Includes indexes.

First published in 2009 as Early and silent cinema : a teacher's guide

In this accessible introduction to early and silent cinema, which is currently enjoying a renaissance, both academically and in the popular imagination thanks to “The artist”, Keith Withall provides both a comprehensive chronology of the period until the birth of sound and also a series of detailed case studies on the key films from the period – some well-known (including Griffith’s “The birth of a nation”, Eisenstein’s “Strike” and Chaplin’s “The kid”), some perhaps less well familiar (including Murnau’s “The last laugh” and Oscar Micheaux’s “Within our gates”).