"This wondrous encyclopedia is an invaluable boon to all movie and opera buffs. I shall be referring to it frequently to slake my curiosity and to settle bets."--Tom Lehrer
This bountiful book is a comprehensive guide to the thousands of films, DVDs, and videocassettes featuring operas and opera singers from 1896 to the present. From ABC Television to Franco Zeffirelli, the encyclopedia is a storehouse of fascinating information for film and opera aficionados and casual browsers alike. Find answers to such questions as:
* What were the first operas filmed?
* Why did they make silent films of operas?
* Why was a pseudo-opera written for "Citizen Kane?
* What was the title of Maria Callas's only film?
Organized alphabetically with more than 1,900 fully cross-referenced entries, the book casts a wide net that covers not only expected topics--operas, operettas, zarzuelas, composers, singers, conductors, writers, and film directors--but also the unexpected and offbeat--animated opera, first operas on film, puppet opera films, silent films about opera, and many other lesser-known topics. Encyclopedia of Opera on Screen illuminates the many intersections between opera and film as never before.

The silent-film era was known in part for its cliffhanger serials and air of suspense that kept audiences returning to theaters week after week. Icons such as Douglas Fairbanks, Laurel and Hardy, Lon Chaney and Harry Houdini were among those who graced the dark and shadowy screen. This encyclopedic guide to silent films with mystery and detective content lists over 1,500 titles in one of entertainment's most popular and enduring genres. While most of the examined films are from North America, mystery films from around the world are included.

Musical accompaniment to films was an important feature of the early moviegoing experience. The quality of a musical score could easily make or break films in the silent era, and the songs themselves sometimes became more popular than the films. Conversely, the silent cinema became a major subject in popular music, inspiring a flood of songs about the films, the stars and the experience of going to the movies. Today, few of these songs are remembered.This study begins the documentation of the lost history of songs of the silent cinema. Part one, ""Movies and Moviegoing,"" chronologically lists and describes songs about movies and moviegoing created between 1896 and 1929. Part two, ""Stars and Their Films,"" provides an alphabetical list of movie stars, including a brief biography of each and a description of the songs created about them and for their films. Part three, ""Recordings,"" reviews the recordings of these songs and specifies their availability on 78, LP, CD, DVD and the Internet today.