SILENT MOVIES

The Silent movies ranged from 1894 to 1929 and were just that - movies that did not have any talking or music in them. The silent movie producers brought famous films such as Ben-Hur, the Ten Commandments, The Circus and many others and it must have been quite an event when they were first  shown. .  To provide drama and excitement, the  film was accompanied by a pianist who expressed them in music . The more dramatic the scene, the harder he pounded on his piano

The actors had to had to express feelings or situations in exaggerated gestures. (Maybe that's why so many actors of Italian origin became famous !) By the early 1930s, the silent film era was over as "talkies" became the cinema sensation.

To us today the silent movies really look too funny. There were a lot of famous actors and they were all adored. Charlie Chaplin was the first actor in a silent movie. But when the sound film came out, most of them didn't find a role anymore because they had an awful voice ! What a disappointment.

Here are a few pictures and how the actors where categorized.

 

This Lady was considered a "Vamp" I think there are a lot of "vamps" running around today 

 

which is probably not the case anymore for "Virgin". Charly Chaplin with a virgin (I have my doubts)

 

A nude was represented like this and made already a big scandal. If the producers would see the "nudes" today .....

 

Buster Keaton also "posed" nude. Today a topless torso is not considered as a nude but at this time it was. 

 

 

Believe it or not, but this is Gary Cooper, he also was an actor in silent movies but could switch over to sound films. He filled in the category "Cowboy".

 

 

The famous Valentino played "Sheiks"

 

 

 The movies of Laurel and Hardy are still liked to be seen. 

 

movie posters

 

Animals played in the silent movies too and probably the pianist hammered some special notes to make the piano bark.