Nosferatu and other early films....

[trevorbr]

Recently, after seeing Shadow of the Vampire, I was inspired to go back and view Nosferatu and Metopolis (the only two silent films I could easily get my hands on.) Great inspiration for me personally. The undercranking shots of the vampire on his boat trip to Germany were particularly effective in an artfull way IMHO. All melodrama aside, early films were often quit effective pieces of art particularly from Germany and Europe. Have there been any recent atempts at feature length silent narrative films? Not much of an audience for them I know, but, it seems like a wonderful artistic challenge. Anyone care to share their thoughts on the idea of a modern silent film or personal thoughts on the early days of film and filmmaking?

[AlexGfromUK]

I think its a great challenge to make your narrative work without sound in your film too. your right that there would be very little market for it though, the film industry is so commercial now that my local blockbuster does'nt even have a copy of aliens, you know, that ancient art film that no-one has ever heard of from way back in 86 by little known director james cameron.

[capul8]

Trevor:

You will find many Super 8 filmakers re-exploring the silent way. Some are learning how to construct narrative (See Griffith & Lang), some are pushing towards image as art, with or without narrative meaning (see Eisenstein etc)

Murnau is probably my favorite silent artist.
But I think the real lessons for us today can be learned from:

the greatest director to transition from silents to sound: John Ford;

and the greatest modern director to use silence and image to move the story: Akira Kurosawa.

BTW: If you can, try to see silent film projected at the proper speed. That hokey speeded-up stuff completely robs great early films of their seriousness. I remeber a PBS channel broadcasting Griffith's Intolerance, which is truly one of the most important films ever made (apologies to those offended by its incipient racism). But they showed it under-cranked and it was just silly.
Also, remember that orchestras were hired to play original scores for the big films. So if you hear a chintzy piano or organ playing generic "movie music" you're being robbed in a second way of experiencing the film.

To this day, the showing of Abel Gance's tryptich film NAPOLEON at Radio City on three huge screens, accompanied by a 70 piece orchestra is one of my top ten film experiences.

Bernie

[Hanthx]

Hi all

I just finished my first film, and I shot it silent. I opted not to have sound in the film unlike the rest of our class, because my idea of film is about VISUAL IMAGERY.
I wanted to have my film stand on its own two feet without sound being its driving force. When we finally did add sound, (splashes of it, tiny bit here, tiny bit there) it made a decent student film, better. I think thats what sound should do. It was my first film at school, and so far, has recieved some really nice reviews. Although there are a few small errors, as in student film, I think it does well using for to give meaning to content, and telling a story with pictures, rather than words. You should be able to sit down and watch a movie without the sound, and understand it.
Just my two bits

Scott
ps I should have it transfered soon, I will post it here for you guys to see.

[This message has been edited by Hanthx (edited May 21, 2001).]

[rollemfilm]

good topic. i have been working towards this for years. my next film will be a silent. remember, the term "silent" is a post silent invention. filmmakers were not concerned with dialog, but they were concerned with sound. most of this was live music and live sound effects. what the early films were infact were "photoplays". i rented "The French Connection" the other day. this is a good example of how to use minimal audio. the dialog is very sparse. there are long scenes of visual information. Chaplin made silents after sound was introduced. in 1936 he made "Moderen Times", and earlier he made "City Lights" that opens up with one of the best satires on the invention of sync sound. i highly recomend to anyone interested in filmmaking to search out early films. Chaplin, Keaton, Joris Ivens, Sergei Eisenstien....soooo many.

[trevorbr]

I am in complete agreement. There is a lot to learn from early films. I must abmit to favoring the style of German Expressionism so of course I have seen more of their films. I fimd it interesting to see Eisenstein mentioned so frequently. Although I have only seen excerpts of Battleship Potemkin(spelling?) I was a bit turned of by the Russian montage concept. Perhaps I should see the film from begining to end.
As for music and film the two shall be for ever intertwined in my heart. I actually became intested in music because of a film. I do agree that the film should stand on it's own however. Music, apropriate music, will only make a good film better.

[rollemfilm]

Here is a list of some must see silents:
College, The Gold Rush, City Lights, The Wind. The Photographer,The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Ben Hur, Rain, Nanook of the North, Metropolis, Berlin; Symphony of a Great City (although this was made pre-Nazi era, Walther Ruttman soon became a Nazi, but, it's a great film): another pure Nazi film, but a must see, Triumph of the Will, and another propaganda film, Battleship Potemkin, also "M" by Fritz Lang, and Sunrise if I did'nt mention it. as a footnote, I think that the silent Ben Hur is a better film in all respects. Don't pass this baby up, it will keep you on the edge of your seat. There are more, but I can't think of them at the moment.

[HH3]

And can you believe that T3 is coming out next year with Arnold still in the lead role, yet Cameron is not directing! He is only credited as the screenwriter. I thought for sure he'd direct his best known series. Instead he opted for True Lies 2. I would have stuck with the Termenator myself. Well, I guess thats why I'm not in his position. Decisions, decisions..

[trevorbr]

Was there a silent version of "M?" With Peter Lori?

[Mikko]

Finnish director Aki Kaurism?ki made a silent b/w feature film called "Juha" few years ago.

M