Influential during Hollywoodrsquo;s silent-film era; the Patheacute; Exchange was a multinational film company with a production and distribution model very different from the self-contained units of most major studios. When the Cock Crows: A History of the Patheacute; Exchange; by Richard Lewis Ward; tells the unconventional story of this unique company; examining its triumphs and failures on the margins of the Hollywood system and its legacy in the movie business. Ward traces the companyrsquo;s turbulent evolution from its roots as an American distributor for Patheacute; Fregrave;res; its French parent studio; through its many subsequent changes in ownership; to its final years under the controversial leadership of Joseph P. Kennedy and the eventual merger of the companyrsquo;s production department with RKO. Included are the stories of the unlikely survival of Patheacute;rsquo;s nonproduction assets; such as Patheacute; Industries; Inc.; Patheacute;-America Distributing Co.; Inc.; and Patheacute; Communications Corporation; which continued to operate as part of the industry long after the Exchange had ceased to exist. Ward also provides a fascinating glimpse into the silent movie era and the business and creative decisions that led the Exchange to fail. Film historians have largely ignored the Patheacute; Exchange; despite its having produced some of the most famous early serials (including the series that began with The Perils of Pauline) and distributed the first films of comedy legends Harold Lloyd; Harry Langdon; Laurel and Hardy; and Our Gang. When the Cock Crows reveals the promise and peril of early Hollywood and establishes the companyrsquo;s vital place in film history; creating a more vivid picture of this era.
2016-05-23 2016-05-23File Name: B01GOS0H8Q
Review
