Book Description
Musser takes us into the long-forgotten world of early cinema--unexpectedly sophisticated and yet radically different from current movie-making. Focusing on Edwin S. Porter, most often remembered as the producer of The Great Train Robbery, Musser situates Porter's achievements within the vibrant context of turn-of-the-century popular culture and the commercial pragmatics of the Edison Manufacturing Company--the leading American film-producing entity from 1894 to 1908.
From the Inside Flap
"The most important book on early American cinema yet to appear. At once a compelling biography and a fundamentally new view of a major cultural phenomenon, it offers fresh perspectives on the development of twentieth-century American society."--Robert Sklar, author of Movie-Made America
From the Back Cover
The most important book on early American cinema yet to appear. At once a compelling biography and a fundamentally new view of a major cultural phenomenon, it offers fresh perspectives on the development of twentieth-century American society. (Robert Sklar, author of Movie-Made America)
