Rating: 
Summary: Breezy overview of silent greats...
Review: Jeanine Basinger's "Silent Stars" is an enjoyable book that could have been an excellent one if it had followed it's own avowed goals. In the Introduction Ms. Basinger states: "The purpose of this book is to celebrate a group of silent film stars who are somehow forgotten, misunderstood, or underappreciated." Except in one instance her choices of stars are anything but the above!Writing in a conversational tone, Ms. Basinger covers stars such as Mary Pickford, Clara Bow & Rudolph Valentino; hardly forgotten or underappreciated! She works hard to fairly critique their films & influence on their times, & does a good job at it while ignoring or glossing over the scandals & more interesting details of their private lives. For that aspect of early cinema I recommend Kenneth Anger's "Hollywood Babylon". The only silent star written about who I feel truly deserves to be included as forgotten or underappreciated is Colleen Moore. Every other chapter, while well written & interesting, does not pursue the avowed purpose of this book. Players who are mentioned while discussing the main stars such as Barbara LaMarr, Alma Rubens, Vilma Banky, Wallace Reid, Francis X. Bushman seem to be much better candidates. It made me wonder if the author's choices were dictated by which films she was able to screen, since so many films from before 1940 are now lost. The other fault to my mind is that there is no progression to this book. Each chapter is written as a stand-alone essay, & it is easy to see that Jeanine Basinger works as a college professor, since the tone of the book is often that of a lecture (there are even humorous asides & 90's references that seem to be hold-overs from classes of sleepy students!). Overall though, for the general reader who has some knowledge of early cinema but no specific obsession this is a worthy, well-written, enjoyable book. There are numerous stills from movies mentioned, & the tone is never pretentious or pedantic. Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Enthusiasm Means A Lot
Review: Jeanine Basinger's premise is to explore the silent cinema through the stars who are either forgotten or misunderstood by today's film buffs, but she succeeds only partially, mainly because most people have some kind of concept of who these people were. What she is really trying to do is de-bunk the stereotypes that the modern world holds on those who were the pioneers in creating the matinee idol. For example, say Rudolph Valentino and you think latin lover. Say Douglas Fairbanks and you think swashbuckler. Ms. Basinger's point is that there was a lot more to these and the other actors she profiles and she makes a good argument by backing up that premise with examinations of the complete filmographies of these stars, rather than simply focusing on the more well-known ones. One of the things that comes across immediately is that Ms. Basinger is a big fan, and she presents her writing as much from a fan's perspective as a critical or historical point of view. However, where Ms. Basinger does herself in is by letting herself gush too much. Bringing something personal to the table is not necessarily a bad thing, and it's kind of nice to see that she's so ardent in her work. Her problem in trying to write in a more familiar manner is a disservice to her overall work. She takes the reader out of the stories she is telling, which are mostly very enjoyable and compelling, by interjecting her own sly comments. Besides that, it's still worth appreciating the variety Ms. Basinger provides as she discusses the flappers, cowboys, romantic leads, cosmopolitan women (Gloria Swanson), action stars (Douglas Fairbanks), character actors (Lon Chaney) and even Rin Tin Tin. Silent Stars is a great read if you have any kind of love of film or history. Ms. Basinger does a nice job of putting her characters in the context of the times and generally painting full pictures of them as individuals. The writing can be a lot more dense than a straight history of silent film, so it takes about two chapters to get used to it. Ms. Basinger has also had the opportunity to view prints of many of the films she writes about and those passages are clearly more illuminating than when she has to rely on other secondary sources to get her information. It's truly remarkable to remind yourself as you go along that no one had ever really known what it meant to be world famous and instantly recognizable before these silent film stars reached the peaks of their popularity. I almost think people like Tom Cruise or Julia Roberts should read this book just to get an idea of what it REALLY means to be famous. She also demonstrates some strong conclusive reasoning in her epilogue about the arrival of sound and why some stars faded and others thrived. All told, it's worth the read if you can stand the cheerleader aspects of it.
Rating: 
Summary: "Must" reading for film buffs and students of the cinema.
Review: Jeanine Basinger's Silent Stars reconstructs the careers of the major silent film stars, packing in black and white screen shots with considerations of their films and times. A highly recommended, involving pick.
Rating: 
Summary: Bland bland bland
Review: Ms. Basinger has chosen to write about inly the most famous of the silent stars -- Swanson, Pickford, Valentino, etc. -- because, she claims, they are the most interesting. Well, for the sake of her publisher they are (sales strategy), but not for the reading public, most of whom have already heard all about these people ad nauseam. Top it off with her sickening, oh-isn't-all-so-wonderful tone,and you've got one big boring book. Avoid this pandering mush at all costs! NOT a good holiday gift!
Rating: 
Summary: Okay but...
Review: The main reason why I liked this book were her chapters on Colleen Moore and Constance Talmadge, which otherwise have little information given about them. Sure she lets the character's image get in the way, but that is the way they were presenting themselves!
I can understand selecting just a few people. Enough has been said about the greats like Lillian Gish and Charlie Chaplin and she does clarify this in the dedication page. There was a chapter that annoyed me. I don't care how influential he was. Rin Tin Tin is a dog! She could have put a human in his spot. What about the vastly ignored Louise Fazenda instead?
Rating:
Summary: Silent Stars--an essential reference work
Review: There is very little I can say about this book except that i totally and completely recommend it to anyone who loves silent pictures as much as I do.
Rating:
Summary: SILENCE IS INDEED STILL GOLDEN!
Review: They had faces then . . . those silent screen icons known as Clara, Lon, Pola, Gloria, Mabel, John, Mary, Douglas, Rudolph --- even Rin-Tin-Tin. From the pen (and meticulously researched and always thoughtful mind) of film scholar Jeanine Basinger comes this must-have tome, as important for its reconstructed historical chronicle as it is for its wit, humor and revelatory insights. Those expecting gossip will find it; those yearning for an academic, yet never boring, read will find it as well. The 300-plus photos are an added treat; was there anyone more handsome than Ramon?
Rating:
Summary: SILENCE IS INDEED STILL GOLDEN!
Review: They had faces then . . . those silent screen icons known as Clara, Lon, Pola, Gloria, Mabel, John, Mary, Douglas, Rudolph --- even Rin-Tin-Tin. From the pen (and meticulously researched and always thoughtful mind) of film scholar Jeanine Basinger comes this must-have tome, as important for its reconstructed historical chronicle as it is for its wit, humor and revelatory insights. Those expecting gossip will find it; those yearning for an academic, yet never boring, read will find it as well. The 300-plus photos are an added treat; was there anyone more handsome than Ramon?
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