Book Review: Silent Stars

Silent Stars

By Jeanine Basinger

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0819564516/102-2478786-1746544?v=glance&n=283155

While Basinger says her goal was to bring forgotten and misunderstood stars of the silent era to the attention of modern audiences almost all of the stars covered in depth here should be well known to any movie buff. Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolf Valentino, and Lon Chaney aren't exactly obscure for instance. What she does do well is tell the real story of their lives (as far as can be known, some were notorious liars) and dispel many myths that have entered the public consciousness as facts over the decades.

The best thing about the book to me was that it is heavily illustrated with over 300 photos. The still photos from movies that no longer exist or that are locked away in an archive somewhere unavailable to the public really drive home how much is being lost as old film disintegrates. I put a bunch of films that are available staring the actors covered on my Netflix list