Category: Language of Silent Film
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Cut To The Horse
Accompanying Keaton’s Our Hospitality this past weekend reminded me of a silent comedy trope I’ve become aware of. It’s one that may have hit my radar because of how it’s handled in the language of silent film, and because of my accompanist’s spidey-sense signaling there’s a laugh here than may need a little help. It…
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Silent Film Sleuthing and Inspector Clouseau
You don’t see a lot of detective stories in silent cinema. Almost as remarkable as the rediscoveries of silent Sherlock Holmes films is the fact that very few were made at all. The Language of Silent Film doesn’t lend itself to detective stories all that well, which is why you see more of Junior than…
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Turning The Lights Off and On In a Silent Film
The Raymond Griffith comedy You’d Be Surprised (1926) is not as well-known as his other starring features. That’s not saying much, given that most classic film fans don’t know Raymond Griffith and that most of his films are lost.This one deserves a better reputation, but I get why it’s not on the tiny hit parade…
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From The Horse’s Mouth
The second time I play for a film is my first big chance to make improvements over what I did the first time. If my first bash at the picture was a show where I’d not been able to preview it, I can make more specific or bolder choices for the film’s beginning, to help…
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A Slightly Faster Sunrise
Kevin Brownlow mailed me an item from “Variety” when I was beginning my research on silent film projection and filming speeds. What struck me is that it was yet another clue that silent era filmmakers had an expectation of what speed their films would be shown at when they were making their picture. The way…
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Silent Film Is Something That Happens
There are three key elements that make up what Silent Film truly is. It’s the overlapping presence of these live factors, at a show, that make the full experience. It’s the reason I refer to Silent Film as a medium and not a genre. It’s a medium that’s a close relation to sound film, but…
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Silent Filmmaking Then and Now
Is Silent Movie “Cosplay” Necessary? I don’t spend a lot of time watching silent films made recently or any time after sound came in. Maybe I should. In pondering the idea of making one myself, I’ve often wondered how important it is that the film look like it was made during the “silent era”. Silent…