So You Want to be a Silent Film Fan

Hi my name is Michael (but you can call me Mikey if you like) and I am a silent film addict. While there are tons of people to talk about this subject online with, I rarely come in to contact with anyone who loves silent movies as much as I do away from the computer screen. After all we live in a society where a movie from the 1980's is considered impossibly old. 

If we live in a society that doesn't really talk about silent movies, how does someone who wants to watch one know where to start. If you wanted to get into black and white movies, you would know to check out Casablanca, Citizen Kane, It's a Wonderful Life or Psycho. However what would you start with if you wanted to get into silent movies. You may know Charlie Chaplin's name, but do you know what his best films are, do you know where to start? This is the goal of this post to help those interested in silent movies know good places to start and how simply to get into silent movies. Before we get into any exact movie recommendations, let me go over some things you should know before watching silent films.

1. Silent Films Are Entertainment For Everybody

When you are reading about silent films it is easy to feel intimidated. There are many articles and commenters online saying things like "Those dumb millennials today with their iPhones, and their CGI driven crap who need constant explosions and loud noises to enjoy a movie are too stupid to enjoy a silent film, let alone actually pay attention to one." Well what if you are in your teens, 20's or 30's and what if you enjoy that "CGI driven crap" and once more what if you spend a lot of time on your iPhone. Does this mean you can't appreciate silent films or that silent movies are only for self-proclaimed intellectuals who view themselves as smarter than people who love current mainstream cinema because they read intertitles? No, of course not. I for one am in my 20's, I go see many modern mainstream movies and often love them and I am grateful that I can use my iPhone and social media to stay in good touch with friends who lead busy lives and I can't see as often as I like. Once more I have seen silent films in college film classes and at the Old Town Music Hall. What was easy to notice there was that the millennials that were also at these places, enjoyed these silent films a lot. I remember seeing Sherlock Jr. in a class with mostly millennials and they were cracking up at it. Why is this? The answer is simple. Most silent films were intended first as entertainment and secondly as art. As always the only requirement for entertainment is that you are entertained. Entertainment is inclusive not exclusive. In other words entertainment is for everybody who is entertained by it, regardless of age, intellect or knowledge. You don't need to know the names of those who worked on a film to have fun watching it. You don't need to be able to explain how Charlie Chaplin changed the face of screen comedy to find him kicking a lady in her rear end funny. All you have to do is have fun. Likewise there is no reason why you can't enjoy what films are currently popular and still enjoy silent film. You can find the Deadpool movies funny and also find Harold Lloyd funny. You can love the sci-fi world of the current batch of Star Wars films and also the sci-fi world of Metropolis. You can enjoy the fast paced action of Marvel movies (or even *gasp* Michael Bay) and still like the action scenes in a Tom Mix western. You don't have to be a person "that was born in the wrong generation" or "never quite fit in with people your own age" to enjoy silent movies, you can simply be a regular young person who simply enjoys watching silent movies. Silent films do not belong exclusively to film snobs or cranky old people, so there is no need to feel intimidated. Just enjoy watching a movie.

2. Silent Films Were Not Intended to be Silent
Though there was no recorded audio for most silent movies, audiences of the day did not watch them in complete silence. There was always music provided by live musicians. As such these films were intended to be watched with music. Because you can't always have silent film composers in your home when watching one of these films, silent movies often have accompanying music recorded elsewhere. This is so you can view the films as close to what was intended as possible. However if you look for silent films on YouTube, you will find many videos that have just the films with no audio. Don't watch these, especially as a newbie to silent films. They are harder to pay attention to in many ways and you may without realizing it have your mind drift off and be completely lost as to what is happening. Also if you manage to keep your attention throughout the whole film, you will notice something was missing. The film was good, but it didn't have the effect you feel it should have had on you. Often times if you watch it again with music, you'll notice how great of a film it truly is.


3. Don't Start With Films That Use Long Intertitles

If you are a silent film newbie, you may be asking what an intertitle is. The answer is very simple they are when words appear on the screen to show dialogue or exposition. An example below is from the wonderful film, Show People.

As you can imagine this is often the hardest part to get used to for many silent film newbies. Some of you who are new to reading while watching movies, may find it hard to keep up when there are quite a few words on the screen at once. For instance you may not finish reading the following intertitle from The Black Pirate before it is gone.





However reading the following intertitle from The Penalty should cause no trouble.

This is why a lot of silent film fans start with slapstick comedies, because often dialogue is not as important in those movies and so there are not only fewer intertitles but shorter ones as well. If the story for a silent movie sounds complex chances are it will have longer intertitles than one with a simpler story. Often if you keep that in mind it is usually easy to avoid longer intertitles until you become used to reading them quickly.

Now that we have gotten those out of the way what do you say I recommend a few films? Now keep in mind that this is not a list of the best silent films, but simply a list of films that would be easy for a silent film newbie to enjoy. Not a complete list and I am sure I left off some obvious suggestions, but it is a place to start and that is what matters.



Show People (1928) I love this movie! It has everything laughs, heart, romance, great comedy, relatable characters, and most of all it is just a lot of fun. While there are some great cameos that a silent film newbie might not catch, the film is extremely accessible to anyone. That is because the humor will always be funny, and the theme of staying true to one's roots is timeless.




Peter Pan (1924)

Do you like fantasy movies? Do you love watching Disney's fairy tales? If so this is the perfect place to start. I have written about this film before on my blog (to read click here), so I will just say this is a charming fantasy movie that is as charming today as it was in 1924, so watch it and if you have kids in your life show it to them.







       That's My Wife (1929)
I love Laurel and Hardy, in fact we all love Laurel and Hardy.  If we are to measure movie comedians by the sheer amount of laughs they have gotten, few even come close to Laurel and Hardy. Before the sound films we all know the duo started out in silent pictures. One of the best is That's My Wife. I don't want to give too much away about this film, but just know it is full of laughs from start to finish.

 



Metropolis (1927)

The movie that influenced every sci-fi film we know today is still an incredible feat. The look of the movie is still amazing and makes one feel they were transported to another world. The story is still just as universal. None of the impact has been lost and everybody should see this film.




Where Are My Children (1916)

It is hard to believe a movie from over 100 years ago could still be so topical. This is a movie about abortion (that is right abortion), something most Hollywood studios wouldn't even touch today. Lois Webber as a director though was never against talking about controversial subjects in her films and this is maybe her most controversial. This not all there is to recommend this film though. It is an extremely touching and beautiful experience with filmmaking that was well ahead of its time. The ending of this movie is one of the most emotional scenes in all silent film history.





Fatty and Mabel Adrift (1916)

Sadly Mabel Normand and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle hardly receive the praise that Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy or Harold Lloyd get, but they are great comedians. This movie perfectly shows why. The humor is very funny and a joy to watch. However what is also great here is the perfect chemistry between its two stars and Arbuckle's fantastic directorial skills.

 

Sherlock Jr. (1924)
While The General is often considered Buster Keaton's best film, Sherlock Jr. is probably the one that will appeal to the largest audience. This is because it is the fastest paced and the most filled with gags. These gags are timeless and funny as anything you will ever see. This film is also a perfect showcase for Buster's brilliant directorial talent and amazing stunt work. There are plenty of times watching this film in which your jaw will drop and you will ask "How did he do that?" Most of all though this is a swiftly moving and just plain fun movie.




City Lights (1931)

One of the most perfect movies ever made. The humor is as funny as can be, and the boxing scene has to be one of the funniest things ever filmed. However behind all this is humanity that is real and striking. Though this movie mostly serves as a comedy, it can also be very heart breaking. Yet the drama and comedy are so well put together that both complement the other and make the other perfect.





The Freshman (1925)

This is one of the most human and likable Harold Lloyd films. It may not have the constant gags that other Lloyd films do, but his character has rarely been this likable. You can't help but root for this guy. You feel sorry for Harold being treated so cruelly and want to see him show the others what he is capable of and more than that we believe he is capable of it even when he doesn't. This does not mean that the comedy is not amazing though. The scene with his clothes falling apart is as funny as anything he has ever done, and the football game is just as funny as it is exciting.



Oh What a Knight (1928)
Are you a Disney fan? Then why not watch one of Walt Disney's silent cartoons. A perfect one to start with would be the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon, Oh What a Knight. This is a fast paced and funny cartoon, filled with imagination and gags. Also notice how great the animation is here, especially the use of shadows.

These of course are just suggestions and you can start anywhere you want. I hope you found this useful and that you will soon come to love and appreciate silent film as well. So, enjoy silent film fandom.

-Michael J. Ruhland