The Decline of Sentiment : American Film in the 1920s

The Decline of Sentiment seeks to characterize the radical shifts in taste that transformed American film in the jazz age. Based upon extensive reading of trade papers and the popular press of the day, Lea Jacobs documents the films and film genres that were considered old-fashioned, as well as those dubbed innovative and up-to-date, and looks closely at the works of filmmakers such as Erich von Stroheim, Charlie Chaplin, Ernst Lubitsch, and Monta Bell, among many others. Her analysis—focusing on the influence of literary naturalism on the cinema, the emergence of sophisticated comedy, and the progressive alteration of the male adventure story and the seduction plot—is a comprehensive account of the modernization of classical Hollywood film style and narrative form. "Seeks to characterize the radical shifts in taste that transformed American film in the jazz age. Based upon extensive reading of trade papers and the popular press of the day, Lea Jacobs documents the films and film genres that were considered old-fashioned, as well as those dubbed innovative and up-to-date, and looks closely at the works of filmmakers such as Erich von Stroheim, Charlie Chaplin, Ernst Lubitsch, and Monta Bell, among many others. Her analysis--focusing on the influence of literary naturalism on the cinema, the emergence of sophisticated comedy, and the progressive alteration of the male adventure story and the seduction plot--is a comprehensive account of the modernization of classical Hollywood film style and narrative form."--Provided by publisher Frontmatter Preface (page IX) 1. TOWARD A HISTORY OF TASTE (page 1) 2. HOLLYWOOD NATURALISM (page 25) 3. SOPHISTICATED COMEDY (page 79) 4. THE MALE ADVENTURE STORY (page 127) 5. THE SEDUCTION PLOT (page 180) 6. THE ROMANTIC DRAMA (page 217) AFTERWORD (page 274) Notes (page 277) Bibliography (page 315) Filmography (page 327) Index (page 343) Seeking To Characterise The Radical Shifts In Taste That Changed American Life In The Jazz Age, Jacob Documents The Fims And Film Genres That Were Considered Old-fashioned, As Well As Those Considered More Innovative, And Looks Closely At The Work Of Erich Von Stroheim, Charlie Chaplin, Ernst Lubitsch, Monta Bell, And Others.