Silent Movies

I haven't seen many of Harold Lloyd's 200+ films, but Safety Last! is without a doubt one of the greatest physical comedies of all time.

I'm amazed every time someone tells me they don't know who Buster Keaton is. I grew up watching The General, The Navigator, and Three Ages. I suppose most people have never even heard of those movies, which is really a pity.

When talking about silent films, you have to mention Germany. So many great films came out of the country in that era. Even if you don't know it, you'd most likely recognize the works of F.W. Murnau, Fritz Lang, and Robert Wiene just from the obvious impact they've had on the film industry. None of these emo kids would have The Nightmare Before Christmas without Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari.

You can get a lot of silent movies for free, as they're public domain, at http://www.archive.org/details/feature_films. It's an excellent resource.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Sal

knkwzrd; if you can recommend some more movies it'd be appreciated.

Sure thing. These are all available on DVD.

I made a journal entry a while ago about the film Battleship Potemkin, which is one of the more influential films in cinema history. You can get it from the link I posted earlier. Anyway, this is the first movie with that scene of a perambulator rolling down the steps. You know, the scene in The Untouchables and Brazil.

D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, though it blatantly supports the KKK and segregation, was a very important film because much of the groundbreaking camera work it contained is now commonplace. At the time of it's release, it was also the longest film ever made at just over three hours.

Les Vampires, which was only recently released on DVD, was originally released as a ten part serial. This is basically the first serious horror film, with the possible exception of Thomas Edison's Frankenstein. Les Vampires is very notable for the dreamy, gothic setwork.

1922's Häxan was a documentary about the history of witchcraft. While the original film is not that exciting with the exception of a few interesting shots, what is of notice is the 1968 edit. This version, titled Witchcraft Through The Ages is narrated by William S. Burroughs and features a free jazz soundtrack featuring avant-garde violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. Burroughs dry commentary and the new music turn the film into a riveting black comedy.

Most amazing jew boots