Silent Black and White Films

[Sefarst]

I have recently been introduced to the world of silent black and white films and find myself mesmerized by them. So far, I have watched The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu, and Birth of a Nation. I am planning to borrow the DVD of Metropolis from a friend next week.

I was wondering if there was anyone else who has taken an interest to these films and whether you could point me to some free online versions of them as many have become public domain by this point. Youtube has The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (the first horror film ever made) as well as Nosferatu, links for anyone interested:

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: http://youtube.com/watch?v=MrNJBbXhvOs

Nosferatu: http://youtube.com/watch?v=MEOsb6CRvNU

[alfaniner]

Silent Black and White Films

First silly question -- aside from "Silent Movie" -- are there any silent color films (that aren't all artsy fartsy and stuff)? :)

Second question -- I thought YouTube was limited to 10 minute uploads? Perhaps they let it go for these?

The only one of the above I have not seen is Birth of a Nation. Most of the silent films I'm aware of are comedies rather than dramas. I saw one on TCM called Show People that I rather liked.

I have the Harold LLoyd collection (5 DVD-set). Of course I watched Safety Last first. Just waiting for the right time to look at The Freshman (the only other of his I am vaguely familiar with). Then I'll check out the rest.

[BigAl]

Edison produced a Dr. Frankenstein in 1910-1912. and it's online in a couple parts. Look in google video for

"Frankenstein edison studio"

There is said to be lots of of if this in the Smithsonian and on their website but I can't find it.

http://www.filmbuffonline.com/Features/EdisonsFrankenstein3.htm

[JEROME DA GNOME]

I have not been able to get much from silent films... now talkies are wonderful as the story relies upon speech as opposed to FX. I do enjoy human voice.

[danielk]

Your mention of Metropolis reminded me of another film by Fritz Lang. A few years ago, a few friends of mine invited me to watch the last silent film Lang created, Woman in the Moon ("Die Frau im Mond"). In a planetarium, no less.

[JEROME DA GNOME]

Your mention of Metropolis reminded me of another film by Fritz Lang. A few years ago, a few friends of mine invited me to watch the last silent film Lang created, Woman in the Moon ("Die Frau im Mond"). In a planetarium, no less.

Is Metropolis silent? I have been recommended this movie enough that I am curious. What are your thoughts on Metropolis?

[danielk]

Is Metropolis silent? I have been recommended this movie enough that I am curious. What are your thoughts on Metropolis?
The original film by Fritz Lang was silent, but according to Wikipedia there are several different versions out there. Also, I have to admit that I have yet to actually see the movie. :) All I know is that Lang's famous dystopia is considered a science fiction classic.

Generally, films from that time appear a little "out there" to modern eyes. To what extent this applies to Metropolis I don't know. I should probably get around to watching it some day. :)

[quixotecoyote]

the anime version was decent

[JEROME DA GNOME]

The original film by Fritz Lang was silent, but according to Wikipedia there are several different versions out there. Also, I have to admit that I have yet to actually see the movie. :) All I know is that Lang's famous dystopia is considered a science fiction classic.

Generally, films from that time appear a little "out there" to modern eyes. To what extent this applies to Metropolis I don't know. I should probably get around to watching it some day. :)

Thanks; I seem to be in the same circumstance as you: I should see it. :)

[Gazpacho]

First silly question -- aside from "Silent Movie" -- are there any silent color films (that aren't all artsy fartsy and stuff)?
Color film appeared in theaters (in limited use) before talking did. Phantom of the Opera, for example, has a color scene (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5224364451553593147&q=phantom+of+the+opera&total=12207&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1#54m26s).

Before that, there was a tradition of full-frame color to indicate the mood of the scene. There was no special effects technology and the early cameras could only shoot in full light. So what do you do if the script calls for a night scene or a magic spell? The early filmmakers shot the scene as best they could and then tinted it blue or green, respectively, so the audience would know what was going on.

[MG1962]

The original film by Fritz Lang was silent, but according to Wikipedia there are several different versions out there. Also, I have to admit that I have yet to actually see the movie. :) All I know is that Lang's famous dystopia is considered a science fiction classic.

Generally, films from that time appear a little "out there" to modern eyes. To what extent this applies to Metropolis I don't know. I should probably get around to watching it some day. :)

None of the versions are sound - though they obviously have music soundtacks - for virgin viewers I would reccomend the Morodo reconstuction of the 1980's parred down to 77 minutes but the contempory sound track works well.

The British version 110 minutes is interesting how the plots changed, but be warned the music sound track is looped and dreadful.

There is the quintesential reconstruction with full orginal orchestration that came out umm 5 years ago - I have not seen it, but I believe it runs 153 minutes, which is still short of the orginal running length

What is funny - During the Morodo re-construction a lot of still and odds and ends of the orginal film where found in Tasmania - appears that one of the head cameramen moved there before WW2 to become a post office worker - go figure

I would strongly reccomend Battleship Potemkin from 1925. Also (And you have to see this on the big screem) Napolean from I think 1927 - The triptick sequence at the end is simply amazing

Oh, and the General, by Buster Keaton a suprisingly subtle film

[Andronicus]

Metropolis was fantastic. I've seen two versions. I did not think the Moredor version with the contemporary rock music was an improvement, but it was watchable. I have yet to see the semi-restored version yet.

Going to see my first Buster Keaton movies on the big screen next month.

If your really curious about the pre-talkies I found several interesting sites by running a "silent films" search on Google.

[Just thinking]

Chaplin made a "Silent Film" during/after the talkies came out ... City Lights (http://www.filmsite.org/city.html). The background music and off screen sounds in this film are specific to the film, meaning they were recorded at the time of production. It is an excellent film.

You might also check out The Man Who Laughs (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0019130/plotsummary).

[steverino]

Yes, "City Lights" is a work of art.
My personal favorite is Chaplin's "The Gold Rush."
This photo is from a famous scene. I don't know about free downloads, but it is worth the few bucks to rent.

[steverino]

"Simply scrumshralescent!"

[Retrograde]

The early filmmakers shot the scene as best they could and then tinted it blue or green, respectively, so the audience would know what was going on.They used other colors as well: there are some pre-WWI films tinted with reds and yellows. True 3-strip color didn't come in until the mid 1930s, but some silents were filmed using a 2-strip color version.

I prefer silent dramas to comedies. I find they hold up better, and aren't as exaggerated. The dramas reached their height in the 1920s, and movies in some ways took a step backwards with the introduction of sound (the acting in later silents is more natural, IMHO, than the stiffness in early talkies. The camera wasn't as constricted, either)

If you have access to Turner Classic Movies on basic cable, they usually run a silent movie on Sunday nights, and occasionally at other times. Check you local library: if they carry CDs, they may have some silents.

Some of my favorites:
-"Mark of Zorro", "Don Q, Son of Zorro" and "The Gaucho": you can't beat Douglas Fairbanks
-anything with Lillian Gish, especially if it also has Dorothy Gish. "The Wind" is her best.
-"Intolerance": you thought Tarantino was being experimental in "Pulp Fiction" with multiple story lines? There're 4 of them going on here.
-"The Ten Commandments", especially the 2nd half, set in modern times (i.e., 1920) about a man who sets out to break all ten
-for something completely different, "Les Vampires", a 7-hour long French serial from 1915 about a group of criminals led by the notorious Irma Vep.
-"The Great Train Robbery", supposedly the first film with a plot (1903). It's got it all: a daring robbery special effects, chase scenes, a dance - and a classic final shot

If you can find it, Cinema Europa, a documentary on the early years of European movies with lots of clips. I saw it on Turner Classics about 10 years ago, it was released on VHS but it's scarce. "The Movies Begin" covers 1894-1913 and has some quirky early documentaries.

[Gazpacho]

They used other colors as well: there are some pre-WWI films tinted with reds and yellows.
Any idea what they meant? I've heard that red was for noisy, dangerous scenes (e.g. battle scenes), but I have no idea what yellow was.

[Chris Haynes]

Yes, "City Lights" is a work of art.
My personal favorite is Chaplin's "The Gold Rush."
This photo is from a famous scene. I don't know about free downloads, but it is worth the few bucks to rent.

It might be here:
http://www.archive.org/details/feature_films

Oops, could not find it. My checked out "The Gold Rush" from my library.

[Babylon Sister]

The General with Buster Keaton is a classic silent comedy

[Pardalis]

"Witchcraft Through the Ages (http://www.amazon.com/Haxan-Witchcraft-Through-Ages-Collection/dp/B00005O5CA)" is something else.

Very impressive and outrageous for the time, probably the first mockumentary. The photography is also quite good.

[Pardalis]

Two of my favourites, who put most of today's movies to shame:

Murnau's Faust (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016847/) and Eisenstein's October (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018217/)

[Sefarst]

I found another one on youtube for all those who are interested:

Die Nibelungen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm7mqJ_UBp0)

It's another film by Fritz Lang, for any who may be fans.

According to Wikipedia, this film was Josef Goebbels' favorite and Hitler was so moved by it that he started crying.

[fuelair]

I strongly suggest hunting up Georges Melies and the Bros. Lumiere (part of the joke in Beauty and the Beast - He was a lumiere/lamp in a film that required a lamp to work and the bros. Lumiere were very early filmmakers - made with a device that operated as both camera and projector so they were limited to ca. 50 sec. films.). French.

[Sefarst]

I strongly suggest hunting up Georges Melies and the Bros. Lumiere (part of the joke in Beauty and the Beast - He was a lumiere/lamp in a film that required a lamp to work and the bros. Lumiere were very early filmmakers - made with a device that operated as both camera and projector so they were limited to ca. 50 sec. films.). French.
Thanks for the advice. The Brothers Lumiere and what is probably the first film ever made: http://youtube.com/watch?v=4nj0vEO4Q6s

[fuelair]

As to color: two strip technicolor film considered some good - but I don't know about via computer (I got the DVD set they mentioned - as well as their next 2. - well woth it!!!).
Toll of the Sea w/ Anna May Wong.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013688/ (left off this little bit of data)

[ImaginalDisc]

"Our Hospitality" is a Buster Keaton movie and by far one of my favorites. The beginning is so dramatic and sorrowful that as I watched it with a friend, I turned to him and said, "How the hell are they going to make thing funny?" But, they did. Keaton and his fellow actors are hysterical. It's not just a great black and white silent comedy, it's a great comedy.

[Pardalis]

In the same veing as Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd was pretty good too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1g9zDOe4Bs

[MG1962]

Two of my favourites, who put most of today's movies to shame:

Murnau's Faust (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016847/) and Eisenstein's October (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018217/)

Whats October like? - I have heard so many varying opinions it is hard to really pin down. Sadly I have not had the chance to see it

[Pardalis]

Whats October like? - I have heard so many varying opinions it is hard to really pin down. Sadly I have not had the chance to see it

It's really astonishing, non-stop dynamism and constant invention in both framing and editing. It feels like a roller coaster ride. I like it better than Potemkin as I think it's even more accomplished.

Although I don't care much for the Communist propaganda, I can't deny its artistic brilliance. ;)

[MG1962]

It's really astonishing, non-stop dynamism and constant invention in both framing and editing. It feels like a roller coaster ride. I like it better than Potemkin as I think it's even more accomplished.

Although I don't care much for the Communist propaganda, I can't deny its artistic brilliance. ;)

Well I love Potemkin, so sounds like I am on a winner if I can ever get a copy - besides (Although I don't subscribe to any of it) I love watching propaganda films - Of any ilk

[Ove]

"Steamboat Bill Jr." is my absolute favourite, the famous stunt with the falling wall is classic.

Georges Melies made the worlds first Sci-Fi movie "Le voyage dans la Lune" and had to endure the humiliation that Edisons people stole the movie and made a fortune showing it in USA. Tom Hanks gives a fine portrait of that in the final episode of his series "From the earth to the moon"

[CFLarsen]

Two of my favourites, who put most of today's movies to shame:

Murnau's Faust (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016847/) and Eisenstein's October (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018217/)

Oh, yeah. Also try von Stroheim's "Greed". Just about anything from Stroheim is great.

"Steamboat Bill Jr." is my absolute favourite, the famous stunt with the falling wall is classic.

That is an insane stunt. When I first saw it, I thought "How the heck did they do that?" When I found out he actually stood there, while the wall fell on top of him, I was stunned. I doubt anyone would allow that today.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Oh, yeah. Also try von Stroheim's "Greed". Just about anything from Stroheim is great.

Including (as an actor), Sunset Blvd.

That is an insane stunt. When I first saw it, I thought "How the heck did they do that?" When I found out he actually stood there, while the wall fell on top of him, I was stunned. I doubt anyone would allow that today.

Yep. And Harold Lloyd actually hung from that clock too! It was a different era back then.

[Basilio]

I highly recommend Fairbank's The Black Pirate. It was the first silent full technicolor (2 strip) pirate movie! They found the original orchestra score about 10 years ago and it is out on VHS and DVD. Also Harold Lloyd's Kid Brother or Speedy (first use of the "bird" in a film). Roland West's The Bat (some Batman inspiration) and either of the Metropolises mentioned (I have the Morodor and have seen the full restored version of 3 or for years ago). You can then see what genre you like. (Sunrise by Murnau is great too)

The internet archive http://www.archive.org/details/movies (http://www.archive.org/details/movies) is another great source.

[fuelair]

"Steamboat Bill Jr." is my absolute favourite, the famous stunt with the falling wall is classic.

Georges Melies made the worlds first Sci-Fi movie "Le voyage dans la Lune" and had to endure the humiliation that Edisons people stole the movie and made a fortune showing it in USA. Tom Hanks gives a fine portrait of that in the final episode of his series "From the earth to the moon"Edison's people had no problem with stealing from/killing as I understand the research on him.

[Buckaroo]

I've only found it on VHS, but Wings, the first flick to win an academy award for best picture, has some of the best flying sequences I've ever seen, because they're all REAL. There's a scene where a Gotha bomber attacks a French village, and the way they did was by, well, actually bombing the village. And I'd be surprised if no one was killed while filming the riveting dogfighting scenes.

Gary Cooper makes one of his first appearances on film here (albeit in bit part). If you can find it, check it out!

The old silent Hal Roach Our Gang comedies (which soon became The Little Rascals) are great, too. I prefer the older cast from these and the early talkies to the later Spanky/Alfalfa/Darla lineup. The early ones were more frequently filmed on location, and so gave a greater sense of versimilitude. Plus, the kids weren't quite so self aware, and tended not to mug for the camera as much.

[Mr. Scott]

Wings (1927) was the first movie to win the "Best Picture" Oscar. I saw it at a big theater recently with a live organ accompaniment. The climax is quite good.

Intolerance (1916) was one of the first epics. It has four interwoven stories spanning thousands of years. The "Great Wall of Babylon" was one of the largest movie sets ever built.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) was the first feature length animated film.

Some of the films at the cusp of sound are really interesting. The Jazz Singer (1927) has only a few scenes in sound. Hell's Angels (1930) was filmed as a silent movie but was not finished when sound was introduced, so some of it was dubbed or refilmed with sound.

Oh, before I forget, check out modern filmmaker Guy Maddin's silent B&W films. One of his best is Heart of the World (2000):

4DWmrWfPTmI

[Buckaroo]

Oh, yeah. Also try von Stroheim's "Greed". Just about anything from Stroheim is great.

Hard to get that image of him from Sunset Boulevard out of my head, though...

[fuelair]

Wings (1927) was the first movie to win the "Best Picture" Oscar. I saw it at a big theater recently with a live organ accompaniment. The climax is quite good.

Intolerance (1916) was one of the first epics. It has four interwoven stories spanning thousands of years. The "Great Wall of Babylon" was one of the largest movie sets ever built.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) was the first feature length animated film.

Some of the films at the cusp of sound are really interesting. The Jazz Singer (1927) has only a few scenes in sound. Hell's Angels (1930) was filmed as a silent movie but was not finished when sound was introduced, so some of it was dubbed or refilmed with sound.

Oh, before I forget, check out modern filmmaker Guy Maddin's silent B&W films. One of his best is Heart of the World (2000):

4DWmrWfPTmIShould warn that Achmed is paper cutouts not drawn (some people are not amenable to the former). I like animation.!!!Would also like to suggest Within These Walls and Body and Soul by the brilliant (personal belief) early independant black film director/producer/writer/actor (and novelist) Oscar Micheaux. The first is an answer to a certain looseness of truth in Griffith's Birth of a Nationand the second is Paul Robeson's first film - in which he plays two roles.

[Just thinking]

Has anyone mentioned the Czechoslovakian film The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGRj0nV-ZVE)? It was made in the late 1950's and employs filming techniques unique to cinematography.

(Not a silent film ... but done very much in that style.)

[ImaginalDisc]

[QUOTE=fuelair;3335404]Should warn that Achmed is paper cutouts not drawn (some people are not amenable to the former). I like animation.!!!QUOTE]

Technically, "The Apostle" is the oldest animated film, but I don't know if it survives.

But yes, Achmed's freaking amazing. I think it's possible to buy a release without some of the colored backgrounds (I've seen stills allegedly from Achmed without colored backgrounds.) If you buy it, just check.

[Miss Whiplash]

"Witchcraft Through the Ages (http://www.amazon.com/Haxan-Witchcraft-Through-Ages-Collection/dp/B00005O5CA)" is something else.

Very impressive and outrageous for the time, probably the first mockumentary. The photography is also quite good.

Haxen is wonderful. The scene where the nuns become "possessed" has to be one of the most outrageous comic scenes ever filmed.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Wings (1927) was the first movie to win the "Best Picture" Oscar. I saw it at a big theater recently with a live organ accompaniment. The climax is quite good.

I didn't realize this was a porno.

[Tressa]

Chaney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" LC Sr does some of his best work.

[RobRoy]

Metropolis, while classic from the scifi genre, is actually quite over-acted and sometimes annoying because of that. There are more natural-type movies available that are quite beautiful to watch like Lillian Gish in The Scarlet Letter, almost anything done by GW Griffith, Albert Capellani or Maurice Tourneur, which usually means you'll see Mary Pickford at some point like Poor, Little Rich Girl and Impass of Two Angels are good examples. So is Cecille B. DeMille's Male and Female and Buster Keaton's The Playhouse.

I believe there was just a release of a Buster Keaton collection, which I'd love to plunk down the cash for, but just can't justify it to my wife. :D

[bruto]

It's hard to beat Keaton and Chaplin. Their best stuff really is timeless. I think comedy is a little easier to carry off in silents than a straight dramatic plot, though there's plenty of plot in some of those as well. It's been a while since I saw some of the classics, which appeared from time to time on public TV a few years ago, but I recall enjoying Lillian Gish in Broken Blossoms . The story itself is kind of silly at times, but there's a scene in which Gish has hidden in a closet, as I recall, and a man is trying to break in with an axe, which is pretty hard to beat. Apparently she ad-libbed the panic so well that DW Griffith, who was directing, panicked too.

I agree Metropolis is over-acted, but visually it's a treat anyway. I haven't seen the recent DVD version, though.

Drifting a bit off the silent topic back to Von Stroheim, don't miss him in Renoir's Grand Illusion. It's a great movie anyway, and if you're feeling spendy, the Criterion DVD is a beautiful restoration.

[RobRoy]

I agree Metropolis is over-acted, but visually it's a treat anyway. I haven't seen the recent DVD version, though.

Agreed. As a scifi fan, it's absoluately a must.

Drifting a bit off the silent topic back to Von Stroheim, don't miss him in Renoir's Grand Illusion. It's a great movie anyway, and if you're feeling spendy, the Criterion DVD is a beautiful restoration.

Criterion is great, aren't they. I haven't seen Grand Illusion yet, but I read the reviews on it, and they did comment that the restoration was excellent.

[MG1962]

Chaney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" LC Sr does some of his best work.

Yes!!! - That one had completely slipped my mind. I can recall seeing it as a teenager, and being totally captivated.

[bruto]

Agreed. As a scifi fan, it's absoluately a must.



Criterion is great, aren't they. I haven't seen Grand Illusion yet, but I read the reviews on it, and they did comment that the restoration was excellent.It is, and if I might be permitted a little non-silent thread drift, so is their version of Rules of the Game
, which now FINALLY has legible subtitles!

[Sefarst]

Great recommendations, thanks. I watched Berlin: Symphony of a City today. It's basically just scenes of ordinary people walking around set to music, but it's so hypnotic you could watch it most of the day. The best part of the whole movie for me, though, was seeing pretty much every man over 30 walking around with a Hitler mustache (the style at the time).

[Shoogar]

I recently saw an odd Italian one, Maciste in Hell from 1926. Maciste (our hero) is hijacked to hell, encounters various demons (including some quite pretty ones) and wins his way back to earth.

Unfortunately, the copy I have came with a box set of 50 sci-fi/horror movies, and it's really hard to make out what's happening much of the time. The sets in hell are pretty good and some of the makeup work on the demons is impressive.

[RobRoy]

It is, and if I might be permitted a little non-silent thread drift, so is their version of Rules of the Game
, which now FINALLY has legible subtitles!

What a pain, eh? I've run into that from time to time, usually from poor color choice (which you would think would be a first consideration) and it becomes quite a disruption. Almost makes me want to learn the language . . . almost. :D

[additional thread sway]
I just received (via Netflix) the two versions of Hemmingway's The Killers, in the Criterion collection. It's amazing how beautiful, and deliberate, the lighting is for the 1946 Burt Lancaster version is. Even compared with the micro-pacing of today's films, this movie gets right up and goes, and is obviously a classic effort, especially of the noir genre.

[Ove]

That is an insane stunt. When I first saw it, I thought "How the heck did they do that?" When I found out he actually stood there, while the wall fell on top of him, I was stunned. I doubt anyone would allow that today.

Quite right :) BUT -He DID have a mark to stand on and there WAS a man peeking in one of the windows who gave the signal when to drop the wall. Still it was mindboggling and VERY brave done by Buster. Another of his stunts is never fully recognised. In "The General" there is a scene where he sits on the driving rod on a steamloco. It then starts and he ride a short distance bouncing up and down. Steam train people have assured me that this is VERY dangerous indeed.

I know it is in colour but i DO like this one too :D

J82k85e8ukM

[Cactus Wren]

Any idea what they meant? I've heard that red was for noisy, dangerous scenes (e.g. battle scenes), but I have no idea what yellow was.
In Gance's Napoleon, at least, yellow was used to indicate a candlelit or firelit indoor scene.

Metropolis, while classic from the scifi genre, is actually quite over-acted and sometimes annoying because of that.
I've found that a lot of silents, especially those with a fantastic element to them, do have that -- I won't call it "overacted" so much as an extremely stylized form of acting. Watching Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in the 1924 Thief of Bagdad (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0015400/), for instance, I sometimes found it useful to think of his performance more in terms of dance than acting.

[Scott Haley]

H.P. Lovecraft wrote "The Call of Cthulhu" during the silent film era. The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society recently produced a black and white silent film based on the story, as it might have been done back when he wrote it. I have it in my Netflix queue.

[Foolmewunz]

Another vote for von Stoheim's Greed. Like all silents, however, you really need to learn a new vocabulary of cinema when you're viewing it. Probably a lot easier to start with the Chaplin and Keaton and a little bit of Fairbanks and Lon Chaney before you head off to Murnau, Lang, and von Stroheim.

Many of the techniques of the 60s and later were unavailable after '28, when the talkies came along. Prior to the microphone and recording engineer taking over the set, the camera was mobile and as alive as many of the players/actors (more "alive" than some).

The scenes in Singing in the Rain about the transition to sound are actually quite accurate (if heavy-handed for comedic effect).

[ImaginalDisc]

H.P. Lovecraft wrote "The Call of Cthulhu" during the silent film era. The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society recently produced a black and white silent film based on the story, as it might have been done back when he wrote it. I have it in my Netflix queue.

I bought it. Not as good as I'd hoped. While it strictly adheres to the book, the acting varies from amatuerish to too naturalistic and modern when it is good. If they'd made an effort to stict to 1920's style acting, it might have been better.

It's bascially a very slick fan flick, so if you're a big Lovecraft fan, you won't be let down.

[Kiosk]

Eisenstein and Fritz Lang are the giants of silent cinema, if you ask me. Metropolis can look a little hokey in places these days, but it's a genuinely great piece of 20th century art, while October is just incredible. It's pretty slow, but it holds the attention with sheer energy, and while it's dated, it's far less cliched in style than many films from thirty years later (or even today). If the communist angle puts you off, remember that the vision of communism here has less than nothing to do with what the Soviet Union became - it's really a tribute to the people, throwing off oppression, all that stuff, and the fact that it's set in the Russian Revolution is almost incidental to the spirit of the thing. It also captures the reckless chaos of early movie-making: people actually died in the crowd scenes, and the scene on the bridge (not for horse lovers) is pretty eye-popping.

As for DW Griffith, if you find the commie propaganda of October hard to take, you'll need to line your stomach before watching that odious glorification of the KKK that is Birth Of A Nation. Sure, it's a landmark film, but it's kind of hard to watch for that reason... and (whisper it) it does get kind of boring. Intolerance is a bit of a prog rock movie really - absurdly indulgent and over-ambitious - and while it's pretty astonishing, much of that is down to the scale and grandeur of the sets. Griffith was important and all, but I don't think his work has stood the test of time as well as his European counterparts.

Alfred Hitchcock's The Lodger is a magnificent film, too. Hitchcock was one of very few Englishmen in the 1920s to have seen then-contemporary German movies: he took all those tricks and used them in a slick melodrama, instantly making every other British film of the time look hopelessly out of date. There's a fantastic moment where one character is listening to the sinister lodger's footsteps in the room above - to show this without dialogue, Hitchcock cuts from her worried face to a shot of the ceiling, which dissolves into a shot of a sheet of glass (with the same lampshade hanging from it), with his actor pacing around on top of it. Amazing stuff.

There's a DVD called "Landmarks Of Early Film" which has most of the very earliest movies ever made on it, including stuff mentioned above like The Great Train Robbery. It's amazing to watch the language of cinema develop so quickly - the early films are just a static camera filming a scene, then suddenly someone gets the idea that moving the camera can add emotion / excitement, then people work out that by cutting between shots you can tell a story without words, etc. The Great Train Robbery is hilarious and very gimmicky, but in this context you can see exactly why it was such a breakthrough - we suddenly see a lot of modern film-making techniques which are now taken for granted, but which were then brand new, and it makes the whole thing look infinitely slicker than its immediate predecessors.

[Almo]

None of the versions are sound - though they obviously have music soundtacks - for virgin viewers I would reccomend the Morodo reconstuction of the 1980's parred down to 77 minutes but the contempory sound track works well.


:jaw-dropp

The Moroder was horrible; plus the one we saw had colors blopped on top of it. We couldn't even finish the film. Need one that's not a tampered with, in my opinion.

I bet Gier Jenssen (Biosphere) could make a good soundtrack for that.

[Polaris]

Tod Browning, who directed the 1931 Dracula originally intended it to be a silent movie, and I believe there was a silent version of it in existence at one point.

[Ranb]

When I was a kid back in the early 70's, my brother and I used to get silent 8mm movies from the library. If memory serves, they were mostly Laurel and Hardy, Batman and The little Rascals.

Ranb

[zeusbheld]

Great recommendations, thanks. I watched Berlin: Symphony of a City today. It's basically just scenes of ordinary people walking around set to music, but it's so hypnotic you could watch it most of the day. The best part of the whole movie for me, though, was seeing pretty much every man over 30 walking around with a Hitler mustache (the style at the time).

more or less along those lines, check out Dziga Vertov's "Man With a Movie Camera." no Hitler moustached man that i can recall though.

[zeusbheld]

....
Generally, films from that time appear a little "out there" to modern eyes. To what extent this applies to Metropolis I don't know. I should probably get around to watching it some day. :)

part of the reason silent films appear a little "out there" is that they were shot at sixteen frames per second, but the versions we generally see are projected at 24 fps. thus that weird 'sped up' motion.

looks like nobody mentioned FW Murnau's The Last Laugh yet. well worth seeing.

[gumboot]

Ooooh, excellent topic. Anyone serious about films absolutely must get familiar with the great silent films. All of the basic principles of cinematic story telling were established in those early years.

The Birth Of A Nation
1915, D W Griffith
Unfortunately the importance of this film is overshadowed by its incredibly racist message. Don't watch the entire thing - it will bore you stupid - but the film is worth watching for its technical offerings such as the use of "iris" which was a forerunner to the zoom. It was also an early warning of how film could potentially be exploited as it demonstrated the incredible emotional power of cinema - something that filmmakers like Leni Riefenstahl would later use to good effect for the Nazis and something that we're exposed to today on a daily basis.

Broken Blossoms
1919, D W Griffith
The complete antithesis of Griffith's Birth of a Nation, this film is an intimate tale of two lovers torn by the distance of cultural differences - a sensitively portrayed Chinaman and an innocent European girl. One of the earliest examples of "natural" acting.

The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari
1920, F W Murnau
This film is one of the archetypal films of the German Expressionism movement. German expressionism is a profoundly important early film movement, and established the basic principles that are now found in a variety of film genres. Two vital words that this movement introduced to the filmmaker's vocabulary are "stimmung" and "chiaroscuro".

Stimmung translates (in the context of film) as "atmosphere". German Expressionism was the first real attempt by filmmakers to use the film to create a particular mood or atmosphere in a scene. In particular it was used to create a feeling of unease or foreboding.

Chiaroscuro is now typically referred to as "high key lighting". It's the fundamental lighting style used in virtually all horror films, film noir, thrillers, and so on. Hard single light sources with lots of deep shadow.

Nosferatu
1922, F W Murnau
Another important German Expressionist film, this is most noted for is special effects. Reversed footage, stop frame animation and sped up footage were all revolutionarily employed on this film.

Soviet Montage
I wanted to talk about this movement, rather than particular films. I think the Soviet Montage film movement is the single most important movement in cinema history, and Soviet Montage theory is the single most important theory in cinema history. Indeed I would argue it is the fundamental theory of film full stop.

Simply put montage theory - initially developed by Kuleshov - is the theory that putting two images side by side (called juxtaposition) on a film will generate a meaning that does not exist in either of the images on its own. For example an image of a dog juxtaposed with an image of an empty bowl creates the meaning of a hungry dog, yet neither the image of the dog nor the image of the bowl has this meaning.

Kuleshov discovered what is referred to as the Kuleshov effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuleshov_Effect) - by following the same identical image of a neutral actor's face with different images he received different interpretations from audiences.

This has profound meaning for cinema and the filmmakers that developed this theory essentially invented the language of cinema.

Some archetypal Soviet Montage films:

Mother
1926, V Pudovkin

The End Of St. Petersburg
1927, V Pudovkin

The Battleship Potemkin
1925, S Eisenstein

October
1927, S Eisenstein

I'd also like to nod my head to the French Avante-garde film Un Chien Andalou which is really just something else...\

ETA.

Ack, I forgot to voice my support for Metropolis. It's widely regarded as the last German Expressionist film, and often cited as the greatest silent film of all time.

[NotJesus]

This discussion is incomplete without mention of The Passion of Joan of Arc by Carl Theodore Dreyer, one of the greatest of all silent films. Shot mainly in closeups, it's extremely moving and features a mesmerizing performance by Renee Maria Falconetti.