Silent Films

[Scott]

Still haven't seen NOSFERATU . I also want to see GOLEM.

Silent film that I've seen are:

The Cabinet of Docter Caligari
A Trip to the Moon
Metropolis
Battleship Potemkin
Birth of a Nation
The Great Train Robbery
City Lights (Chaplin)
The Circus (Chaplin)

Are there any others in the Horror/Sci-Fi catagory?

[The Burgomaster]

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA comes to mind. Also, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE.

[Vermin Boy]

Check out Un Chien Andalou. Not really horror or sci-fi, but DEFINITELY offbeat. Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali teamed up to make 15 minutes of bizarre, grotesque, and reportedly meaningless imagery, calling it "a desperate and passionate appeal for murder." My favorite part is when a man spontaneously ignores the girl he's been menacing and starts dragging pianos, dead horses, and live priests across the room. Not really for the squeamish, though, as the first 30 seconds will show you.

[Evan3]

How about that Trip to the Moon movie, it is so wierd, and French I think.

[Rumyungyungsonson]

The Lost World was real good.

[Scott]

Haven't seen LOST WORLD, but I have seen PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and TRIP TO THE MOON.

[The Burgomaster]

How about MEL BROOKS' SILENT MOVIE?

(Maybe not).

[dean]

yeah trip to the moon was nice and wacky, did you know that was pretty much the first film involving special effects, including stop motion animation.  it was cool!  and metropolis is funny because i recently saw a version with AC/DC as the backing music... how unusual, yet strangely fitting.

try some stuff by boris karloff, he's a champ and did a heap of movies, though most probably have sound.  

also hitchcock's first film was a silent jack the ripper film, and almost didn't get released because he sent it off to many places that turned him down, saying it was the worst film they'd seen.  when it was finally released it was hailed as the best british film ever [at that point]  
sorry don't know the name of it though.

[kriegerg69]

dean wrote:

> try some stuff by boris karloff, he's a champ and did a heap of
> movies, though most probably have sound.  

Not quite....Boris started in movies in 1916, during the silent era, and made somewhere around 60 silent movies before he began to make sound films.

> also hitchcock's first film was a silent jack the ripper film,
> and almost didn't get released because he sent it off to many
> places that turned him down, saying it was the worst film
> they'd seen.  when it was finally released it was hailed as the
> best british film ever [at that point]  
> sorry don't know the name of it though.

It was called THE LODGER, from 1927.....and it wasn't Alfred's first film. NUMBER 13 in 1922 was his first, followed by three more before he made THE LODGER.

[Dunners]

See dr.Caligari for sure, a great (though strange) horror film. Plenty to enjoy.

[dean]

ah sorry, i meant that most of the ones you could get your hands on are the boris karloff films with sound; i've only found one, but have seen plenty of his stuff with sound [i have frankenstien on dvd and three other films, its a triple package]

and cheers for the hitchcock film, just had a lecture on hitchcock and they threw the lodger in with it, so i guess they got it wrong [heads are going to roll! :P ] though maybe they meant it was his first major sucess, who knows, i was half asleep at the time! :P

thanks for the correction

[kriegerg69]

dean wrote:

> and cheers for the hitchcock film, just had a lecture on
> hitchcock and they threw the lodger in with it, so i guess they
> got it wrong [heads are going to roll! :P ] though maybe they
> meant it was his first major sucess, who knows, i was half
> asleep at the time! :P
>
> thanks for the correction

You're welcome....and FIE on whoever gave that misinformed lecture! More than likely what they meant was that (unless you were asleep :-) !) THE LODGER was the first film in the true Hitchcock "style"....it's the film that first defined all of his signature trademarks and stylings.

[Deej]

Navarre Distribution is putting out silent triple feature dvds. I picked up the horror disc which includes Nosferatu, Phantom of the Opera, and Metropolis. The picture quality is decent and the price was under $5.00. Still haven't been able to sit through Metropolis yet, the score is maddening!

Also for action/adventure, a few Douglas Fairbanks flicks are available on dvd or vhs. I just ordered The Black Pirate on dvd to replace my worn out vhs tape. It's a 1926 film and features some cool sword fights, guttings, and the famous scene in which Doug thrusts his sword through the sail and slides down it. Pretty cool. My vhs is in B&W, but the dvd version is in the original 3 shade color. The Mark of Zorro(1920) is pretty damned good, some comedy bits thrown in. Robin Hood(1922) isn't bad, a bit drawn out and no where near as good as the 1938 Errol Flynn film. In the same vein, check out John Barrymore in Don Juan(1926) and The Beloved Rogue(1927). Both good adventure type flicks, with Don Juan featuring a kick ass sword battle!

I have The Sheik and Son of the Sheik on the way from Netflix. I've only seen one other Valentino flick,Blood and Sand, and thought it was pretty overwrought. But, I'll give these a go and see how it turns out.

Oh yeah, I saw The Lost World on AMc, years ago when they were a classic movie channel. It was awesome. The special effects were better than alot that I've seen in 50's and 60's movies.



Post Edited (08-17-03 12:41)

[BoyScoutKevin]

Silent Films

If one wants to watch silent films, Turner Classic Movies sometimes plays them on Sunday nights. That's where I saw a silent version of "The Prisoner of Zenda" w/ Ramon Novarro.

Most of Chaney, Sr.'s films were silent films. If one liked this "Phantom of the Opera," then one might check out his "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

Mel Brooks' "Silent Movie" technically is not a silent movie, as Marcel Marceau says: "Non!" during the film.

And, if one enjoyed D. W. Griffiths' "Birth of a Nation," or would like to see one of his films besides that one, then check out "Intolerance."

I believe some of the film techniques used in that film such as the quick-cut editing, are still used today.

The cast list, which includes Monte Blue, Lillian Gish, Elmo Lincoln, Walter Long, Tully Marshall, Mae Marsh, Eugene Pallette, Constance Talmadge, and in uncredited parts: Donald Crisp, Ruth St. Denis, and Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, reads like a who's who of silent film stars.

And the number of other film directors, including Tod Browning, Elmer Clifton, Wallace Reid, W. S. Van Dyke, King Vidor, and Douglas Fairbanks, who was not only an actor, but also a director, appearing in the film, is amazing.