THE TITANIC AND SILENT CINEMA
by Stephen Bottomore
****
Published by The Projection Box
ISBN: 1 903000 00 9
Binding: Softback
Pages: 191
Price: £16.95/$25US
A very interesting study into the various forms of films that were released immediately following the
Titanic disaster.
A great deal of research has quite obviously gone into the book, which encompasses
cinema all over the world. The author looks first at the newsreels that were released
immediately after the disaster, and the many bogus advertisements to lure people into
the picture houses. He then goes on to chronicle the films that were made, such as 'Saved from the Titanic',
which starred Dorothy Gibson who was indeed saved from the ship.
Interesting as it is there is not enough material for a book purely about the films and newsreels,
and so the author also goes on to discuss the various lantern slides that were produced, as well as a large chapter on famous people in the film
industry that were lost in the sinking. Added to this there is also an appendix on the sinking
of the Lusitania, some three years later.
The book is a limited edition of 500 copies, when I obtained my copy I was told that about 100
were still available, and some of these would be sold off via e-bay, so it is worth checking there.
If not, contact: The Projection Box, Hastings, United Kingdom. e-Mail
The Projection Box
All things considered the book is a welcome addition that goes off the well trodden tracks of other
publications to cover new ground. Well worth the asking price in my opinion
