. He put his skills and knowledge to good use here, documenting the early years of Hollywood.
Some of these names were familiar to me, of course, but some were not. Al and Charles Christie, for example, were brothers who worked with Mack Sennett; Al helped create some of the Three Stooges best bits. Sidney Olcott directed Mary Pickford in two of her best films, Madame Butterfly and Poor Little Peppina, where his innovative use of close-ups brought more emotion to these silents.
It's well worth reading if you have an interest in the beginnings of the film industry in the early 20th century.
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