Rating: 
Summary: Enthusiasm Means A Lot
Review: I am glad any time the great silent stars are taken seriously. I was very excited about this book, and on a cursory glance it seemed like an interesting examination of some of the more notable stars of the silent era. What made me eventually throw the book against the wall was Basinger's irritatingly awkward writing style. Nearly every sentence cloys and drips where it does not actually meander. This style shows itself in the very structure of each chapter, which frequently substitute paragraph after paragraph of film synopses that would have served the structure better as sidebars or appendices. How such regrettable prose made it past a Knopf editor is beyond me. The book does contain a fun collection of photos of all the actors profiled, from Pickford to Rin-Tin-Tin. Any interspersed "insights" are generally restricted to the "you can't realize how big this was and how it will never be duplicated" variety. I KNOW there was only one Mary Pickford. What I want to know is what made her able to carve out such a phenomenal niche for herself and (unlike so many contemporaries) gave her such acumen at the business side of an infant industry.
Rating: 
Summary: Among The Great Books On Silent Film
Review: I love silent films,and Jeanine Basinger has given us a work that ranks at the very top for me---right alongside Kevin Brownlow's "The Parade's Gone By",Bill Everson's "American Silent Film",and Walter Kerr's "The Silent Clowns".Honestly, I carried Jeanine's book around with me for days until I'd read it from cover to cover---my only regret was she didn't give us another thousand pages on another hundred stars---that's how good it is.Unlike so many latter day academics and historians,this writer actually enjoys the films and personalities she writes about,and her enthusiasm is infectuous---and no,this isn't just fan worship on her part---Basinger has clearly spent a lifetime pursuing the study of silent film,and her insights reveal a maturity and appreciation for this vanished era that could only come from someone who has truly devoted herself to the subject at hand.There aren't many film scholars operating at this level---believe me, I've endured the agonies of overpriced,University press offerings for too many years---"Silent Stars" is one in a thousand.If you care anything about this era and the people who enriched it,order this book today.It'll be the best money you've spent this year.
Rating:
Summary: A Thorougly Enjoyable Book
Review: I wanted to learn more about the silents, and started with "The Parade's Gone By". It was good, but a bit too technical. What I really wanted was to know about the great personalities of the silent screen, and this book fills the bill. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would have liked even more profiles. Each chapter deals with a silent star, some quite well known, some not so. There is also an excellent overview of silent films in general. The author writes in an enjoyable, easy-going manner, but there is plenty of information, and great photos. There are wonderful takes on Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino, Pola Negri, Gloria Swanson, The Talmadge Sisters, Lon Chaney, John Gilbert, and so many more, even Rin Tin Tin! Really a great read, with some unforgettable tid-bits. (You'll never believe what Pola Negri said she would always remember Valentino for, or where Rin Tin Tin drew his last breath). Wonderful book.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful Photographs but Dreadful Read
Review: I'm a huge fan of the silent cinema and it is the primary focus of my film studies, which is why I would recommend this book only if you have the money to spend on its beautiful pictures. Otherwise I'd save my money. There's been enough written so far that we don't need another book full of the fan's perspective. Basinger has allowed her own personal attachment to these films to cloud her writing which just drips with sentiment that is out of place. Brownlow has just as much love, if not more, yet his work is far more personal and enjoyable. Her goal in writing the book, she claims, was also to talk about those stars who have been forgotten or are misperceived by today's public but she only talks about the latter. Of my associates everyone that I spoke with had known all of the stars discussed with the exception of Colleen Moore(!!!). For crying out loud she includes Mary Pickford, the Talmadge sisters, Rudolph Valentino, and Douglas Fairbanks. Sure they might have stereotyped images connected with them, but that's for a reason. Only a personal agenda motivates her to write about them and explain how she finds substance to Valentino's acting, or how Fairbanks was just as funny in his comedies as he was exciting in his swashbuckling. This book would have been far more enjoyable if it had dealt with stars that truly were forgotten of which there are far too many.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Photographs but Dreadful Read
Review: I'm a huge fan of the silent cinema and it is the primary focus of my film studies, which is why I would recommend this book only if you have the money to spend on its beautiful pictures. Otherwise I'd save my money. There's been enough written so far that we don't need another book full of the fan's perspective. Basinger has allowed her own personal attachment to these films to cloud her writing which just drips with sentiment that is out of place. Brownlow has just as much love, if not more, yet his work is far more personal and enjoyable. Her goal in writing the book, she claims, was also to talk about those stars who have been forgotten or are misperceived by today's public but she only talks about the latter. Of my associates everyone that I spoke with had known all of the stars discussed with the exception of Colleen Moore(!!!). For crying out loud she includes Mary Pickford, the Talmadge sisters, Rudolph Valentino, and Douglas Fairbanks. Sure they might have stereotyped images connected with them, but that's for a reason. Only a personal agenda motivates her to write about them and explain how she finds substance to Valentino's acting, or how Fairbanks was just as funny in his comedies as he was exciting in his swashbuckling. This book would have been far more enjoyable if it had dealt with stars that truly were forgotten of which there are far too many.
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: 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: "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: 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.
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