D. W. Griffith Books

Review of Oglesby book

Oglesby's "Dinner With D. W. Griffith And Other Memories" surely is both a literary and social history masterpiece. This is anything but the typical "coming of age" memoir -- largely because of the quality of its writing - although surely it presents many of the usual child-to-adolescent transitions. "Dinner" for me brought back a host of time-and-place memories, sweet in their intimately recalled details and the richness of the prose, without being sickly overwritten.
As to the social history, Oglesby's memoir sketches the life of an American boy growing up in, and affected by, the Great Depression and World War II without his awareness of their lasting changes. The place was Louisville, "Gateway to the South," where first-hand memories of the Civil War still remained in the 1930s and 40s. Not the least of these is the author's recollection of a famous cousin at a family reunion, captured in the book title.
There are views of social and cultural institutions long gone from the American scene: genteel fortune tellers, orphanages, amusement parks reached by electric streetcars, the Ohio River flood of 1937 - probably the nation's most serious until the 2005 inundation of New Orleans - of a child's perceptions of civilian life downsides in a war, and, finally some of the peculiar social rituals of high school students in that time and place.
If there is a flaw with "Dinner," it is simply that there is not enough of it. At 120 pages, it could well be twice as long and therefore twice as enjoyable a read.

Everyone will have a favorite from this collection of sixteen stories covering people and events in the childhood and teenage years of author Joseph Woodson Oglesby. Mine is "The Two Faces of Love". But it's difficult to choose. The stories tracing his complex relationship with his father--"Tiger in the Alley", "The Great Flood", "Buttons", and Black Market Spy"--are all quite moving. Perry, his ally and best friend at school who lives in an orphanage, makes a poignant appearance in "The Tin Boy". Each of these stories contains a moment of strong emotion--a "growing up moment"--that shaped the author's life.
We see a cousin, early Hollywood director D. W. Griffith, make a dramatic appearance at a Sunday dinner, which ends in an uproar. Another cousin is a suspect in one of the most sensational murder cases in the state. In "The Death Sentence", the young Oglesby is forced to carry a weight almost to heavy to bear.
The writer grew up in Louisville and nearby towns. He writes in a clear and honest yet lyrical style that is easy to follow. Photos or other graphics accompany each story, making the characters he reveals and the events he chronicles even more real.
No one else can lay claim to these memories, but this collection may stir a lot of readers to recall people and events in their own lives, no matter where or when they were born or who their relatives and friends were, that helped shape their lives.
I highly recommend DINNER WITH D.W. GRIFFITH AND OTHER MEMORIES. It's a beautiful book.

The Brakhage Lectures are a collection of avant-garde filmmaker Stan Brakhage's reflections on the techniques and contributions to cinematic evolution of four major directors-- Georges Melies, D W Griffith, Carl Dreyer and Sergei Eisenstein. It was first published in May 1972 at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where Brahkage taught and delivered these lectures (or rudimentary forms of what turned into these writings) during the fall and winter semesters of 1970-71. The book is 106 pages in length, 23 of which are taken up by reproductions of photographs and film stills. It includes a breif foreword written by the poet Robert Creeley.

Brakhage has produced a lot of writing, but most of it reflects upon own aesthetic process. Occasionally he turns his thought toward the work of his compatriots in the avant-garde-- as he does in FILM AT WIT'S END.

As a document of Brahkage's thoughts about the more tradition cinema, with which he had little to do, BRAKHAGE LECTURES is a fascinating artifact. Brakhage's Romantic construction of the genius of these filmmakers and his insistence upon finding meaning in the most minute details of their lives provides a more telling portrait of the author than of his four subjects. The various essays are also riddled with insightful obsvervations which demonstrate both Brakhage's knowledge of film history and the discourses which penetrate it. As a text on film theory, it is less relevant-- there are many better published works on all of these directors.

The bad news first: this is NOT in widescreen.

Aside from that, (and the fact it's not available on DVD), this is an AWESOME movie for Dragnet fans. That is, for fans of the ORIGINAL Dragnet (1951). Joe Friday is a little bit rougher than the clean-cut model of decency who crossed the TV screen in the late 1960s. Here we have a tough, hard-hitting crime fighter who is not afraid to push some serious boundaries to get the job done (and it's stuff you could NEVER get away with today). But - no spoiling! - you've got to see it to believe it.

A bonus for those who grew up seeing the broadcast TV version is that this is a COMPLETE version (there were several scenes cut from the broadcast version - some of which are critical to the plot). But once again - no spoiling - you'll have to see it yourself.

A definite must-have for the hard core Dragnet fan!

The bad news first: this is NOT in widescreen.

Aside from that, (and the fact it's not available on DVD), this is an AWESOME movie for Dragnet fans. That is, for fans of the ORIGINAL Dragnet (1951). Joe Friday is a little bit rougher than the clean-cut model of decency who crossed the TV screen in the late 1960s. Here we have a tough, hard-hitting crime fighter who is not afraid to push some serious boundaries to get the job done (and it's stuff you could NEVER get away with today). But - no spoiling! - you've got to see it to believe it.

A bonus for those who grew up seeing the broadcast TV version is that this is a COMPLETE version (there were several scenes cut from the broadcast version - some of which are critical to the plot). But once again - no spoiling - you'll have to see it yourself.

A definite must-have for the hard core Dragnet fan!

"The Griffith Project" is an ongoing series that aims to provide "a systematic analysis of all the films in which [D.W.] Griffith was involved, from his debut as performer in PROFESSIONAL JEALOUSY (1907) to THE STRUGGLE (1931), his last feature."

Detailed information is presented for each film: credits, plot synopsis, excerpts from contemporary sources, and expert commentary. While clearly aimed at a scholarly audience, the language is completely accessible and laypeople should not find the material intimidating. Indeed, anyone with an abiding interest in Griffith will be captivated by this series. Just about the only deficiency is the lack of screenshots, though I understand that an entire volume may be devoted to these at the close of the series.

Contributing to Volume 5 are Paolo Cherchi Usai, Richard Abel, Eileen Bowser, Ben Brewster, Tom Gunning, Steven Higgins, Lea Jacobs, J.B. Kaufman, Charlie Keil, David Mayer, Russell Merritt, Scott Simmon and Kristin Thompson.

Films covered in Volume 5 are Fisher Folks, His Daughter, Heart of a Savage, Conscience, Was He a Coward?, Teaching Dad to Like Her, Lonedale Operator, Spanish Gypsy, Broken Cross, Chief's Daughter, Knight of the Road, Madame Rex, His Mother's Scarf, How She Triumphed, Two Sides, In the Days of '49, Enoch Arden (parts 1 & 2), New Dress, White Rose of the Wilds, Romany Tragedy, Crooked Road, Smile of a Child, Primal Call, Jealous Husband, Indian Brothers, Her Sacrifice, Thief and the Girl, Blind Princess and the Poet, Fighting Blood, Last Drop of Water, Bobby the Coward, Country Cupid, Out from the Shadow, Sorrowful Example, Ruling Passion, Rose of Kentucky, Stuff Heroes Are Made Of, Swords and Hearts, Dan the Dandy, Squaw's Love, Revenue Man and the Girl, Eternal Mother, Italian Blood, Old Confectioner's Mistake, Making of a Man, Her Awakening, Unveiling, Adventures of Billy, Long Road, Battle, Love in the Hills, Trail of Books, Through Darkened Vales, Woman Scorned, Miser's Heart, Failure, Sunshine Through the Dark, As in a Looking Glass, Saved from Himself, Terrible Discovery, Tale of the Wilderness, Baby and the Stork, Voice of the Child, For His Son, Old Bookkeeper, Sister's Love, Billy's Stratagem, Blot in the 'Scutcheon, Transformation of Mike, Root of Evil, Sunbeam, String of Pearls.

While this book was really written for college reference libraries, the serious silent film buff will certainly find it fascinating. This book covers all of the short films that D.W. Griffith directed between January 1909 and June 1909. At this point in his career, he was producing at least two films a week! Of course some of them were made just to get a reel out the door, and others were small works of art that he really put his heart into. As a general rule, these films are not as interesting as the Biograph films he made in 1912 and 1913, but there are still a few gems from this period, like THE LONELY VILLA and THE COUNTRY DOCTOR.

Each film entry includes credit information, a description from the "Biograph Bulletin", a story outline, and a critical commentary written by a film historian. The commentaries point out how Griffith was growing as a film-maker, as well as his struggles to learn the "language" of film editing. The books in this series are required reading for anyone who really wants to know about Griffith's early career.

An intricately informative piece of work, giving the reader all that is required in the subject. I wish more people would write with the same information quantity and quality.

I have used previous editions in my practice with great success. I was hoping to get the latest edition with this book. However, to my surprise, the alternative title of this book is "Instrucciones para los Pacientes." Although I received this Spanish Language edition by mistake, I will keep it and put it to good use in my practice.

This is the most amazing treatise on financial risk management I have ever read!!!

Dave Blackwell is an absolute f-ing genius!!!!

I believe this book captures the mindset of D.W. Griffith. It allows the reader to look into the mind of D.W. Griffith. A must read.