5. The secret afterlife of silent film

The year 1929 is often seen as marking the end of silent film. “The secret afterlife of silent film” questions this date, demonstrating how that year only signaled the end of production in major studios in the United States. Once the technology for synchronization and amplification became available, the transition to sound in the motion picture industry was smoother than is often depicted. Silent film production continued in pockets around the globe until nearly the middle of the century, as did silent film exhibition. Elements of silent film persist even in the early twenty-first century, from avant-garde to animated films. Silent film is still beloved by critics and cinephiles, and the innovations of the silent period arguably contribute to the ongoing appeal of cinema itself.

2. A global cinema

Silent film proved to be not just a global entertainment medium but also a deeply transnational one. “A global cinema” looks at its worldwide spread, largely unimpeded by language barriers and even national barriers. International coproductions were common, with actors and directors moving freely between countries. Alongside the rise of the Hollywood classical style, French, German, Italian, and Russian national cinemas emerged. Australia, India, Mexico, China, and Japan forged active film industries despite international pressures, while other regions saw their markets dominated by foreign imports.

3. Making films in the silent era

“Making films in the silent era” looks at the business of film production and the attempts of early pioneers to forge new cinematic styles. Women were central to silent film, with some holding positions of power equal to men and running studios before they were able to vote in the United States—a condition that came to a close with the rise of “talkies.” African American filmmakers, Asian American filmmakers, and others connected with audiences by bypassing the Hollywood system. The genres of silent film in some cases appear wholly distinct from later filmmaking trends and in other cases presage such mainstay forms as horror, sci-fi, and the Western, which existed alongside modes of filmmaking like animation and documentary that persisted into later eras.

1. The three ages of silent film

“The three ages of silent film” charts the three commonly recognized periods of silent film: early, transitional, and classical. Changes in distribution after the early period shifted film’s role from a technological attraction presented as a transient fairground or vaudeville entertainment to a mode of storytelling presented in a fixed location in a nickelodeon or picture palace. This led to longer films with more complex composition and storytelling. The first film companies’ attempts to control the markets were circumvented by producers setting up West Coast studios. While European studios had a strong artistic influence that continued throughout the era, many struggled financially after the First World War.

Introduction

Think about the last time you went to the movies. Whatever film you saw, it probably seems like it has little connection to cinema’s silent era, which ran from the invention of film recording and projection technology around 1895 until the worldwide introduction of synchronized sound in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The film you saw undoubtedly had spoken dialogue and sound effects: it was not silent at all. It probably had a swelling score. It was almost certainly in color. What relation could that film possibly have to the bygone era of silent pictures—that seemingly primordial cinematic age encapsulated in the idea of a black-and-white film dimly flickering on a screen while a lonely musician idly plays piano in the corner?...

4. Watching films in the silent era

“Watching films in the silent era” explains how viewing habits changed with distribution patterns and the growth of nickelodeons and movie palaces. Social stratification affected access to both cinemas and films. Those who lived far from city centers or who were prevented from visiting luxury venues by poverty or segregation saw older films at cheaper prices. Studios tried to manage the exigencies of filmmaking by selling motion pictures in batches, while theater owners had to choose among thousands of available options in picking the films they would exhibit. Live sound effects, narration, and even dialogue were surprisingly common elements of silent film exhibition worldwide, and silent film music was a thriving industry, with organists or groups of musicians working from books of standard music rather than film-specific scores.