Why Silent Films Matter

The 11th Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival runs July 14th through July 16th at the historic Castro Theatre. The line up of films is quite remarkable: Seventh Heaven; Bucking Broadway; Au Bonheur Des Dames; Sparrows; Pandora's Box; three Laurel and Hardy films; The Girl with the Hatbox; The Unholy Three; and Show People. The range in style, genre, and country of origin make it a treat for experienced silent film lovers or a remarkable introduction for a silent film novice. So why should you go- especially if you have never seen a silent film?

One, it is a chance to see silent films in the way that they were designed to be seen. These films were screened in movie palaces like The Castro Theatre. A movie palace is simply not the same as the multiplex at the mall. The owners built these theatres to impress the audience and to transport them to a different place. Typically they were designed along the lines of an exotic locale. Architect Timothy L. Pflueger designed the outside of The Castro to resemble a Mexican cathedral and incorporated Spanish, Oriental and Italian design motifs into the interior. (For more on the history of The Castro Theatre, go to http://www.thecastrotheatre.com/history.html) Also, originally films contained no soundtrack at all which meant theaters provided live accompaniment. During the festival, films will be accompanied in a variety of ways: a solo artist on the Wurlitzer organ, live piano accompaniment, and live ensembles. Most importantly the viewer gets to see the films on a big screen and with an audience. Films at this time were a communal experience like theatre. Films give a greater impact when surrounded by other people feeling the same wonder and emotion. Sitting at home watching a DVD is not a substitute.

Secondly, silent films have an intense immediacy due to a reliance on showing the audience instead of telling them. Is there anything that takes a viewer out of the moment more then having a character come onto the screen and do five minutes of exposition? In silent films everything, with the exceptions of the title cards, is conveyed visually. Since film is a visual medium the emotional and artistic impact of the films is more direct. I find the connection to the characters and action considerably more visceral with silent films then with sound pictures. Language is often a barrier to communication. Ideas and feelings get bogged down in semantics. The filmmakers had to use visual metaphors to express ideas and themes, as well as conveying characterization and setting through art design and lighting. This dependency on visual expression lead to an amazing artistry that was lost as sound came in and is seen rarely in modern films.

Not just style was lost with the change to sound, due to a variety of reasons,many actors did not make the transition successfully to talkies. Mary Pickford, Louise Brooks and Marion Davies never duplicated the success they had in sound pictures that they enjoyed in silent films. The only way to see the prime of these three remarkable actress’ work is to view their silent films. All three ladies have films screening in this year’s festival, Sparrows, Pandora’s Box and Show People. These three films not only feature some of the best work of each actress, but also reveal the immense variety of screen personas and roles allowed for women at the time. Pickford, America’s sweetheart, played young women struggling through adversity either comically or tragically or both ways simultaneously. Louis Brooks infused her performances with an intense dangerous eroticism. Marion Davies appeared in a lot of costume dramas, but excelled as a smart and sexy comedian. Her performance in Show People highlights her superb flare for comedy.

If all that it isn’t enough then there is simply this. The films being screened at the festival are entertaining and will transport you somewhere else for a few hours. So what are you waiting for?

For more information on the festival go to: http://www.silentfilm.org