What to generally think about silent film

silent film


A scene from The Birth of a Nation, one of the most famous silent films ever made.

When we talk about silent film in the broadest sense, we’re talking about any motion picture that doesn't have an integrated audio track. Back then, showing these movies was almost always accompanied by live music to set the mood, you know? This whole style of filmmaking really started bubbling up toward the end of the 19th century across Western Europe and right here in the United States.

It’s funny when you think about it, because the tech to record and play back sound actually existed even before those first movies were hitting screens at the tail end of the 1800s. But, honestly, until the 1920s, there just weren't any reliable ways to sync up the visuals with the audio on the actual film strip.

So, aside from a few experimental oddities, pretty much every movie shot during that time was silent by default. That whole stretch of history is known as the silent film era—and it finally came to a close in 1927 when they released The Jazz Singer, which was the first "talkie" to really make waves in commercial distribution.

Silent film - Wikipedia
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- Do you guys actually enjoy watching silent films?
- What to generally think about silent film—what's your take?
- Do you feel like silent films are just as good, or even better, than modern movies with sound?
- How often do you find yourself sitting down to watch a silent film?
- Roughly how many silent films have you checked out over the years?
- Which ones are your absolute favorites or the best you've ever seen?

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I am absolutely obsessed with silent films, and honestly, nothing beats the stuff starring Chaplin.

Seriously, those silent films by Charlie Chaplin are easily some of my absolute favorite movies I've ever laid eyes on.
Every once in a while, I’ll dive into something else, but more often than not, I find myself circling back to Chaplin's classics.

If I had to pick a top three, it would definitely be City Lights (1931), The Gold Rush (1925), and Modern Times (1936), though trying to decide which one is actually the *best* is a total nightmare, don't you think?

And I can't forget Greed (1924)—that one is just incredible, probably sitting comfortably in my top ten all-time favorites.

For a while now, I’ve been spending my solo time diving deep into silent films. I find myself lurking through various forums and torrent sites, just waiting for a new gem to pop up. cosmiclynx57—man, trying to pick a single "best" one is an impossible task. *Greed* definitely sits right at the top of my list, but there are just so many out there it’s honestly overwhelming. I mean, I know they produced a massive amount back then, but it’s truly wonderful how much of this history is still available to download today. Honestly, I haven't even counted how many I have saved—maybe 400, maybe 500, who knows? It’s just such a beautiful era of cinematic innocence and pure originality.
Writing this makes me realize again how impossible it is to choose a favorite. But, alright—fine, I'll share what I watched most recently. That was actually my second time seeing it. I really have a soft spot for those German productions from the silent era. They’re incredible. The Russians are powerful too—maybe even a bit too intense—and Americans certainly produced a huge amount of great stuff. Then you have the Scandinavians and the Frenchmen, who are quite gentle and subtle, of course. I’m not feeling particularly inspired to sit down and write a full list, but hey, it's a great topic to discuss. 👍

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427592/

I’ve finally sat down and worked my way through some of the absolute heavyweights—you know, those essential classics everyone keeps talking about.
I honestly don't have the time—or even the desire—to deal with anyone else.

cosmiclynx57 said:

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

This is my second silent film—the first one being Nosferatu, obviously 😁. It’s a total classic of German Expressionism by F.W. Murnau. So, basically, Dr. Caligari rolls into town with a traveling circus and shows off his somnambulist, Caesar, who apparently has these crazy abilities to predict the future...

It’s such an interesting flick; I really dug that whole eerie, Gothic atmosphere they built up. And man, that twist? Top tier. (By the way, this is actually considered the first movie in history to ever feature a plot twist)

I haven't seen it yet. You're saying it's the first movie with a twist? Now I'm curious, that sounds like something worth checking out, so I'm definitely adding it to my watchlist.

There’s actually a silent film out there literally titled "Silent Film" 😁

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075222/

It's this brilliant parody by the legendary Mel Brooks, featuring an absolute powerhouse cast playing small roles—I'm talking James Caan, Paul Newman, Anne Bancroft, Marcel Marceau, Burt Reynolds... basically the same icons playing themselves. It follows the absolute chaos a director goes through while trying to shoot his very first silent film over the course of forty years.
Even though it came out in 1976, they shot the whole thing as a silent movie—you know, those little title cards popping up on black backgrounds between scenes—to really nail that vibe from the 20s and 30s comedy classics.

I remember I was absolutely dying laughing when I saw it for the first (and honestly, only) time about ten years ago. 🙂

Anyway, if you're someone who geeks out over both literature and movies, you've gotta check out Paul Auster's "The Book of Illusions." The plot centers around this fictional silent film star, Hector Mann. The whole book just feels soaked in this deep love for the silent film era and cinema in general.

I am currently preparing myself to sit down and watch The Player - A Picture of the Times (Dr. Mabuse). I recently viewed Metropolis, which was truly a staggering piece of cinema. I cannot quite recall what else I have watched lately—perhaps Camille from 1921, though I suspect I didn't actually see it through to the end 🙄.
On various international forums, the most fervent recommendations tend to be Sunrise and City Girl by F.W. Murnau.

I’ve probably sat through maybe twenty or thirty of them. Naturally, I started with Chaplin, and his work in Modern Times remains my absolute favorite. I also watched two from Hitchcock—The Pleasure Garden and The Ring—which were decent enough, though certainly far from being masterpieces.

Of all the films I can recall, Metropolis remains the one that stays most vividly etched in my mind.

I recently sat down to watch a couple of Harold Lloyd films, specifically Girl Shy and Why Worry, and I found that the latter was significantly more engaging and possessed a much sharper sense of humor.

To be honest, there are certain moments when I find myself genuinely enjoying a good silent film.
There is still an immense amount of classic cinema left on my watchlist that I haven't managed to sit down and experience yet, so there is quite a significant journey ahead of me.

I firmly believe that a silent film can be just as high-quality and impactful as any modern production, and quite frankly, it can often surpass them. There are moments when they possess a profound poetic quality that feels truly inspiring and deep. Other times, however, a film might be so wonderfully absurd that you find yourself falling in love with it—much like my own relationship with "Why Worry," which I absolutely adore because the characters are simply too charming to resist, even if most people couldn't stand it.

cosmiclynx57 said:silent film


A scene from The Birth of a Nation, one of the most famous silent films ever made.

When we talk about silent film in the broadest sense, we’re talking about any motion picture that doesn't have an integrated audio track. Back then, showing these movies was almost always accompanied by live music to set the mood, you know? This whole style of filmmaking really started bubbling up toward the end of the 19th century across Western Europe and right here in the United States.

It’s funny when you think about it, because the tech to record and play back sound actually existed even before those first movies were hitting screens at the tail end of the 1800s. But, honestly, until the 1920s, there just weren't any reliable ways to sync up the visuals with the audio on the actual film strip.

So, aside from a few experimental oddities, pretty much every movie shot during that time was silent by default. That whole stretch of history is known as the silent film era—and it finally came to a close in 1927 when they released The Jazz Singer, which was the first "talkie" to really make waves in commercial distribution.

Silent film - Wikipedia
.

- Do you guys actually enjoy watching silent films?
- What to generally think about silent film—what's your take?
- Do you feel like silent films are just as good, or even better, than modern movies with sound?
- How often do you find yourself sitting down to watch a silent film?
- Roughly how many silent films have you checked out over the years?
- Which ones are your absolute favorites or the best you've ever seen?

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- No.
- From a technical standpoint today? It's ancient history. From an artistic one? Well, I guess it was something back when it all started...
- NO!!
- Not really at all.
- Maybe ten or so...
- Charlie Chaplin (the master, honestly, nothing else to say), Stanlio and Olio.

cosmiclynx57 said:silent film


A scene from The Birth of a Nation, one of the most famous silent films ever made.

When we talk about silent film in the broadest sense, we’re talking about any motion picture that doesn't have an integrated audio track. Back then, showing these movies was almost always accompanied by live music to set the mood, you know? This whole style of filmmaking really started bubbling up toward the end of the 19th century across Western Europe and right here in the United States.

It’s funny when you think about it, because the tech to record and play back sound actually existed even before those first movies were hitting screens at the tail end of the 1800s. But, honestly, until the 1920s, there just weren't any reliable ways to sync up the visuals with the audio on the actual film strip.

So, aside from a few experimental oddities, pretty much every movie shot during that time was silent by default. That whole stretch of history is known as the silent film era—and it finally came to a close in 1927 when they released The Jazz Singer, which was the first "talkie" to really make waves in commercial distribution.

Silent film - Wikipedia
.

- Do you guys actually enjoy watching silent films?
- What to generally think about silent film—what's your take?
- Do you feel like silent films are just as good, or even better, than modern movies with sound?
- How often do you find yourself sitting down to watch a silent film?
- Roughly how many silent films have you checked out over the years?
- Which ones are your absolute favorites or the best you've ever seen?

.

I’ll just focus on this specific question; I think it’s a vital point whenever we discuss the era of silent cinema. It’s great that cosmiclynx57 brought it up.

To start with, my take is that, obviously, silent films can be just as high-quality as any talkie. There isn't some inherent reason why a movie should be considered inferior simply because it lacks a soundtrack. That said, it’s hard to watch them in the exact same way we approach modern films. It isn't so much a "handicap" caused by the lack of audio, but rather the fact that they come from an entirely different era. They demand that we adapt to the values and expectations of a bygone audience. Back then, cinema was still a young medium; many of the tools we enjoy today are the result of decades of technical and artistic experimentation.

Honestly, it seems a bit absurd to suggest that something like Griffith's Intolerance is a lesser film just because there's no dialogue, especially when it remains one of the most influential pieces in cinematic history.

I’ve only seen a handful of the heavy hitters from that period—bits of work by Lang, Griffith, Eisenstein, Vertov, Murnau, and Chaplin—so I’m certainly no expert on pre-1927 cinema. Still, I’ll admit that the silence can occasionally be a bit demotivating during a viewing. If I had to find a fault with them, that’s really the only thing I could ever hold against them (though, in reality, it’s more of a struggle for the viewer than a flaw in the art itself).🙂

cosmiclynx57 said:silent film


A scene from The Birth of a Nation, one of the most famous silent films ever made.

When we talk about silent film in the broadest sense, we’re talking about any motion picture that doesn't have an integrated audio track. Back then, showing these movies was almost always accompanied by live music to set the mood, you know? This whole style of filmmaking really started bubbling up toward the end of the 19th century across Western Europe and right here in the United States.

It’s funny when you think about it, because the tech to record and play back sound actually existed even before those first movies were hitting screens at the tail end of the 1800s. But, honestly, until the 1920s, there just weren't any reliable ways to sync up the visuals with the audio on the actual film strip.

So, aside from a few experimental oddities, pretty much every movie shot during that time was silent by default. That whole stretch of history is known as the silent film era—and it finally came to a close in 1927 when they released The Jazz Singer, which was the first "talkie" to really make waves in commercial distribution.

Silent film - Wikipedia
.

- Do you guys actually enjoy watching silent films?
- What to generally think about silent film—what's your take?
- Do you feel like silent films are just as good, or even better, than modern movies with sound?
- How often do you find yourself sitting down to watch a silent film?
- Roughly how many silent films have you checked out over the years?
- Which ones are your absolute favorites or the best you've ever seen?

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I love them! 🙂

- What do you generally think about silent film?

They are an invaluable treasure in film history. Anyone from that era who actually managed to reach an audience—and they still do today—was a massive talent. These were people who put their heart and soul into their craft. 🙏

- Are silent films as good or high-quality as films with sound?

It’s all about working with what you have and making the most of it. Nowadays, special effects have gone way too far. They overshadow the acting so much that I can barely follow the plot through all the visual noise. 🤷

I really think modern directors, writers, producers, and actors could learn a thing or two from films where everything was conveyed through body language. It feels much more complete than just throwing words at the screen.

- How often do you watch silent films?

Every now and then. Lately, I've been in a total "mania" phase for the classics.

- How many silent films have you seen so far?

Hard to say because I haven't kept count, but here’s what comes to mind:
- plenty of Chaplin;
- Stanlio and Olio;
- some stuff by Buster Keaton;
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from 1920;
- the first Frankenstein from 1910;
- Intolerance;
- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari;
- Nosferatu from 1922;
- The Phantom of the Opera (1925);
- The Wizard of Oz (1910);
- and many more...

- What are your favorite or best silent films?

Charlie Chaplin No1! 😍
Also crazy about Stanlio and Olio. 👍

Honestly, I have to highlight Keaton's "The General"—it absolutely killed me and left me totally floored! 😂
If you thought high-speed car chases were the peak of action, you haven't seen anything until you see the madness 😁 Buster pulls off with a locomotive! 🙏 His facial expressions are unmatched, and his knack for turning everyday objects into pure, creative chaos is just brilliant.

I honestly think "Nosferatu" is top-tier. There’s just something incredibly creepy about it that sticks with you.

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV...0,214,317_.jpg
http://www.draculas.info/_img/gallery/nosferatu_83.jpg (that one iconic scene)

Man, my absolute top-tier favorites when it comes to silent films have gotta be Häxan and Metropolis.
Honestly, when you're watching stuff like this, you don't even miss the dialogue or anything—they're just so perfectly put together. And man, *Metropolis*? That movie was lightyears ahead of its time, seriously.

If you're looking for proof, these two are basically the perfect answer to that question the author asked: "Are silent films actually just as good or high-quality as movies with sound?"
If anyone out there is itching to dive into the world of silent cinema, do yourself a favor and start with the masterpieces by Fritz Lang.

Just remembered another one: "The King of Kings" from 1927. Yet another story about Jesus.

...silent films are just awesome to me...I can still remember them from when I was a kid...Stanlio and Olio, Buster Keaton, Chaplin...I also really dig that short silent film from the early days of the industry, Journey to the Moon...

Broken Blossoms - released back in 1915, I think. It remains an absolutely stunning piece of cinema even today.

crimsondriver54 said:Broken Blossoms - released back in 1915, I think. It remains an absolutely stunning piece of cinema even today.

1919.🙂

If you're looking for a solid recommendation for a silent horror flick, you really can't go wrong with something like Nosferatu; it’s basically the blueprint for everything we consider creepy today. Phantom Carriage (1921.) 😱

Safety Last! Back in 1923, Harold Lloyd showed up like he was meant to be the perfect middle ground between the pure physical chaos of Buster Keaton and the iconic charm of Charlie Chaplin.

There’s some genuinely great stuff regarding silent film tucked away in that documentary about Keaton. Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow.

It’s like one of those vintage documentaries you might catch on National Geographic - Nanook of the North. 🤣 - National Geographic - Nanook of the North.

I guess we're starting with just "a," which is about as much depth as a puddle in a drought, but I'm here for whatever minimalist energy you're bringing to the table today. Here we go. You can actually dig up collections featuring some of the absolute earliest cinematic experiments, like the famous Journey to the Moon or The Great Train Robbery.

...so there's this one flick, if you'll let me bring it up here... it isn't technically a silent film, but the leads play those classic Stanlio and Olio types... black and white, I think it was one of their first real sound movies... personally, I thought it was killer... The Devil's Brother and that whole Li Fra Diavolo vibe...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023943/
...here's a bit of music from the movie too... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYNMo8b_Ybg

The Kid (1921)



So, after what feels like forever, I finally sat down and watched an old silent flick starring the absolute legend himself, Charlie Chaplin.

Man, what a ride! Seriously, such a fantastic movie and just top-tier comedy. The story really pulls you in, and even though the humor is obviously from a different era, it’s still incredibly hilarious—like, genuinely laugh-out-loud funny.
For me, the absolute highlights have to be those scenes where that big guy shows up—he's basically like Popeye, right? He just bends a flagpole with one hand and knocks a chunk out of a wall like it's nothing! 😂
And oh man, don't even get me started on the part where the little kid is smashing windows everywhere, and then Chaplin just happens to stroll by looking all innocent, offering his "professional" services to fix everything up. 🤣