The Silent Film Era

I agree. More we discuss this thread, I become more interested in silent films. I realize I know so little about silent films until this thread.

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Timetravelfan
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I think I would like to remake My Dinner With Andre as a silent film.

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Under-the-radar Movie Awesomeness.
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Ha Ha Ha!!

It would basically be like watching two guys eating for 111 minutes, with a lot of long still shots of Wallace Shawn's face when he should be giving voice-over narration. And nobody should be subjected to Wallace Shawn's face for extended periods of time without reason.

That's hilarious. + rep for sure

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"I want a film I watch to express either the joy of making cinema or the anguish of making cinema" -Francois Truffaut

The Passion of Joan of Arc mostly takes place in a court room and has a lot of card titles to read.

There may be a lot of swearing in that Lon Chaney film where he plays the Marine sergeant, and what does the bad guy really say to The Virginian in the silent version of the film to illicit the card title response, "Smile when you say that"? But who watches a silent film to read lips??? No offense, but I've never before known anyone who claimed to read lips in silent movies. Sounds like a college drinking game!

However, my original point is not whether or not actors ever cussed on screen in silent films but rather that the vast majority of movie-goers didn't know what they were saying and, more importantly, didn't need to know what they were saying to enjoy the film. That's one reason why Chaplin's films were hits all over the world. Just edit in a few card titles in the local language and he was good to go.

For that matter, there may be all sorts of nasty language in the Japanese print of Seven Samurai or the original German version of Das Boot or the French Wages of Fear. But if there is, it blows past me since I'm not fluent in any of those languages. As a result, whether or not the obscenity makes the film more "realistic" in its native tongue, not understanding what is said doesn't distract from my enjoyment of the film.

As for silent movies, the big draw was always the acting one could see on the screen, not the dialogue one couldn't hear. For all I know, Lillian Gish may be cussing a blue streak while running across those ice flows or reciting the Lord's Prayer or composing a shopping list. Point being, what she's actually saying doesn't mean a damn thing one way or another--it's what she portrays through her acting that carries the story along!

I just gotta ask--how closely do you have to focus on their lips and how many times do you have to rerun segments of the film to catalog all of those words? And do you do it with all silents?

I watched it several times but only because will posted it and semed interested in what they might be saying. After What Price Glory was releasrd, Fox Studios was flooded with calls and letters complaining about the profanity. So this happened long before you or I were born. It's still there on the screen for people to observe or ignore as they see fit.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
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A great site. Download lots of silent films for free, in a number of formats:


http://www.archive.org/search.php?qu...wnloads&page=1


Plenty of Charlie Chaplins. Also lots of other films and other stuff. A good site.

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All secrets are safe with this man, because none are as deadly to him as his own. His secret is that he is Richard Kimble. (The Fugitive - Conspiracy of Silence)

Cool. I can catch up with silent films without renting DVD. Thanks!

I had posted the achive.org link on the previous page.. noone bothered to look at it. I guess.

In silents, I watch facial expressions and body language. Never even thought of trying to read lips.

Even not knowing what they were saying on screen, I think the originial silent film is better than the later Cagney version. Seemed to be more realistic on other fronts.

I noticed, genesis pig, sorry for not responding. Great link to a site that I will be using a lot in the future, thanks. Don't be sad.

:d

very cool movie

Okk. which one?

That one.

Just watched Nosferatu tonight. Not the best movie ever, but I can really see how it is regarded as a true silent classic. The vampire was pretty damn freaky looking though.

I'm a fan of the bloodthirsty SPIDER pulps of the 30's and early 40's. It appears that the Spider got his costume from Harold Lloyd's Dr Jack (1921).

I agree with this.

I've tried and tried to give silent film a chance, but with the exception of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (and, to a lesser degree, Nosferatu, The Kid and The General), I've been pretty underwhelmed by what I've seen of it.

Sunrise and City Lights were pretty to look at, but didn't offer much beyond that, at least not for me. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was amusing for all the wrong reasons, Uncle Tom's Cabin was horrid, and (sorry HK) I couldn't finish The Phantom of the Opera.

There's still a few I need to watch (Intolerance has been sitting in my que for ages but I haven't yet gotten up the nerve to give it a shot) but I don't have high hopes that I'll find many I really like.