The movie industry exploded from non-existent art form to integral part of society in a handful of decades. In this special reissue of 1927's "Masters and Masterpieces," the history of movies up to that point is told through rarely seen images and iconic photos of Old Hollywood.
The book includes:
- Rarely seen promotional and behind-the-scene photos such as Gloria Swanson performing the "Apache Dance" in 1924's "The Humming Bird," Norma Shearer in 1926's "The Waning Sex," 1925's cast photo for "The Big Parade," Lillian Gish and cast in 1925's "Clothes Make the Pirate," the dinosaur creations in 1925's "The Lost World," Charlie Chaplin and lion in 1928's "The Circus" and many more.
- Short biographical sketches of the earliest Hollywood stars, from those modern audiences might find familiar – such as Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Lon Chaney, Colleen Moore, Ramon Novarro, John Barrymore, Dolores Costello, Harold Lloyd, Tom Mix, Rudolph Valentino, Theda Bara, Buster Keaton, Gloria Swanson and many more
— to those not as well-known today – such as Alla Nazimova, "Baby Peggy," Tsuru Aoki, Mildred Davis, Anna Q. Nilsson, Wallace Beery, Bessie Love and many more.
- A new introduction for classic movie fans that gives context to the silent movie era and the time period when the book was first published.
By 1927, the silent movie era was closing and sound, color and other technical, business and creative innovations were about to fundamentally change the industry. This special reissue of "Masters and Masterpieces" is both a survey of what was in the past as well as a snapshot in time and provides "a striking panorama of this dominant influence in modern life."
