Vampires on the Silent Screen
Cinema's First Age of Vampires 1897-1922
Published on 16. September 2023
Book
Hardback
XXVII, 215 pages
978-3-031-38642-8 (ISBN)
Description
This book is the first study of the vampires in silent cinema, presenting a detailed academic yet accessible discussion of the films themselves and their sources. For the very first time, The Fire Elemental from the Wharton brothers'
The Mysteries of Myra
(1916) is identified as cinema's original vampire, his appearance initiating a rich and variegated period of film production that is currently missing from studies of horror cinema. Exciting and ground-breaking,
Vampires on the Silent Screen
also discusses
Drakula Hal
á
la / Dracula's death
(1920), the first ever filmic female vampire in Erich Kober's
Lilith and Ly
(1919), and the Dracula lookalike, Count Merlin in Alexander Korda's
Magic
(1917) as well as many other productions. A socio-cultural framework with critical highlighting of eco-horror theory is used throughout to draw these unique discoveries together. This project is a must read for any horror enthusiasts out there.
Reviews / Votes
"Both are well written and open up what I recognise as a frustrating subject in a way that casts a light on the films and enables the student to expand their knowledge. The difference in definitions, the distinctive lenses the two use, means the books enhance each other rather than detract from them, enabling critical examination. Both authors bring new things to the table, and both should be commended." (Andrew M. Boylan, Journal of Vampire Studies, Vol. 4, 2024)
More details
Series
Edition
2023 ed.
Language
English
Place of publication
Cham
Switzerland
Publishing group
Springer International Publishing
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
12 s/w Abbildungen, 8 farbige Abbildungen
XXVII, 215 p. 20 illus., 8 illus. in color.
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
433 gr
ISBN-13
978-3-031-38642-8 (9783031386428)
DOI
10.1007/978-3-031-38643-5
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
10/2024
Palgrave Macmillan
€149.79
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
09/2023
1st Edition
Palgrave Macmillan
€149.79
Available for download
Person
David Annwn Jones
is author of
Gothic Machine
(2011),
Sexuality and the Gothic Magic Lantern
(2014),
Gothic Effigy
(2018),
Re-Envisaging the First Age of Cinematic Horror
(2018) and 'Green Trends in Euro-Horror Films of the 1960s and 1970s' in
The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Gothic
(2020) 'The Art of Ghostly Projections' (2021) in
The Palgrave Handbook of Gothic Origins
and 'Cinematic Darkness', in
The Palgrave Handbook of Steam Age Gothic
(2021).
Content
1 From Time's Beginnings.- 2 The Cinematic Vampire 1896-1922: Vampire Bats and Vamps and Thieves.- 3 The Vampire as Spirit of Fire: Leopold and Theodore Wharton's
The Mysteries of Myra
(1916).- 4 Count Merlin and the Alchemy of Blood Lust: Alexander Korda's
Mágia
/
Magic
(1917).- 5 The Blood-Demon and the Scientist: Erich Kober's
Lilith
und Ly
/
Lilith and Ly
(1919).- 6 Dreaming in the Madhouse Károly Lajthay's
Drakula
halála
/
Dracula's Death
(1921).- 7 Counterfeits and
Genuine
.- 8 F. W. Murnau's
Nosferatu
.