The Speed of Sound cover art

The Speed of Sound

Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution 1926 - 1930

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The Speed of Sound

By: Scott Eyman
Narrated by: Adams Morgan
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About this listen

 It was the end of an era. It was a turbulent, colorful, and altogether remarkable period, four short years in which America's most popular industry reinvented itself.

Here is the epic story of the transition from silent films to talkies, that moment when movies were totally transformed and the American public cemented its love affair with Hollywood. As Scott Eyman demonstrates in his fascinating account of this exciting era, it was a time when fortunes, careers, and lives were made and lost, when the American film industry came fully into its own.

In this mixture of cultural and social history that is both scholarly and vastly entertaining, Eyman dispels the myths and gives us the missing chapter in the history of Hollywood, the ribbon of dreams by which America conquered the world.

©1997 Scott Eyman (P)1997 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV History & Criticism Entertainment Funny Inspiring

Critic reviews

"Eyman captures the tenor and the terror of the times....A fascinating account of what Eyman terms 'the destruction of one great art and the creation of another.'" ( Booklist)
"Eyman combines a historian's zeal for detail and context with a storyteller's talent for the perfect illustrative anecdote....A remarkable book that belongs in every film history collection." ( Library Journal)
"Eyman is particularly good at conveying the beauty of the fully developed art that was silent cinema....Eyman tells this story with wit and skill, detailing a surprisingly overlooked but crucial period in Hollywood history." - Kirkus Reviews
All stars
Most relevant
A forensic account of the creative, technological and financial upheaval caused by the introduction of sound to movies. Intelligent and informative. Fascinating tales of the people behind and in front of the camera who went on a wild ride in the early years of cinema.

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What would have made The Speed of Sound better?

A slower speaker. this is a very interesting story but the narrative is so fast it is impossible to take the detail in.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Far too fast. May be OK for the American market but far too fast for the UK.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It's a great story but not for audible with that particular narrator.

Any additional comments?

Get an English narrator or an American that speaks more slowly. Remember that on audible we only have the voice to narrate the story!

Narration Ruins The Story

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