Selected as a new and noteworthy book for September 2016, read Leonard Maltin’s review of Scott Higgins’ ‘Matinee Melodrama: Playing with Formula in the Sound Serial’ in full on LeonardMaltin.com.
As someone who screens Zorro’s Fighting Legion for his students every year, I derived particular enjoyment from Higgins’ canny analysis of the ingredients that make up every chapter, and how the storytellers cleverly stretch and compress time. I hope this valuable book inspires other film teachers to explore the wonders of the sound serial.