The Electric Hotel, A Novel About the Beginning of Film

Hello 1000 Bookies

I recently finished Dominic Smith’s latest novel, The Electric Hotel.  The novel is about the beginning of motion pictures.  Told through the life of Claude Ballard, the book has a Sunset Boulevard feel to it.  Claude is old and living in a run-down Hollywood Hotel with other has beens.  Then one day a graduate student contacts him and wants to listen to the early days of motion pictures and possibly see any of his films.  These were the days before even silent movie stars, the book portrays the first days of film.  Like a wild west with no rules, norms.  Can you imagine the first time the city was filmed, or a kiss was filmed, or a dog running were filmed.  Pretty damn boring today but in 1896 this was new. The story touches on the inventors, the Lumiere Brothers to Thomas Edison.  Edison is portrayed as a robber baron similar to Rockefeller, Carnegie and Vanderbilt.  Because of Edison’s greed, Hollywood was born. 

The characters are the main positive interest of this story as well as the times in which the story is set.  Claude Ballard loves gadgets and leaves the hinterlands of France to come to Paris to work at an asylum.  He is invited to see the Lumiere Brothers demonstration because he works in a mental institution photographing patients and the Lumiere Brothers want his supervisor to purchase their camera to film patients.  The Lumiere Brothers do not really see the possibilities of moving pictures like Claude does.  They will provide Claude with a job if he can impress them with his filming.  Claude starts out taking risks and is ultimately successful. 

Eventually, in America, Claude meets Sabine Montrose and falls in love.  Sabine is an aging stage actress who is intrigued about this new medium. During the book Sabine kept reminding me of the late star, Gloria Swanson.  Claude films Sabine bathing and the movie is an instant success.  A team is formed by Claude, Sabine, Hal Bender, and Chip Spalding.  Hal is the promoter and Chip is the stuntman.   They are successful in making short movies.  Then Claude decides to take a risk and make a movie called the Electric Hotel.  The Electric Hotel is a haunting story and reminds me of Joseph Kennedy’s production of the movie—Queen Kelly which starred Gloria Swanson (his paramour).  The movie ruins the production company.  Like the problems of Queen Kelly which ended Joe Kennedy and Gloria Swanson’s relationship, the disaster of the Electric Hotel ends Claude and Sabines relationship.  Then the story shifts to Europe and the first World War and the images Claude films.  The real hero of this story is film itself.

This story will not change the world, it will not inspire you to take risks or change your point of view.  This novel simply reviews an era, shows characters who take risks, loses and then moves on.  There are no real happy (Hollywood) endings for the characters—everyone moves on to different things.  Ultimately the story is abrupt at times especially once Claude leaves for Europe and the war.  This is a good beach read.  You will feel for the characters and want them to be successful. This book is a great one to check out at your local library.  When Gloria Swanson filmed Sunset Boulevard many references to Queen Kelly incorporated ultimately leading to an appreciation to the film.  The same happens to The Electric Hotel. 

Keep Reading my Friends!!!!!!