The Silent Film Experience
by Jessica Verderame
Silent film may be an acquired taste for young audiences. I know that my first two experiences with them weren't exactly the most pleasant. The first I blame on the beloved 1990s Nickelodeon television show Are You Afraid of the Dark. One episode featured the classic silent horror movie Nosferatu, which scared the crap out of my nine-year-old self. I had nightmares of the creepy music as the vampire stepped silently from the screen into the theater. That is probably why it took me so long to venture into the world of silent cinema, even after becoming a fan of old movies in general.
I've been a fan of classic movies from an early age, starting where most people do, with Breakfast at Tiffany's, Casablanca, and Gone with the Wind. From there I ventured into earlier and more obscure genres until I had gone through almost all early film trends and genres-except for silent. I decided to change that, and this is where my second unpleasant experience comes in.
Charlie Chaplin. The name brings to mind innocent, dated-but-cute slapstick humor. How could this possibly cause for unpleasantness? I purchased a collection of some of his earlier short films and decided to watch them before going to sleep one night. Bad idea. With that night came nightmares of Charlie Chaplin silently stalking me in the dark from under my bed, with creepy carnival music in the background.
However, nightmares of vampires and Charlie Chaplin usually aren't the reason why most young people steer clear of silent movies. Luckily, I have grown past those experiences and moved into the group of precious few young people who love silent cinema. Some excuses I've heard from people as to why they don’t care to watch these films are: "They're too tame, not exciting enough." "They're dated." "The fact that they're in black and white puts me to sleep enough as it is, how could you possibly watch one without sound?"
There are ways to turn all of these negatives around. Filmmakers were aware that they couldn't use excessive violence or sexuality in their movies. This is one reason why people find old movies, especially silent movies, dull. Directors could barely use any controversial material at all. Often times this led to cheesy violence, which, if anything, is amusing. Other times, however, directors wouldn't take out controversial material; they would just hide it. One of the things I enjoy in watching older movies over modern ones is that a lot of things are implied or hidden, not just laid out there for you. It makes watching more interesting. For instance, Pandora's Box (1928) is considered the first film with a lesbian character. The fact is not laid out to you, but the signs are there. Once things like this actually hit you, it's pretty gratifying.
The argument that silent films are dated is a hard one for me to objectively refute, because I like the fact that they're dated. I adore the time period in which silent film was dominant, so films that are considered "dated" in their language and content are the most interesting to me. It gives you a peek into a culture you are not able to witness through television, one that is barely captured in pictures. One of the only other major ways, aside from books, is film. For example, the 1927 film It stars the quintessential flapper, Clara Bow. Many consider the dialogue on the inter-titles to be dated, but who's to say that's a bad thing? It's pretty cool to be able to see the slang words and phrases long dead, or perhaps recycled through the generations, used by young, modern men and women during the flapper era.
The last point to argue here is that the combination of black and white and no audible dialogue puts people right to sleep. I'll admit, the first full-length silent film I watched, I fell asleep. It can be a little rough to get used to at first, because, especially in a drama, the musical score is slow, and could easily lull you to sleep if you're not engrossed in the film. Basically, don't watch a silent film for the first time if you're tired and laying in bed. The enjoyment of this element of silent film is hard to explain. It's almost like you don't notice a difference. The music fades more into the background as a part of a whole, rather than a filler of silence. If done well, the score compliments the film very well, enhancing it. Some DVDs of silent movies come with multiple scores, and it can be strange to realize how each different score could give you a unique experience of the film.
After reading this, you may still be turned off at the thought of silent films. It's difficult to explain the experience of them, because everyone will have a different one. I could only offer you mine, and hope you'll at least give this fading genre a chance before it's completely forgotten.
