"The Speed of Sound is the epic story of the transition from silent films to talkies, a turbulent time in Hollywood history. Myth has it that it happened overnight, that Al Jolson said a few words in The Jazz Singer and the talkies were born, that stars with weak or inappropriate voices either killed themselves or went into seclusion, that the movie industry simply refitted itself and went on with business. The truth, however, is more involved--not to mention sinister, colorful, and entertaining. Certainly sound marked the ...
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"The Speed of Sound is the epic story of the transition from silent films to talkies, a turbulent time in Hollywood history. Myth has it that it happened overnight, that Al Jolson said a few words in The Jazz Singer and the talkies were born, that stars with weak or inappropriate voices either killed themselves or went into seclusion, that the movie industry simply refitted itself and went on with business. The truth, however, is more involved--not to mention sinister, colorful, and entertaining. Certainly sound marked the end of moviemaking as its first creators had known it; their careers and those of many others who had been celebrated during Hollywood's silent era were over. But as Scott Eyman demonstrates in his fascinating account, it was also a time when the American film industry came fully into its own, and when the American film-going public truly succeumbed to Hollywood's bewitching spell"--Page 4 of cover.
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An enjoyable read recounting the history of 'movies' going from the silent era to the talkies. Talkies apparently got their development in laboratories after they failed in theaters early on. Both art forms grew together as it were. News reels were early talkies and appeared in theaters along with silent movies and vaudeville acts. Vaudeville acts also were filmed as talkies and could perhaps be considered the first music videos. During the time period anti-trust laws were sporadically enforced and Western Electric was able to strong-arm Warner Brothers into a contract more beneficial to Western Electric. But Warner Brothers were also trying to make a monopoly.
There were different sound systems under development by the different movie groups. A committee was formed to choose the best one but did not.
With silents it was easier to suspend reality. An anecdote has the leading character sleeping through a hurricane in a silent movie, something that would be harder to believe with sound. Silents were more abstract and impressionistic while talkies were 'reality.'
The culture of film making changed. The director was king during the silents. He could hands on direct the actors giving them verbal directions even as the cameras were rolling. As sound came onto the sets the soundman became the boss but after a few years the producer was the one to lead the production.
For the most part the book is well written, though on a couple occasions I had to thumb back to figure out who/what the author was writing about. Eyman's work is an interesting history of an important facet of cinema's evolution.
