This absorbing study of early 20th Century American Culture interprets the anarchic absurdity of slapstick movies as a form of collective anxiety dream; their fantastical images and illogical gags expressing the unconscious wishes and fears of the modern age; in a way that foreshadows the concerns of our own celebrity-obsessed consumer culture.
#4207712 in eBooks 2016-01-26 2016-01-26File Name: B00CLO15EI
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A great starting point for the Broadway lovers libraryBy David S. McIntoshThe United States has four great contributions to the arts: jazz; the movies; rock and roll; and the Broadway musical. No other country could have created the musical comedy. Its musical vocabulary comes from the fusion of European song forms; African-American harmony and rhythm; and Jewish irony and wit. This book is comprehensive enough to be a reference work; but it lends itself just as well to dropping in for a quick visit every now and then. Remember; though; that books like this all suffer from their authors prejudices. Maybe not prejudices; but passions. There are some shows they have seen in person and then love (or hate) for the rest of their lives. The trick is in comparing those shows fairly to ones they have only read about. Honesty is the only answer is matters of passion.